When starting a data management plan, think about the various goals of a data lifecycle. For a given research project, issues surrounding data collection, storage, organization, documentation, preservation, and distribution should be ascertained.
Consider the following questions:
- What format will be required to store and read the data?
- What is the size of the data and will it continue to grow?
- Is there sensitive or identifying information in the data? What about privacy?
- Will the data be re-used for a different project or another purpose?
- How long will the data be preserved?
- Who can have access to the data and how will it be shared?
More complete checklists with other considerations can be found in the resources below. Not all aspects will apply to every project. Please be sure to check with your funder's requirements.