Systems Development & Design —
Training activity: 3

Details

Develop a small application as part of an Improvement to an existing information system or database

Type

Entrustable training activity (ETA)

Evidence requirements

Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion. ​

Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.

Considerations

• Software development principles and applications
• Design environments
• Form development
• Populating forms from data sources
• Scripting/programming languages
• Automating adding, deleting and updating database entries
• Best practice in system development

Reflective practice guidance

The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.

Before action

• What does success look like for developing this small application? How does this activity relate to selecting and applying system development methodologies, evaluating and managing a system development project, and implementing new applications or upgrades? What specific functionality or improvement is the application expected to achieve?
• What is your prior experience with application development or database improvements? What programming languages, development tools, or database concepts are you familiar with? What potential challenges might arise, such as integrating with the existing system, debugging code, or managing scope creep? When might you need to seek help, e.g., from a developer or system administrator? How do you feel about developing this application?
• What specific coding or development skills do you aim to improve? What insights do you hope to gain about the practicalities of implementing changes within existing healthcare information systems and managing the development process?
• Have you reviewed documentation for the existing system/database? What development environment and tools will you use? Are there specific coding standards or procedures you need to follow?

In action

• As you are working on a specific piece of code, a database element, or configuration, or undertaking a development step (e.g., coding a function, writing a script, configuring a table, testing a component), are you encountering anything that feels surprising or different from what you are anticipating? For instance, are there unexpected technical issues, errors, or integration problems arising as you build the application or modify the database? How does this development experience compare with your previous experiences of similar activities?
• As you encounter an unexpected technical issue, error, or integration problem, how are you reacting and adapting your approach to developing the application or database improvement? For example, if you encounter a coding bug or an integration failure, how are you troubleshooting or changing your approach in the moment? If the existing system or database behaves unexpectedly, are you trying a different way to interact with it? Are you considering other ways you could approach this task, such as a different coding method or a different database configuration? Is this affecting your ability to develop the application independently? Are you feeling confident you can reach a successful conclusion despite the unexpected issue, or are you finding it difficult to adapt? Are you recognising when you might need to seek immediate advice from a more experienced developer or system administrator?
• What new insights or lessons are becoming apparent to you as a result of the unexpected development and your reaction to it during the activity? For example, what are you learning about the programming language, development tools, or the existing system as you build? Are you recognising how you are working within your scope of practice, for example, by knowing when to pause or seek immediate advice regarding system development? Top of Form

On action

• Summarise the process you followed to develop the application and integrate it with the existing system or database. What specific coding, configuration, or testing steps felt most significant or caused difficulty? Think about times you had to adapt your coding or integration strategy while you were working.
• What did you learn about application development, working with the specific system/database, or the challenges of integrating new code? What strengths did you show in coding, problem-solving, or understanding the system architecture? What skills or knowledge gaps were evident, perhaps related to specific programming languages, database interactions, or debugging techniques? How did this development experience compare to prior coding tasks? Did you successfully apply learning from previous reflections on development activities? What technical challenges did you face (e.g., bugs, integration conflicts, performance issues)? How did you react to these? Did you need to seek technical advice from colleagues or system administrators?
• What actions or next steps will you take to enhance your application development skills, particularly within the context of existing systems? What programming concepts, tools, or integration patterns do you need to practise or learn more about? How will you approach developing applications that interact with existing systems differently next time?

Beyond action

• Considering your current knowledge of different systems development approaches and technical architectures, how would you evaluate the approach and design you used for the small application? What might you do differently now? Have you been involved in developing other applications or system improvements since this ETA? How does your current approach to development compare to your initial experience? If you discussed this training activity with peers or your training officer, did their insights or subsequent learning highlight alternative ways to approach the development or integration into the existing system? Revisit your reflect-on-action notes for this training activity. What aspects related to selecting methodologies, managing the development, or implementing the change now seem more or less significant in light of subsequent experiences?
• How has your hands-on experience with developing a small application influenced your understanding when critically evaluating system designs or development plans created by others? How has it contributed to your appreciation of the practical challenges involved in implementing changes to existing systems? Did this experience help you understand the relationship between systems development methodologies and successful project outcomes? Has it influenced how you think about the impact of technical decisions on the feasibility and success of a development project?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 3	Outcome Select and apply systems development and project management methodologies to a range of projects.
# 5	Outcome Critically evaluate and manage a system development project within the context of a formal project management methodology.
# 6	Outcome Implement new applications and upgrades to an existing application using controlled methodology.