On occasion, electoral managers are faced with organising elections with minimal previous national experience of this activity on the scale planned. Learning from these issues can save a lot of time and money when planning the next electoral event. Operational Plans These can range from fairly simple timetables identifying key events in the electoral process to complex plans setting out in considerable detail what has to happen by certain dates. It has the advantage of giving a specific time frame to each activity. The preparation of a diary of activity for the electoral manager is a common practice.
Operational plans can also identify the responsible electoral manager or unit.
It also has the advantage on the final page of setting out the definitions for all the acronyms used, so it is easy to understand and does not force the reader to guess what is actually intended. There is no need to have a complex plan if a simple one will ensure everyone concerned knows the tasks and time scale. The above examples show different approaches to major electoral events. The review process at the end of the electoral task will show whether the operational plan worked well. The key issues for a plan are to specify the task and the timespan for it.