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The time-to-delivery of this project is extremely short, so it is critical that we take an efficient, economical approach to building the proposed RLA software tool. We view the RLA tool specified in this DQ as a reimplementation and extension of our existing, open source RLA product demonstrator, OpenRLA. The Free & Fair team has extensive pre-existing RLA software development experience and deep domain knowledge. This experience, together with a grounding in lightweight formal methods for high-assurance software engineering, will enable us to build a secure, user-friendly RLA application within the limited timeline.
In this section we review Free & Fair’s project management practices, which we have used to deliver millions of dollars worth of high assurance systems on time and under budget. Our core project management principles focus on Customer Caretaking, Social Contracts, Continuous Improvement, Artifacts and Evidence, and Transparency.
For all projects we have a dedicated Free & Fair team member whose role is to represent the interests of the client to others at Free & Fair. They are actively engaged with the client and have a role in all project management decisions. They build a deep trust relationship with the client’s key performers. This position is a reflection of the trust relationship between us and our clients.
Our systems engineering artifacts capture technical interdependencies between project team members, but the glue that holds the team together and makes the team work well is our collective social contracts. Our performers explicitly discuss and acknowledge client-supplier relationships between team members and always perform to exceed not only the expectations of our external client (in this case, the Colorado Department of State), but also each internal client (another team member).
Social contracts are renegotiated frequently and fluidly and are directly reflected upon immediately upon completion. For example, at the end of a thirty minute stand-up meeting discussing a milestone that we just reached and what comes next, we often have a five minute discussion about what worked well and where improvements can be made with regards to that particular piece of work. In particular, we focus on its embedded social contracts. The individuals in our organization always attempt to maximize efficiency, impact, and joy at work.
We focus on artifacts and evidence in a project or product. "Meta" aspects like processes and checklists serve meaningful outcomes. This focus on the meaningful is pervasive. Principles trump rules. For example, provable security is mandatory; "security theater" is prohibited.
Finally, whether it is with regard to our technology, business practices, or project management approach, transparency is the core principle by which we operate. Telling each other, and the client, when something is working well or working poorly, early and honestly, is common. If necessary, we will tell a client that a technical direction they are excited about is inappropriate and provide objective evidence to justify that conclusion. We always keep the client informed, whether we are ahead of the game or behind the eight ball. In all aspects, and for all projects, we believe that transparency is the keystone of our operation. Without it, our election systems cannot be trustworthy and will not be successful.
Dr. J. Kiniry holds final responsibility for the success of this project. Dr. Zimmerman and Dr. Dodds, working with Dr. J. Kiniry, will write the system specification, design and verify the client/server communication protocol and the server/server synchronization protocol, and implement the server-side and communication subsystems, including the audit computation subsystem and the datastore subsystem. Ms. Miller will work with Mr. Ranweiler and Mr. McBurnett on the UX of the system and will mock up UIs. Mr. Ranweiler is responsible for designing and implementing the client side of the system against the system specification and the UI/UX design. Mr. McBurnett will provide domain expertise in Colorado elections and ballot-level comparison risk-limiting audits, will red team system architecture, design, and implementation, and will perform Q/A on the tool, and will help write documentation. He will also coordinate with the EVN CORLA2 team to get statistical algorithm input, advice, and feedback, and will be on call during deployment for the trial runs of the tool during Logic and Accuracy testing and after the election until the audits are done. Mr. M. Kiniry will write the user guide for the system and will revise the developer’s documentation. Dr. Singer will be the customer caretaker and project lead.