Healthcare and support of
e-medicine: custom software development project in microservices architecture
Inetum is currently taking part in a project supporting the development of e-medicine in Poland and saving human lives. The web application will help assess the DNA and bone marrow compliance of potential donors. The challenge for the project team on the JCommerce side was the need to acquire knowledge in the field of genetics to improve the algorithm on which the system is based.
Problem
Inetum’sclient built an e-transplant system for a government unit, facilitating the selection of organs for transplantation in terms of DNA and bone marrow compliance. At the beginning of the project, work was carried out using only their own IT resources, based on data for creation of the algorithm, provided by a team of geneticists. However, the scope of work turned out to be too wide, and the challenges faced by the team were too vast, which resulted in the deadline for the implementation of the system being at risk. For this reason, the client decided to search for support from external providers, including Inetum.
System
The system is a web application that uses data from many sources. The algorithm searches the data in the system and verifies the genetic compliance of the donor and organ recipient. In this way, the chances of choosing a suitable donor for the transplant increase.
Challenges
- To carry out the project, the Inetumproject team needed to gain a substantive knowledge in the field of genetics. The goal was to learn how the algorithm developed by the genetic team functions and to improve it.
- The system processes huge amounts of data and requires massive computing capabilities and well-designed architecture.
- The hierarchical structure in the project was also a challenge – the implementation of tasks made it necessary to gain numerous approvals from the client side.
- The work of many teams and the need for good communication with a second contractor and business representatives.
Implementation
Two Scrum Teams and one DevOps project team work on the Inetum side. A multi-functional team of Inetum specialists consisting of Java developers, testers, as well as an architect and DevOps engineers joined the client’s team, and our specialists have prepared and designed the e-transplant system from scratch. We are currently working on the system and the algorithm to improve it. Using the DevOps competences, we advise changes and implement the software infrastructure. We are also responsible for the front-end and back-end layers, as well as testing the application.
Work on the project requires cooperation with many people involved on the business side: there are business analysts, a Project Head and a Scrum Master on the target client’s side. As the project developed, we verified the schedule and scaled the team to meet the client’s needs, thanks to which the client grew to trust us and cooperation was strengthened. For Inetum developers, the project is an interesting algorithmic challenge. They also admit that during the implementation they feel a sense of purpose, as the e-transplant support system will be implemented throughout Poland and will help save lives.