Open + Digital Tabulation
At Empire, we use a software that we designed (PROcess) to deliver lightning fast competition results right to your phones (and computers). That’s not hyperbole either. Within minutes of your round ending, you’ll be able to see your judges’ scorecards and written feedback, as well as your competition standings, all on your smartphone or any device that has internet access.
What’s more, your opponent for Rounds 2, 3 and 4 are power paired (i.e. you face a team with a similar record), using a computer algorithm that determines your best competition match.
Our tabulation is done reliably, accurately, and with transparency. Read more to learn how our tab procedures, along with PROcess, help Empire deliver a world-class competition experience for teams.
Our Competition Philosophy
As an education nonprofit, we want to focus our energy on youth empowerment. But when we made the decision to use a competition-style program as a vehicle to do so, it became our responsibility to ensure both quality and integrity in our competitions.
How did we go about doing that?
By being transparent with teams in how we handle scoring (i.e. Open Tabbing) and harnessing the power of technology to deliver high quality results (i.e. Digital Tabbing).
Open Tab Room
Historically, a Tabulation Room (or “Tab Room” for short) is a designated room at an Empire competition where ballots (or scorecards) from each trial are collected, scores are added to determine the winner of each ballot, pairings are deduced based on those scores and, eventually, competition results are calculated.
Our Tab Room has always been open throughout the competition for teams to view their results. Tab Officers are also on hand to answer any questions you may have. So, nothing is a secret. Empire would offer teams a designated review period to enter the tab room and to inspect their ballots, to ensure no calculation errors.
In 2021, with the launch of Empire Online and the newest version of the PROcess software, we decided to move our Tab Room online. Except now, you don’t need to come to one designated room to check your results - rather, you’ll have them right in your pocket!
PROcess Software
Introduced in 2017, PROcess is a digital tabulation software designed by Viran Weerasekera, Empire’s Director of Competition Operations and 2015 Empire San Francisco alumnus. PROcess handle all aspects of competition tabulation, from tallying ballots and pairing trials (i.e. determining which teams face each other), to determining competition winners.
PROcess is also a digital portal for you to check your competition results during a competition. That means that your team’s results are always in the palm of your hand – just a couple of clicks away!
Curious to see what your user experience will be like? Check out some screenshots below.
If you are interested in licensing PROcess for a mock trial competition, please email us.
A sneak peek of PROcess in action.
Tabulation Manual
(Updated 2023)
PROcess relies on Empire’s tabulation procedures, which are outlined in our Tab Manual.
The Tab Manual explains how we determine a team’s opponent for each round and final placements at an Empire competition (both for teams and individual students). This document is long and dense, so we suggest that only coaches spend time reviewing it prior to their Empire competition. Students and coaches aren’t expected to fully understand the nuances of the manual; that’s what our Tab Officers are here for!
You can access the Tab Manual here.