New technology cannot be implemented quickly without running the risk of failure, in most cases. This is particularly true in the electoral field, where election-specific technology must work effectively the first time. With an election, there is usually only one chance to get it right.
The amount of time needed for the development and implementation of new technology will depend on the complexity of the technology being implemented. If the technology is a standard off-the-shelf product, it may be implemented relatively quickly.
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.
In these cases, the amount of time needed to complete a project development process should not be underestimated.
Checklists provide a good indication of the number and complexity of tasks that must be completed before electoral technology can be implemented.
The tasks required to implement a complex technological project such as a computerised voter register or an electronic voting system may take months or even a year or more to implement. In many cases, the more time available, the more likely that the project will be a success.
It is not practical to predict the average time needed to implement an electoral technology project, since this will vary with the complexity of the project and the available resources. However, some examples of real-life electoral technology projects can provide guidance.
The implementation of a particular type of electoral technology is supposed to be part of an election management body's (EMB's) overall information technology strategy, and EMB’s need to ensure that time and resources are available for the project.
Each EMB's particular electoral cycle will impact on the time available to complete projects. For EMBs with a short election cycle (two years between major elections, for example), a choice has to be made as to whether it is possible to implement new technology within that short window of opportunity, or whether it is better to plan for the next election in the cycle.
EMBs that have longer election cycles—fouror five years between major elections—have the luxury of significantly longer windows of opportunity.
It may be a mistake, however, to allow too much time to complete an electoral technology project. The rate of change in technology in the 2000s is so rapid that some items of technology only have a one-to-three year life-span. This factor is a reason to delay the actual purchase and installation of hardware and software until the last practical moment. This does not, however, mean that planning and development stages have to wait until the last moment. A project plan can commence and the early stages of the project can be completed in anticipation of more advanced technology becoming available towards the end of the project cycle.
There are essentially fourstages to the recommended project development and implementation methodology:
- needs assessments, business cases and project specifications
Sufficient time needs to be allocated to each stage to ensure that the technology is implemented effectively.
The first stage, which includes preparation of a needs assessments, a business case and project specifications, can take more time than expected. External stakeholders may have to be consulted during this stage and other events often have to occur, such as government approval and the passage of legislation. As a result the EMB often has little power to speed up the process.
In particular, requests for funding may have to conform to the standard governmental budget cycle, which means there may only be one opportunity in a fiscal year to seek funds. If that window is missed, an EMB may have to wait until the next year.
One way to speed up this stage of the project is to undertake several strands of the process at the same time. For example, once the need for new technology has been established and (in-principle) approval has been gained, other elements of the project such as business cases, financial approval, stakeholder consultation, specifications and legislative or regulatory changes can be pursued concurrently. However, an EMB needs to be careful not to over extend itself—a sloppy business case, for example, could lead to refusal to finance the project.
The timing of the second stage, project development, will depend on the complexity of the project. Potential suppliers should be able to provide an indication of expected timeframes for particular projects. Again, off-the-shelf products will be developed more quickly than products that have to be specially designed, programmed or manufactured.
The EMB may have to provide staff resources to assist suppliers to enable them to meet development deadlines, particularly where products are being tailored to the EMB's particular circumstances.
The third stage, the testing process, may also take longer than expected. The amount of time needed will depend on the complexity and novelty of the project. A specially tailored product will generally take weeks or months to testi. More time will be needed for further development and testing if trials indicate that the product requires amendments or changes.
It is very important to resist the temptation to cut corners at the testing stage Thorough testing identify flaws that could otherwise prove disastrous.
Liaison with other EMBs or agencies in other fields may identify similar projects to the one under consideration, which may help to determine the amount of time needed for the various stages of the project implementation.
At the implementation phase the technology is deployed and readied for use. The list of tasks to be completed at this stage is long and varied. As effective implementation is crucial to the success of the project, sufficient time should be allowed for this process.
It should be possible at the implementation phase to conduct several activities simultaneously. For example, system deployment can occur concurrently with user training, preliminary data entry can take place during backup planning, and so on. However, some activities have to transpire before others. For example, the preparation of training documentation and staff recruitment has to happen before user training can begin.
In summary, developing and implementing new technology generally takes longer than expected, and every effort should be made to devote the maximum amount of time possible to any new technology project.
