How specific should commitments be?

Specific enough to be checked. Vague promises are discounted by voters; a named road with a named timeline is believed.

Manifesto Development

A manifesto that is credible, costed and actually usable on the doorstep.

Research-led manifesto development — consultation, policy drafting, costing discipline and a communication version people will read.

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Short answer

What is Manifesto Development?

Research-led manifesto development — consultation, policy drafting, costing discipline and a communication version people will read.

The Challenge

What usually goes wrong

Manifestos are frequently written in the last fortnight, promise everything, cost nothing, and are never referred to again. Voters have learned to discount them, which wastes the single clearest statement of what a candidate intends to do.

Our Approach

How we run it

Public consultation

Structured consultation across constituency segments so commitments answer stated priorities rather than assumed ones.

Policy drafting

Each commitment is written with a specific deliverable, a responsible authority and a timeframe.

Costing and feasibility

Commitments are checked against realistic fiscal and jurisdictional limits — promising what is outside your office’s power destroys credibility.

Hierarchy and headline

A small number of flagship commitments carry the campaign; the rest provide depth for those who look.

Communication versions

Full document, summary pamphlet, doorstep card and digital assets, all in campaign languages.

Deliverables

Consultation findings report
Full manifesto document
Costing and feasibility annexure
Summary and doorstep versions
Digital asset set
Post-victory delivery tracker template

Tools & Data Sources

Consultation survey instruments
Budget and scheme reference data
Policy drafting framework

Engagement Timeline

What happens, and when

Week 1–3
Consultation
Week 4–5
Drafting
Week 6
Costing review
Week 7
Production and launch
Handover and review

FAQ

Questions we are asked

We strongly recommend it. Publishing progress against commitments is among the most effective anti-incumbency defences available, and it starts on day one of the term.