This text aims to help democracy and governance (DG) field officers anticipate and effectively deal with the myriad issues and challenges that arise as they design and manage election assistance programs in transitional environments. This practical manual guides users through a series of key steps: defining the problem and assessing contextual factors, identifying stakeholders and their motives, selecting options for assistance, linking those options to the mission strategy, and managing electoral assistance. It is suggestive rather than directive, in recognition that, while there exists a certain 'conventional wisdom' about elections programming drawn from years of experience, the number of variables involved precludes a ‘one size fits all’ approach.