Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33

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Government Information Quarterly

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Critical issues pertaining to the planning and implementation of

E-Government initiatives
Wade R. Rose, Gerald G. Grant ⁎
Carleton University

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Available online 8 October 2009 E-Government initiatives of varying scope and complexity have been implemented at the municipal and
other levels of government throughout the world. These projects have been chronicled in both academic and
Keywords: practitioner journals and the proceedings of various E-Government conferences. As a consequence of this
E-Government growing body of data, it is now possible to look across the experiences of numerous governments to
Program management understand if there are common issues that may impact the probability of success of E-Government
Constituent relationship management
programs. This paper examines the literature to search for critical planning and implementation issues that
E-government planning
E-government implementation
have had significant effects upon the success of E-Government initiatives. A conceptual framework is
proposed which contributes to the theoretical understanding of E-Government initiative planning and
implementation, and may inform practitioner success with new E-Government initiatives.
© 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction society (Martin & Byme, 2003). For example, E-Government allows
interaction without the limitations of time and space that office hours
Since the late 1990s, municipal, provincial/state, and federal and municipal buildings impose (Danielsson & Danielsson, 2005),
governments around the world have been implementing E-Govern- resulting in 24/7/365 access to, and potential e-democratic involve-
ment initiatives (Torres, Pina, & Acerete, 2005). While there has been ment with, government (Hutton, 2003). Given the ongoing evolution
an increasing level of political and financial commitment (Grant & of E-Government, the definition used in this paper takes a very broad
Chau, 2005), these initiatives are extremely varied with respect to approach. As defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation
scope, performance, and sophistication (Kaylor, Deshazo, & Eck, 2001; and Development (OECD) in 2003, E-Government is “the use of ICTs
Torres et al., 2005; West, 2001; Wimmer, 2006). For example, as of [information and communications technology], and particularly the
2003, some European cities with populations over 500,000 had yet to internet, as a tool to achieve better government” (OECD, 2003).
offer even basic E-Government services, while other cities were The implications of E-Government growth and evolution have not
providing up to 67 e-services (Torres et al., 2005). E-Government always been obvious, and unintended consequences, often from
capabilities can vary from the provision of simple information via a unfulfilled expectations, have resulted (Jorgensen & Cable, 2002). This
website, to the ability to conduct financial transactions, and finally to should not be surprising given that E-Government initiatives can put
the provision of a level of e-democracy such as e-voting or policy thousands of citizens and businesses in direct contact with civil
development participation (Holden, Norris, & Fletcher, 2003). How- servants in a very dispersed authority environment. Over the past
ever, few E-Government portals have ventured into the e-democracy decade, as more people shopped, banked, or did their professional
realm (CCEG, 2002; Torres et al., 2005). work online, they expected to be able to take similar actions with
As the scope of E-Government capabilities has grown and the correspondingly fast response times in an E-Government environ-
concept has evolved, the definition of E-Government has evolved with ment. This has resulted in very high commercial-level expectations
it. E-Government is no longer viewed as the simple provision of falling upon government structures that are often ill-equipped to
information or services via the internet but as a way of transforming handle them (Curtin, Sommer, & Vis-Sommer, 2003). In the municipal
how citizens interact with government and how government interacts context, cities are usually an amalgamation of many unrelated
with itself (Jackson & Curthoys, 2001; Löfstedt, 2007). It is also viewed “businesses” (e.g., police, planning, garbage collection, snow clear-
as a way to transform and improve the political, economic, and social ance, etc.) and it has become clear that simply putting these
relationship that citizens and government can have with one another traditional government structures online does not meet citizens'
(Torres et al., 2005), thereby impacting the socioeconomic fabric of expectations (Gronlund, 2002).
On a more positive note, lessons have been learned from the
⁎ Corresponding author. planning and implementation of numerous E-Government initiatives
E-mail address: gerald_grant@carleton.ca (G.G. Grant). all over the world. Scholars and practitioners have collected lessons

0740-624X/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.giq.2009.06.002
 W.R. Rose, G.G. Grant / Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33 27

