The development stage is the second major step towards acquiring new technology for electoral applications. It follows the needs assessment and approval process that results in choosing a supplier and it precedes the testing and implementation stages.

The complexity of the development process will depend on the complexity of the technology being implemented. If the technology is a standard off-the-shelf product, the development stage will already have largely taken place. However, many electoral applications of technology involve more than standard products. In some cases, standard products may have to be adapted or modified to perform tasks other than those for which the products were designed. In other cases, new products may have to be designed and built to meet a specific electoral need.

The development process generally involves the election management body (EMB) working with the suppliers of the products or services to ensure that the products or services are fit for their intended purposes. This may be a short process, for standard products, or a long one, where a product has to be designed and/or manufactured especially for the EMB's purposes.

Prerequisites for project development

At the start of the development process, the following steps will likely already be in place:

• The need for the new technology has been identified.

• It has been determined that the proposed technology is affordable.

• It has been established that the proposed technology is achievable and appropriate to local needs.

• A business case has been accepted by the appropriate authorities and approval has been gained from all relevant internal and external stakeholders.

• Funding has been secured for the life of the project.

• Amendment of relevant legislation has been secured, if necessary.

• A detailed project management plan has been prepared.

• Detailed specifications of the desired technology have been prepared.

• Suppliers of the desired technology have been chosen, following an appropriate selection process and contracts have been finalised.

If the project specifications have been thorough and complete, they can be used as blueprints for development and as yardsticks against which project completion can be measured. If the specifications are sketchy or incomplete, the development stage will be more difficult.

Project development methodology

The project management plan will set out the steps necessary to develop the new technology. These steps could include:

• establish a management team with overall responsibility for the project

• appoint a technical team (which could involve internal or external staff or consultants) for technical management of the project

• determine a development timetable

• agree with suppliers on a payment schedule based on the achievement of significant milestones

• set up appropriate liaison mechanisms with the suppliers, which could be a regular meeting structure

• consult with users to determine their needs and to keep them informed of developments—this could be achieved by setting up a user group

• liaise with suppliers to ensure specifications are clear and understood

• provide suppliers with more detail and/or amend specifications as necessary as development continues

• loan EMB staff to the suppliers to work closely with them on development, if appropriate

• give feedback to suppliers on prototypes, mock-ups or draft products

• arrange with suppliers for timely delivery of products or services ready for testing, ensuring sufficient time remains for testing, evaluation and implementation before the products are due to be used in production

At the end of this process, the suppliers will have provided a product ready for testing. It may be a final or close to final version of the product, or it may be a prototype, depending on the complexity and originality of the product. In either case, the EMB must test the product to ensure that it is fit for its intended purpose.