Delivering eGovernment…

Over the last decade or more I have been involved in a large number of eGovernment projects, some at a national level, some regional and some local government projects.

At the Government Technology Summit in Phuket earlier today we were discussing what to look for in a project to help decide what sort of outcome there will be once it reaches maturity. I have tried to commit a few of those thoughts to this post, some are obvious statements in here (and for that I apologize!) and some that are maybe not so obvious.

As the reader I would ask you to note that at best this these comments are a guide, every project is different and every government is different – the outcome of any project can be affected by the passion of the individuals involved, the desire of citizens or businesses to support the new service or any number of other factors.

So, some things that might be worth while looking out for when you’re assessing chances of success;

• It is never about the technology. I have seen many eGovernment projects have started out as an effort to embrace technology in one form or another without any clear goal to redesign the process that the technology is supporting or a clear policy mandate that supports the end result. Very often these types of project fail. The technology in itself rarely does anything useful if it does not have a really clear business objective to follow. Look for the policy and business agenda.
• It is always about the leadership. Like any process reengineering project, a great eGovernment project has to have a we defined and empowered leader, and that leader generally has to be somebody who is accountable for the business change that the project will bring. Looking back on the many eGovernment projects that I have been involved with success is often driven in association with a committed minister or mayor. The policy mandate has to support the change and the technology that will be necessary for any project to succeed. Look for the leader and listen to what they have to say.
• Policy and Technology in perfect harmony. Technologists and policymakers rarely “connect”. They usually talk two different languages and therefore often their objectives do not align in the way that the project needs. In any project there has to be a component that will ensure that technologists and policy makers talk – before policy is made. Look for the communication plans that bring policy and technology people together in a fruitful manner.
• Knowing the target audience. Knowing exactly who your target users are can be hard for government entities, they generally have to deliver services that reach everybody regardless of disposition. Unfortunately this does not make this point any less important that it would be for any other project. You have to be able to ensure that your end result reaches the constituents that it is designed to assist, and that they can access it on devices that they choose to use. Very often eGovernment projects target the web as a primary delivery channel, in many project it may be better to consider a kiosk, the mobile phones that are in most peoples pockets, digital television services or one of the many other devices that exist in society today. Look for clearly defined and articulate demographics for the target user base along with an analysis of how they want to consume the service.
• Where is the user? All too often technology seems to be the starting point rather than the user (think through some of the current debates that we’re currently having in Asia). Good technology design needs to place the user at the center or it will most likely fail. As with most large projects, focus groups and other ways of gathering feedback from your target user base will be a guiding light as project plans are executed. Look for a clear articulation of the benefit that the user will get from the project once it is complete. Think about how useful your target group of users will find your final project deliverable.
• It isn’t about the Web. eGovernment is rarely about building Web sites or using technology purely for administrative and operational purposes. It’s more often about fundamentally rethinking the way public service delivery happens. For example, would a policymaker commence a new hospital building program if they understood that pervasive healthcare technologies mean that in the near future patients will be able to self-medicate and control many conditions in the comfort of their own home? Look for the pervasive impact that the Internet enabled project is making on policy development and service delivery.
• Measuring success. As with any endeavor, knowing what success looks like makes it much easier to define goals, targets and plans that will get you there. I have seen many eGovernment projects start off as entertaining technology experiments with no specific end goal in mind. Again, these projects rarely seem to get very far! Look for a clear definition of success, make sure it is clear how you will recognize when you get there.
• Embrace the legacy, be ready for tomorrow. Government data centers can at best be described as complex. Over the years business processes are designed and built on whatever the best of breed (or sometimes just the lowest cost) technology of the day is. Any new project needs to be able to be make use of existing components of the data center while providing support for devices and delivery channels that don’t exist yet. In past years when government technology was often designed in a bespoke manner for a single purpose this would have been a near impossible objective, today we can select technologies that are designed to deliver applications over the Internet to huge numbers of people. For government this provides both a clear view into which technologies and standards will be useful today, along with confidence that following the market will provide an evolution path into the future. Look for the plans that adopt technology that is in the market today, then clearly analyses market trends to provide a roadmap around what comes next.
• You’re going to need your people, bring them with you. Very often eGovernment projects involve consolidating service lines to provide seamless services to business and citizens. Naturally this is threatening to some who are measured on delivery of their own service or efficient running of their department. Think about how staff are measured and rewarded, make sure that there is a clear safety net for their careers in a new framework that provides more efficiency, collaboration between departments, and simpler services for citizens and businesses. Look for a framework that supports the people involved and ensures their involvement and commitment to the project.

So, there you have it. This isn’t anywhere near being an exhaustive list, as I said at the start of this post every project is different so the most you can derive from this text is a little helpful guidance. I don’t for a moment believe that I’m an authority on this topic, every project I participate in teaches me something else that eventually needs to get added to this list.

I add that I frequently feel humbled as I watch the complex machinery of government solve process and technology problems on a near unimaginable scale.

If you have additional points that should make it into this list I would love to hear them.