Software Design and Development of an Appointment Booking System: A Design Study

Abstract

This paper outlines, utilises and reflects upon effective software design and development through effectively applying current practical solutions such as use case modelling, class and sequence diagrams and by developing a prototype program which reflects the designs from said diagrams. A discussion is presented regarding the best method of approaching the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), justifying the selection and also concluding with a reflection on the professional, ethical and security issues in relation to the proposed design and use of software within the healthcare sector. In regards to ethical considerations, the Code of Ethics was discussed in relation to the design and development of the system and the importance of it alongside ensuring a high level of ethics and professionalism is of utmost priority when handling personal identifiable information in the development of a system. As well as this, security issues during and post development is an area of significant importance when it comes to data management, this has been discussed in general and against the software development life cycle. Additionally, in the design and development of software it is crucial to abide by world software quality standards such as International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), and this paper reflects upon current issues and how to address these in the process of design and development.