add dev environment notes

README.md

@@ -9,6 +9,23 @@ This repository contains a script and schema to generate a database storing faul
 - qcore
 - sqlite3
 
+## Setting up development environment
+
+Use [Poetry](https://python-poetry.org/) to setup and manage the virtual enviroment. From within the repo run 
+
+```bash
+$ poetry lock && poetry install
+```
+
+This will install all the dependencies required for development. To start a virtual environment run
+
+```bash
+$ poetry shell
+```
+
+To integrate with PyCharm (if you use it) see [PyCharm's Documentation](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm/poetry.html#poetry-pyproject)
+
+
 ## Generate your own database
 1. Obtain the CRU fault system solution (ask a member of the software team for this file). It should be a zip file with the following structure
 ```