Design-Reality Gap Techniques

8/11/2019 Design-Reality Gap Techniques

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E-Government System Lifecycle

and Project Assessment


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Introduction

E-Government projects typically involve a cycle ofve stages:

Project Assessment

Analysis of Current Reality Design of the Proposed e! "ystem

"ystem Construction

#mplementation and $eyond


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Project Assessment

#dentifying possi%le e-government projects&outlining %asic project parameters& accessing!hether or not to proceed !ith the project'


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Analysis of Current Reality

Description and analysis of the seven #(P)"*)dimensions as they e+ist !ithin the currentsituation of the organi,ation'


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Design of the Proosed !e"System

"etting the o%jectives for the proposed ne! e-government system& and then descri%ing ingeneral terms ho! the seven #(P)"*)dimensions should %e dierent for the ne!

system to meet these o%jectives'

Dierent options for the ne! system may %eevaluated at this point'


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System Construction

Ac.uiring any ne! technology / underta0ingdetailed design of the ne! system/ then %uildingit& testing it and documenting it'


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Imlementation and #eyond

(raining users to use the ne! system / convertingdata to ne! formats/ introducing the ne! system/monitoring and evaluating its performance andconte+t/ then underta0ing any necessary system

maintenance'


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Design-Reality Gap Techniques


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Introduction

(o nd !hy does eGov Projects "ucceed or 1ail2

Central to e-government success and failure is theamount of change %et!een 3!here !e are no!3 and3!here the e-government project !ants to get us3'

4here !e are no!3 means the current realities ofthe situation' 34here the e-government project!ants to get us3 means the model or conceptionsand assumptions %uilt into the project3s design'

eGovernment success and failure thereforedepends on the si,e of gap that e+ists %et!een$current realities3 and $design of the e-government roject$'


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(he larger this design-reality gap& the greater theris0 of e-government failure' E.ually& the smallerthe gap& the greater the chance of success'

Analysis of e-government projects indicates thatseven dimensions - summari,ed %y the I&P'S('acronym - are necessary and su6cient to providean understanding of design-reality gaps'


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I&P'S('

I nformation

& echnology

P rocesses

' %jectives and values S ta6ng and s0ills

( anagement systems and structures

' ther resources: time and money


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Information dimension

7nderta0e a professional re.uirements analysis inorder to dra! out true information needs ofsta0eholders'

7se prototyping - getting users to use a testversion of the e-government application - inorder to help them e+plain !hat information theyreally need'


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Technology dimension

#nvestigate !ays in !hich government reformscould %e delivered !ithout #C(s'

#nvestigate !ays in !hich government reformscould %e delivered using the e+isting #C(infrastructure'

Avoid leading-edge technologies in your design'

#nvestigate opportunities for use of donated orrecycled e.uipment'


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Process dimension

8eep doing things the same !ay& only !ith theaddition of some ne! technology 9see genericpoint a%ove a%out automation'

Avoid %usiness process reengineering/ instead& atmost& loo0 at optimi,ation or minor modicationof e+isting processes !ithin the e-gov applicationdesign'

Consider a t!o-stage approach: in the rst stage&

processes are optimi,ed !ithout any change to#C(s/ in the second and later stage& ne! #C(s are%rought in'


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Objectives and aluesdimension

7se re!ards to alter sta0eholder o%jectives and values9e'g' messages of management support& %etter pay&%etter !or0ing conditions& career advancement& etc''

7se punishments to alter sta0eholder o%jectives andvalues 9e'g' threats& reprimands& transfers& !orsened payand conditions& etc''

Communicate !ith sta0eholders a%out the system: sell

the true %enets and address the true negative aspects'

Get 0ey sta0eholders 9those regarded as 0ey opinionformers or those vociferous in their resistance to the e-government application to participate in the analysisand;or design of the e-government application'


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$ased on e-government application design on aconsensus vie! of all main sta0eholders'

