1. An automated method of generating summary data regarding task items that must occur to achieve a database lock for a clinical trial study that is performed based on a previously defined clinical trial protocol, the clinical trial study being managed using (i) a processor, and (ii) a database in communication with the processor, the database including clinical trial data and the status of the data for a plurality of patients participating in the clinical trial study, the method comprising: (a) defining, using the processor, at least one clinical database lock criterion for the study from at least a plurality of user-selected subsets of the clinical trial data, wherein the clinical database lock criterion is defined using the previously defined clinical trial protocol; (b) inputting into the processor: (i) the at least one clinical database lock criterion for the study, and (ii) the clinical trial data and the status of the data, as retrieved from the database, for the plurality of patients participating in the clinical trial study as defined by the clinical database lock criteria; and (c) automatically and programmatically generating, using the processor, summary data regarding task items that must occur to achieve the database lock as defined by the at least one clinical database lock criterion, using the clinical trial data and the status of the data, wherein different summary data will be generated for different clinical database lock criteria.