Despite the popularity of Project Management software such as Microsoft Project, many people still think that their project doesn't need a database. Why? The cost of the software may seem prohibitive, but if used more than once, it starts to pay for itself. Some people think that their particular project is too small to warrant creating a database for it, then they wonder why it took so much time, money and effort to correct bumps in the road. Almost every project needs a database at its core, whether one produced by software or not - and here are three reasons why.

1. Being able to track project elements

Without a database, you cannot really know how each part of your project is affecting the rest of it. For example, staff illness leads to less productivity, but it may also push your costs up as you pay more and more of the remaining staff to work overtime. You may also see a drop in effort and mood in your current staff as morale takes a dive due to overwork and stress. Without a database, you can easily lose a handle on how to plug the gaps in human resources, budgeting and keeping the project running on time and to deadline.

2. Avoiding 'too much information' and scope creep

Without a constant, updated reminder on your project goals, deadlines and costs, you are far more likely to forget something or - worse, in a way - to let the project scope creep to include things you don't realise are being added. Having a central database improves focus on the task in hand, and because it's always updated with each stage that the project is currently at, you can avoid unnecessary padding and stay on track.

3. Being able to share the project

Miscommunication between staff working on the same project can be a killer, to the extent that it may derail the project entirely. If one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, you're going to run into problems. That's not to say that the staff will purposefully or willingly go off track, but if something changes and they aren't informed about it, they will continue to deliver what their last set goal was - without knowing that the goalposts had been changed! Having a database means having a central document (or series of documents in a program) to share in real time as soon as anything in the project changes. Then everyone is kept informed and has a reference point on which to work towards the end goal together in a harmonious way.

Conclusively, not having a database - even for the smallest project - is inviting in elements that every project can do without. Budget overruns, missed deadlines, unhappy staff kept in the ark, and scope creep can all be avoided if you implement a database. After all, it makes you look better as a project manager - since a database is a sign of good organisational project management, and who wouldn't want to be perceived as that at work? Whether in software or even a basic spreadsheet, nobody has any excuse not to create, maintain and use a database effectively in their project.