7se prototyping: this helps incorporatesta0eholder o%jectives in the design& and alsohelps to ma0e actual sta0eholder o%jectives morerealistic'

#f feasi%le in s0ill& time and motivational terms&get users to help develop and %uild the e-

government application'


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!ta"ng and !#ills dimension

)utsource contracts in order to improve thecurrent reality of availa%le competencies 9thoughmay increase other gaps'

(rain sta to improve current reality ofcompetencies'

#mprove recruitment and retention techni.ues toreduce competency 9sta turnover'

*a0e use of e+ternal consultants 9though may

increase other gaps'


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$anagement !ystems and !tructures dimension '

*a0e an e+plicit commitment to retain thee+isting management systems and structures!ithin e-government application design


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Other Resources dimension

Prioriti,e e-government applications that ma+imiserevenue generation for government 9e'g' thosedealing !ith ta+& fees& nes& etc'

"ee0 additional nancing from donor or central

government agencies' (a0e out loans from private sector institutions'

Get private rms to develop& o!n and operate thee-government application'

Charge %usiness or !ealthier users of the e-government system'

"cale-do!n am%itions of the e-government project'


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E+tend timescales of the e-government project'

egotiate central;shared agency #( agreementsto reduce hard!are and soft!are costs'

7se 3one for all3 contracts that are reusa%le'

7se project management techni.ues to reduce!aste and delays'

)utsource contracts in order to reduce time 9andpossi%ly costs gaps'

*a0e use of open source soft!are 9though costsavings are often less than anticipated'


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!cope limitation% &I!! '&eep it!mall and !imple( and automation '

E-Government projects sometimes fail %ecausethey try to change too many things at once'

)ne !ay to address such over-large design-reality gaps is to cut do!n the scope andam%ition of the project design/ stic0ing !ith thevalua%le design motto 38#""3: Keep it Small andSimple '

)ne !ay to incorporate 8#"" is %y trying to free,e

all e+cept the technology dimension'


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(he intention is to retain the same information&same processes& same management systems andstructures& etc'& %ut merely change them frommanual to computeri,ed operations'

#n other !ords& you attempt to create no design-reality gap 9no change on most #(P)"*)dimensions'

Although critici,ed in hindsight as %eing

insu6ciently %old& simple automation can %e avery good - and successful - !ay to institutionali,ene! technology in a particular aspect of pu%licsector operations'

R lit ti t


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Reality-supporting notrationality-imposing

applications (here is a continuum of e-government ' At one e+treme& there are 3rationality-imposing

applications3& such as decision support systems'

(hese include in their design a !hole series ofassumptions a%out the presence of rationalinformation& processes& o%jectives and values&management structures& etc'


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(hese rationalities must either %e present in theorgani,ation as a pre-condition for successfulimplementation of this application& or they must%e imposed'

#n many government organi,ations& theintroduction of such applications !ill not succeed%ecause of the large gap %et!een theapplication3s re.uired rationalities and current

organi,ational realities'


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At the other e+treme& there are 3reality-supportingapplications3 such as !ord processing or email'$y comparison !ith rationality-imposingapplications& reality-supporting applications

re.uire fe!er rational pre-conditions orimpositions'

(hey can therefore !or0 successfully in a !idervariety of government organi,ational situations'

E-Government projects !ill therefore %e moreli0ely to succeed if they focus on 3reality-supporting3 rather than 3rationality-imposing3applications'


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)ybrids* and *tribrids* '

Design-reality gaps often arise in e-government %ecauseof a 3t!o tri%es3 mentality that a=icts most governments'

#( designers understand technology %ut not the realitiesof government'

Pu%lic o6cials and politicians understand the realities ofgovernment %ut not the technology'

(o close these gaps& projects need to develop and use3hy%rid3 professionals& !ho understand %oth perspectives'

4e might even call them 3tri%rids3 &%ecause they com%ine

three aspects: understanding the technology and the%usiness of government and the role of information ingovernment'


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&ri)ids


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Any *uestion+++

Design-Reality Gap Techniques

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