Document Technology Limited manages the compilation of the electoral roll for 45 local authorities. They prepare and post the electoral register forms to each household. Prior to 2004, in conjunction with Procom (Installations) Limited, they had developed a telephone based response system that allowed a householder to confirm that the details on the form were correct. The system also allowed the householder to specify which individual electors wish to be excluded from the publicly available Edited Register of Electors. 26 local authorities also captured requests for postal votes.
In 2004 Document Technology wanted to add an Internet based service that provided the same functionality to their portfolio. This system had to interwork with the telephone system in order to ensure that the same household could not submit a duplicate response. A meeting was held on 11 July 2004 between Document Technology, Procom and Info IQ to asses the feasibility of implementing a system by early August. Procom confirmed that they could deliver the necessary computer systems that would provide the functionality required to allow interworking with the telephone based system and connection to the Internet. Info IQ confirmed that it could produce the web based system within the required timeframe using Rapid Application Development (RAD) techniques.
Document Technology fleshed out the outline specification to a level of detail that allowed a prototype system to be prepared. This was completed within a week and set up on Info IQ's web server. This prototype was used to demonstrate the system to potential Local Authority customers and for application testing. Feedback from the testing together with suggestions from prospective customers was used to finalise the design.
Info IQ provided Procom with the detailed specification for the computer system, which they proceeded to implement. When the computer system was ready, at Procom's offices, the web application was installed and run without problem. The system was then transferred to a secure hosting facility for full production running.
On 10 August 2004, less than a month after the initial feasibility meeting, the Internet based service went live. Thirty local authorities; two thirds of Document Technology's customers, are using the system. The service was instantly popular with 17% of the remote responses being by Internet.
A second phase, to allow Local Authority staff to record requests for postal votes, was commissioned within 10 days of the original system launch and went live the following day.