learned through case studies, surveys, and post-implementation although actions such as customer segmentation and needs identifi-
audits, which, if applied to future E-Government initiatives, may cation by segment would help identify which e-services would have
increase the potential for their success. This paper presents the results the most impact. This paper will specifically cover the critical planning
of a review of the literature that identifies the critical issues which and implementation issues identified by scholars and practitioners
must be addressed during the planning and implementation of these through case studies, surveys, and post-audits of actual E-Govern-
initiatives. The E-Government implementation programs reviewed in ment initiatives. Support will also be drawn from the public sector
the literature include cities, counties, and nations throughout Europe, strategy literature to further elucidate the critical issues. In the next
the United States, Canada, and Asia. While the programs vary section, program management and aspects of marketing theory will
dramatically in size and scope, and no simple replicable solution is be discussed as a vehicle for describing the amassed critical E-
available, the initiatives yield a set of critical issues which, if Government planning and implementation issues.
considered in the context of the specific new initiative, may increase
the probability of success. 2. Critical program management issues
This paper will present a conceptual framework which structures
critical E-Government planning and implementation issues in a Whether a particular program involves the design and construc-
coherent and useable format. Each component of the framework tion of a new commercial product, the implementation of a new
houses a group of critical issues which will be discussed in turn. The policy initiative, or the planning and implementation of an E-
paper concludes with comments on the potential use of the frame- Government initiative, the discipline and rigor of program manage-
work in new E-Government initiatives. ment can significantly contribute to the overall success of the
program. Table 1 lists the critical program management issues
1.1. Research method related to E-Government that are found in the literature. At the top
of the list for E-Government is the need for strong, consistent, and
This research is based on a survey of papers that focus on E- active leadership of the initiative by top political and bureaucratic
Government implementation and were published in scholarly management (Reddick & Frank, 2007). E-Government programs are
journals or refereed conference proceedings, as well as several post- far more than technology implementations. As such, sufficient
implementation reports produced by public sector institutions. attention must be paid to change management, policy, processes,
Published scholarly journal articles were identified through searches structure, laws, and regulations (Gant & Gant, 2002; Ke & Wei, 2004).
of pertinent electronic databases, specifically, Business Source These programs require changing the behaviors of both the
Complete and Web of Science. Applicable papers from conference customers and civil servants involved, as well as changing the
proceedings were identified using the Association for Information processes and structure of government. In Singapore, this required
Systems website, which contains a searchable e-library of conference agencies and departments who had never done so before, to share
proceedings. The search for papers dealing with E-Government information and work together (Ke & Wei, 2004). This mandated the
implementation since the year 2000 yielded 240 applicable papers. consistent focus and visible action of top management throughout the
After reviewing the articles to determine their pertinence to the program to make the change management aspects of the program a
subject at hand, 40 papers were selected for inclusion in the review. success. In others words, political and bureaucratic leaders had to
The selection of a paper was dependent upon its specific identification ensure that the employees understood and believed that the initiative
of critical E-Government planning and implementation issues and was a priority and would be implemented to conclusion. This level of
lessons learned. If these were not specifically identified, the paper was program support must be fostered in managers throughout the
not included. The information from each selected paper was carefully various levels of the bureaucracy. To ensure that a program is
analyzed to identify salient critical planning and implementation implemented in a consistent fashion throughout the various agencies
issues as well as lessons learned with respect to the implementation and departments, Ke and Wei (2004) also suggest that funding and
of E-Government programs. Thirty-four (34) critical issues were control be centralized.
identified as having significant impact on the success of E-Govern-
ment programs.
Table 1
1.2. Method of classification of identified issues pertinent to Critical program management issues.
E-Government planning and implementation
• Ensure strong, consistent and active leadership by top political and bureaucratic
management (Reddick & Frank, 2007).
Upon gathering the critical planning and implementation issues • Ensure support of senior bureaucrats (Ke & Wei, 2004).
which have been identified by scholars and practitioners over many E- • Pay sufficient attention to change management, policy, processes, laws, and
Government programs, the key issue that arose was how to classify regulations, i.e., E-Government is not just about technology (Gant & Gant, 2002;
them. After careful study, it became clear that the issues fell into Ke & Wei, 2004).
• Centralize funding and control (Ke & Wei, 2004).
several discreet categories. A number of these issues were program
• Build a strategy that has specific strategic thrusts and actions, political and
management related and would be important considerations in any bureaucratic support, and sufficient funding (Kaylor et al., 2001; Ke & Wei, 2004).
type of program, whether information systems related or otherwise. • Clearly define the goals and scope of the E-Government initiative (Kaylor et al.,
The remaining issues were analyzed against various theoretical 2001).
models into which they might fit. Looking to the marketing literature, • Ensure the availability of intangible human resources such as time and energy
(Wang, Bretschneider, & Gant, 2005).
one can identify all of the remaining issues as aspects of marketing • Ensure that internal government structure and processes are redesigned to
theory. This is logical from a conceptual perspective given that E- account for job and information flow changes (Becker, Niehaves, Algermissen,
Government can be viewed as a product which a provider (i.e., Delfmann, & Falk, 2004; Bhatnagar, 2002).
government) wishes to promote to customers (i.e., citizens and other • Coordinate federal, provincial, and local E-Government programs (Jaeger &
Thompson, 2003; Roy, 2006).
users). Further, the concept falls within the scope of social marketing
• Actively engage all applicable governmental levels and agencies and ensure that
which, in broad terms, involves using marketing techniques to an effective governance system is in place and maintained (Moore, 2005; Ogilvie,
influence the behavior of groups toward the benefit of society 2005).
(Arulmani & Abdulla, 2007). • Develop and utilize a performance measurement methodology. Ensure adherence
It is not the purpose of this paper to review all of the related to performance standards (Gupta & Jana, 2003; Jaeger & Thompson, 2003).
• Utilize pilot projects and get user feedback (Bhardvaj, 2005; Bhatnagar, 2002).
components of program management and marketing theory,
28 W.R. Rose, G.G. Grant / Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33

