A system and method for coordinating the development of an application including a first component having definitions expressed in a structured definition language and a second component having a series of instructions. The components defme the processing on a device runtime environment of messages communicated over a network between the device and a datasource. The system and method comprise a first development pattern configured for interaction with a development enviroment provided by a computer user interface, the first pattern for guiding a user of the user interface with a plurality of predefined steps to coordinate the development of the application components through user input events via the user interface The first pattern is configured for selecting from a plurality of patterns based on a component type central to the first development pattern such that he component type is selected from a plurality of types including at least one of data, message, screen, and workflow. The system and method also include a first module corresponding to the selected component type and configured for coupling to the first pattern. The first module is for developing the definitions of at least one of the components through interaction with a data model of the development environment providing a persistent state of the application. The operation of the first module is coordinated using the plurality of the predefined steps communicated to the user through the user interface; wherein the developed components are subsequently assembled as the application.