The first step in data management is to ask this crucial question: What data will enable me to answer the question I am asking?
For there, you create a data management plan (DMP). Start by jotting down answers to the following questions:
What is the format of the data? How am I going to collect it? How do I control the quality? What is the budget/timeline? How do I ensure the data security? What is Howard's policy? What metadata will I use?
The following resources provide theoretical background and practical tools in data management.
DMP Tools by California Digital Library
University of Minnesota Data Center
DataCite
Databib
DataOne
ICPSR
