IOWA – The problem was not Technology

If you are not technical and have been reading about what happened in Iowa, you will get the impression that technology, specifically the reporting app, was the root cause. It was not. Before one line of code was written, the application and process were doomed to failure.

The application was supposed to allow caucus leaders to input vote counts via their devices and uploaded them to a Google server. The app did not manipulate the data, just record the data. For an experienced developer, this is a relatively simple application. The underlying technology the app was using is Google Services, which is proven and world class.

If it wasn’t the technology, what were the problems?

1. Company inexperience – based on the code, this company had never written an application using Google Services. There were so many things with the code that any experienced professional would have never let this app be deployed anywhere.
2. Poor Planning – on many levels
   • Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) did not check qualifications
     IDP’s decision to use personal devices was a privacy and security mistake.
   • The decision to wait to install the app on people’s phones just days before was unbelievable. No experienced Developer would support that decision.
   • Since internet connectivity is not guaranteed, IPD had to plan for that scenario and assume they would need a fully staffed phone bank.
   • Help Desk line and Reporting line are the same staffed by IDP resources. They paid 60k to the developer. Did that not include a dedicated support line.
   • Aprocess to collect paper forms to validate the data collected by the application would seem logical but they put all their faith in a new and untested application.

Technology requires Planning, Proper processes, Competence, and Sound Decisions. This was a failure in all aspects.