OpenLMIS in Eswatini: Developer training

SolDevelo continues to share knowledge and experience through another installment of OpenLMIS training in Eswatini, this time dedicated to development teams. In these workshops, we guided developers through the system’s architecture, key processes, and best practices for working with OpenLMIS. 

OpenLMIS in Eswatini

OpenLMIS logo
dp world
vitalliance

Last year SolDevelo, in partnership with DP World and Vitalliance, engaged in the support of OpenLMIS implementation in Eswatini. Aiming to optimize the local system, we conducted a general audit that allowed us to not only identify configuration issues, but also better understand the specific challenges and needs of this implementation. After these initial preparations, we moved on to the maintenance phase, in which we provide ongoing support to the implementation.

One of our main goals in this project is to give the local teams and users all help and resources necessary to benefit from OpenLMIS. With this mission in mind, we’ve organized online workshops for administrators and end-users, where we discussed all crucial elements of the application. Theoretical knowledge was backed up by practical exercises to help the participants gain confidence in managing and using OpenLMIS.

We’ve successfully completed the first workshops, and focused on preparing for the next training.

SolDevelo developer training

Since we’ve already covered the basic training needs of administrators and end-users, next we dedicated our time to developers. Equipping them with technical knowledge about OpenLMIS ensures that there are local specialists prepared to support the implementation. 

Training took place online and lasted 2 days, with each session spanning 6 hours. It was conducted by Dominik Noga, OpenLMIS frontend developer. With around 10 people present at the training, we had perfect conditions for dedicating our attention to each participant, addressing their questions and providing them with guidance.

Introduction to OpenLMIS

On the first day we put focus on introducing participants to the OpenLMIS system. It is a complex application and the domain knowledge is a crucial part of the developer work. We’ve prepared individual accounts for each participant, giving them a chance to go through exercises by themselves. It also allowed our trainer to have an insight into the participants’ actions and guide them more effectively.

We demonstrated each OpenLMIS module, explaining step by step what the given part of the application is responsible for. Following this introduction, participants were given access to a set of training tasks, designed to strengthen their understanding of the system.

OpenLMIS development

The second day was focused on exploring the development process of the application. We’ve walked the participants through the technologies that build OpenLMIS. All crucial technical and operational aspects were covered. We’ve discussed:

  • OpenLMIS technology stack.
  • Application modules, where to find them in the repository, and how the code is organized.
  • How to manage the tasks in Jira, how to change their status and what it means.
  • The whole process of ticket solving, starting with local code development setup, next making the pull request and ending with deployment to the test environment.
  • Types of reports in our application and the development process of each one.
  • The setup of a back-end developer (explained by Maciej Grochalski, Java developer and OpenLMIS main dev).

We closed the workshops by summarizing its contents and sharing links to useful resources, such as a file compiling all the information shared throughout the training.

Tips for a good developer training

After completing our workshops, we’ve gathered key insights on conducting effective and impactful training sessions. As strong advocates of knowledge sharing, we’re excited to share our top lessons learned:

  1. Walk through the application – Take developers through the entire application, explaining the most important processes in detail.
  2. Record the session – Always record the meeting so participants can reference it later.
  3. Encourage questions – After each module, allow time for questions. Encourage participants to interrupt, even mid-sentence, to ask questions when needed.
  4. Schedule breaks – Plan breaks during long training sessions. At least one break should be an hour long to allow for lunch.
  5. Create a clear agenda – A well-structured agenda keeps the training organized. Highlight and announce each transition to the next section.
  6. Summarize key points – Prepare a condensed summary of all agenda points so participants can easily review them later.
  7. Make it interactive – Ensure hands-on participation. Let participants interact with the system instead of just watching the trainer’s screen – it significantly improves retention.

Wrapping up a successful workshop

We are happy with how the workshops went. It was incredibly rewarding to guide fellow developers through our project and see them gain a clear understanding of its complexities. This hands-on onboarding proved to be highly effective, reducing confusion and making it easier for participants to get up to speed. We look forward to continuing this approach in the future, ensuring that every developer joining our projects feels supported and well-prepared from day one.

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