Project Summary: Rapid Development of an Online Pharmacy Platform
Introduction
The project was undertaken by Chemist View, an online pharmacy in the UK, to integrate with a clinic providing ADHD diagnostic and treatment services.
The project had a tight deadline of 8 weeks due to the existing pharmacy's inability to scale and meet the medication demand.
Key Decisions and Approaches
Serverless Architecture
Opted for a serverless architecture to leverage the benefits of high availability, low administration, and rapid development.
Utilized AWS services like Lambda, API Gateway, and Cognito to build the infrastructure quickly.
Prototype and Iterative Development
Started with a prototype rather than a proof of concept, focusing on the business logic and fundamental architecture.
Employed a hexagonal architecture pattern to enable extensibility and parallel development.
Leveraged boilerplate code from tools like CDK and React to accelerate the initial setup.
API Integration and Validation
Deployed a stubbed API Gateway API to allow the partner clinic to start development against a stable interface.
Implemented custom validation using the Zod library to provide detailed error messages, rather than relying solely on the built-in API Gateway validation.
Front-end Development
Chose a simple, off-the-shelf component library (Chakra UI) to quickly build the customer-facing website.
Integrated authentication using AWS Cognito and React Amplify libraries.
Operational Visibility
Utilized Amazon Chime and Slack integration to ensure operational staff, not just developers, were alerted to any issues.
Project Execution
Formed a small, specialized team of 4 engineers, 1 tester, and a product owner to maintain agility.
Adopted a Kanban-style development process, focused on flow and backwards-compatible tasks.
Emphasized automation and "good enough" quality, prioritizing functionality over perfection.
Outcomes and Next Steps
The project was successfully launched within the 8-week deadline, enabling the clinic to continue providing medication to its patients.
The new platform has since expanded the business's B2B opportunities and changed the company's outlook.
Ongoing improvements include adding payment functionality, transitioning to event-based observability, and further domain-driven design refinements.
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