BACKGROUND:
Good data helps to drive good decision making. Public health has initiated the development of systems that will lead us to better data. This development has included information gathering on the part of public health and information systems professionals. In doing so methodologies have been created which ensure the systems meet the needs of public health and conform to industry standards. Immunization Information Systems has been a leader in information systems development and can share lessons learned to help promote the successful creation of systems.

OBJECTIVE:
More and more public health programs are using information systems. The development of public health systems requires the participation of public health program-oriented non-technical personnel in the development process. The goal is to familiarize public health partners with some of the methodologies used in industry for development projects.

METHOD:
Present a simple model that can be used or adapted for IS project development. This model will then be used to further illustrate some of the roles and responsibilities that a public health official could expect to see as the public health component to the project development. Additionally, present possible scenarios where problems could arise and some planning tools to help avoid these pitfalls.

RESULT:
When a public health application is developed or enhanced, and the expectations and understanding of the needs are understood by public health and development, the overall project is successful in meeting expectations and a strong framework is created to maintain and support the system.

CONCLUSION:
Having a clear understanding of the methodologies used to implement a project helps make each step of project development smoother.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To better understand potential roles and responsibilities public health might have in the development of an application or system, to be able to better plan and create more realistic timelines and deliverables.