E-Government Best Practices A Practical Guide

1. E-Government Best Practices A Practical Guide Final Report May 18, 2001 Murali Chidurala, Peter Kaminskas, Samir Pathak, Anjali Sridhar, Segev Tsfati Faculty Advisor: Prof. David Darcy

2. Agenda • Introduction • Framework of Analysis • Implementing e-Gov initiatives • Questions

3. The Team’s Task • GSA’s Office of Electronic Government • Create an “implementation handbook” – a practical e-government project implementation manual

4. Stove-pipe View of Government Multiple agencies needed for complete solution Agency A Agency B Agency C

5. Common Face of Government Service provided to Customer Agencies pool resources & information

6. Methodology- Project Life-Cycle Select Plan Analyze Design Implement Maintain • Partial applicability to e-government projects: * Obstacles * Marketing * Resources * Politics * Legislation * Leadership * Innovation * Environment

7. Why would a project fail? • “Politics as usual” • Lack of visionary leadership • Lack of resources • Organizational culture • Wrong technology • Need and customer focus lost

8. Baseline e-gov Initiative • Clear mandate • Budget and resource allocation • Committed project management • Sound planning; clear goals • External validation • Guaranteed customer base

9. Public-Private Partnerships Alliances w/ Stakeholders End User Focus Working Groups Small Scale Emerging Trends in e-Government

10. Influential Factors Political Environment Innovation Transparency Technology Budgeting Planning Stakeholders Leadership

11. Budgets Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Obstacles Within the Organization Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders At the Political Level “Transparency” Marketing Technology Outside Entities Demo/Deliverables Innovation Zone Evaluating External Environment Other Agencies End Users Private Interests Public Interests Implementation Map

12. Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Implementation Map Leadership

13. Critical Success Factors – Leadership Link political environment and Leadership • Idea champion • Understands the Business • Innovative and encourage creativity • Rally stakeholders

14. Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Implementation MapPlanning

15. Critical Success FactorsPlanning Plan projects with consideration of stakeholders • Identify purpose of project & end-users • Create function-based plan • Examine use of public-private partnerships • Map detailed implementation process • Do not reinvent the wheel

16. Critical Success FactorsTechnical Plan Technical Plan: • Develop systems evaluation plan • Explore processes to reduce paperwork • Allow for multiple functionalities • Ensure easy scalability, maintenance & transferability

17. Critical Success FactorsCommunications Plan Training & Communications Plan: • Public awareness and marketing plan - create brand awareness • Training plan for employees • Pilot systems with feedback mechanisms • Identify stages for focus group input • Develop evaluation plan

18. Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders Implementation MapStakeholders

19. Critical Success FactorsStakeholders Stakeholders: • Identify all stakeholders • Develop channels of communication • Demonstrate project’s alignment with customer needs • Encourage creativity • Devolve decision-making authority

20. Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders Marketing “Transparency” Implementation MapTransparency & Marketing

21. Critical Success FactorsTransparency & Marketing Transparency leads to increased visibility & ‘brand awareness’ • Make available strategic plan and evaluations as benchmarks • Engage all stakeholders • Other government agencies • Employees • Private institutions and service providers • End Users

22. Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders “Transparency” Marketing Demo/Pilot Evaluating Implementation MapPilots & Evaluation

23. Critical Success FactorsPilots & Evaluation Pilot Study and Evaluation provides feedback into full implementation • Demonstrate early success • Have outside evaluators • Incorporate recommendations effectively • Use pilot for marketing purposes

24. Budgets Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders “Transparency” Marketing Technology Demo/Deliverables Evaluating Implementation MapBudgets & Technology

25. Critical Success FactorsBudgets & Technology Interrelated and integral through the process • Lobby for budgets • Creative budgeting and alliances • Evaluate and choose systems development solution • Easily implementable, scalable technology • End-user focused

26. Budgets Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders “Transparency” Marketing Technology Demo/Deliverables Evaluating External Environment Other Agencies End Users Private Interests Public Interests Implementation MapExternal Environment

27. External Environment • Other agencies • Private interests • Public interests • End users • Overcome ‘Institutional Pain’ • Match interests to increase buy-in • Seek support, offer goodwill • Create partnerships and alliances • Minimize ‘friction points’

28. Budgets Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Obstacles Within the Organization Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders At the Political Level “Transparency” Marketing Technology Outside Entities Demo/Deliverables Evaluating External Environment Other Agencies End Users Private Interests Public Interests Implementation MapPotential Obstacles

29. Potential Obstacles • Within the bureaucracy • Hostility/ skepticism • Turf wars/ power struggle • Coordination • Institutional pain/ fear • Political Level • Legislative/ regulatory constraints • Inadequate funding • Outside Entities • Public skepticism and lack of awareness • Digital divide • Interest group politics

30. Overcoming Obstacles • Within the bureaucracy • Understand interests • Build coalitions, motivate players • Demonstrate projects • Communicate and train • Political Level • Lobby legislature • Explore funding options • Outside Entities • Increase awareness and involvement • Enter partnerships • Address fears

31. Implementation MapInnovation Zone Budgets Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Obstacles Within the Organization Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders At the Political Level “Transparency” Marketing Technology Outside Entities Demo/Deliverables Innovation Zone Evaluating External Environment Other Agencies End Users Private Interests Public Interests

32. Imagine Scale Design Assess Experiment Innovation Source: Gary Hamel - ‘Leading the Revolution’

33. Innovation • Support innovative culture at all levels • Reward innovative practices • Provide resources • Diversify workforce • Look outside government • Experiment & evaluate • Learn from mistakes

34. Recap & Questions Budgets Perceived Need Executive Legislative Directive Mandate Obstacles Within the Organization Leadership Leadership Horizon Planning Stakeholders At the Political Level “Transparency” Marketing Technology Outside Entities Demo/Deliverables Innovation Zone Evaluating External Environment Other Agencies End Users Private Interests Public Interests

35. Questions?? “The best plan is only a plan, that is good intentions, unless it degenerates into work. The distinction that makes a plan capable of producing results is the commitment of key people to work on a specific task. Peter Drucker

36. Illinois Federal Clearinghouse • Information on Federal grants that can be accessed by state and local govts • Developed website to consolidate grants information • Low-budget; no private partners • Political will • Leader from grants side of govt • Strong customer base

37. Access America for Students • Inter-agency Task Force • Developed portal for education financing • Partnership Forum • No budgetary constraints -demo project • High level political will • Used results from existing studies • High visibility and consequent accountability • Beware ‘institutional pain’

38. Federal Commons • Grant management portal • Developed by HHS • Political visibility and goodwill • Technology big driver • Huge budgetary constraints • High level political will • Lack of staff • Doubtful customer base - lack of vested ownership

39. Channel Convergence • Online process migration - Integration of call centers and web • Top-down, strategic planning • In-house customization; COTS products • Outside third-party evaluation

40. Bridging the Digital Divide • Provide technology training and access to veterans • Flexible project definition • Strategic alliances • Access to end-users (veterans) over wide area • Diplomacy & transparency • Use of ‘Loaned Executive’ • Organic structure