A common theme throughout the literature is the importance of that can be ongoing in a country; Roy's discussion of the Canadian
building a robust strategy that has specific strategic thrusts and context is germane (Roy, 2006). With respect to E-Government
actions, political and bureaucratic support, and sufficient funding programs in the United States and Canada, it is crucial that all
(Kaylor et al., 2001; Ke & Wei, 2004). However, this task is made more applicable governmental levels and agencies are actively engaged to
challenging as numerous researchers have noted significant differ- ensure that an effective governance system is in place and
ences between the public and private sectors with respect to maintained; this is exemplified by Moore (2005) and Ogilvie
characteristics that impact strategy formulation (see Bryson, 1981; (2005). This active engagement must start early in the planning
Ferlie, 1992; Frederickson, Rainey, Backoff, & Levine, 1976; Lindblom, stages and continue throughout implementation and ongoing
1977; Montanari & Bracker, 1986; Richardson, 1995; Ring & Perry, operations.
1985). As noted by Richardson (1995) and Montanari and Bracker As with all program management exercises, a performance
(1986), the cycle of leadership change poses a significant obstacle to management methodology and effective performance indicators
government strategy formulation and implementation, especially in must be developed and utilized to assess the success of the various
terms of consistent goals and funding. Further, numerous internal and aspects of the E-Government initiative (Gupta & Jana, 2003; Jaeger &
external stakeholder groups with competing agendas make consensus Thompson, 2003). Once these program and system performance
difficult to achieve and the definition of success often up for debate. standards are chosen, ongoing active monitoring and management
Therefore, in this challenging environment, it is crucial that program can be an extremely effective aid to the success of the initiative
goals and scope are clearly defined (Kaylor et al., 2001). These factors (Ogilvie, 2005). Another common tactic used in program implemen-
combine to place a premium on information gathering and analysis. tations is the use of prototypes or pilots. Their use in E-Government
To aid with data gathering and analysis, Montanari and Bracker programs, and the user feedback that can be gained, can be a valuable
(1986) propose a variation on the private sector Strengths, Weak- means of meeting customer expectations with the final product
nesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) framework, a variation (Bhardvaj, 2005; Bhatnagar, 2002).
that addresses the unique issues and needs of the public sector. Their The use of these program management methodologies can provide
approach focuses on an analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Advocates, the backdrop against which the marketing related aspects of E-
and Adversaries (SWAA). The strengths and weaknesses segments are Government initiatives can succeed. Understanding the customers
similar to the internal analysis of the SWOT framework, but with an and actively managing the relationship between the customers and
increased focus on barriers such as budgets, policy constraints, and government can have a significant, positive impact on the entire
the number of initiatives underway. Barrier identification and program.
mitigation also feature prominently in the stakeholder analysis
(Richardson, 1995), which is represented in the SWAA framework 3. Critical customer (i.e., constituent) relationship
as Advocates and Adversaries. In analyzing each of these groups, management issues
Montanari and Bracker (1986) stress the rate of change of their
leadership and their possible impact on initiatives as key variables. The central concepts of customer relationship management (CRM)
They suggest that the greater their possible impact and the faster their include the following: “a complex set of interactive processes that
rate of leadership change, the higher their importance as key aims to achieve an optimum balance between corporate investments
stakeholders. Given the level of consensus required to move public and the fulfilling of customer needs,” “an integrated effort to identify,
sector initiatives forward, identifying ways to motivate the most build-up and maintain a network with individual customers,” and
important stakeholders is critical to success. “Customer relationships' design and management … are aimed at …
Communications are also crucial in the public sector strategy increasing customer loyalty” (Schierholz, Kolbe, & Brenner, 2007,
formulation and implementation environment and must be targeted p. 832). While a government will not have the same profit motivations
at key stakeholders (Boal & Bryson, 1987; Montanari & Bracker, as a business for promoting CRM, it will be interested, through its E-
1986; Richardson, 1995). They must be effective, focused, and Government initiative, in balancing investments against fulfilling
frequent to keep a particular initiative prominent in the minds of customer needs, creating an ICT network with customers at an
stakeholders. In particular, Boal and Bryson (1987) state that individual level and increasing customer loyalty to the E-Government
significant effort must be put into communications focused specifi- initiative. Table 2 contains the critical E-Government planning and
cally upon articulating goals, seeking goal acceptance, and engender- implementation issues found in the literature, which align with the
ing support from stakeholders. concepts of customer relationship management.
While the assurance of adequate financial resources is an obvious
success factor, there is also a need to ensure the availability of
Table 2
intangible human resources such as time and energy (Wang,
Critical customer relationship management issues.
Bretschneider, & Gant, 2005). Even if managers and employees are
enthused about an E-Government initiative, their enthusiasm can • Ensure involvement from all stakeholders, including citizens of various ICT
means and capabilities (Brown & Schelin, 2005; Carter & Bélanger, 2005;
quickly evolve into program-defeating frustration if they are
Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Löfstedt, 2007; Moore, 2005; Yoon, 2005).
required to implement the initiative in addition to meeting the • Develop a clear understanding upfront of which services would most positively
requirements of their regular jobs. This need for additional human impact the citizens. User focus groups indicative of a wide gamut of citizens and
resource time and energy can become particularly apparent when businesses should be engaged to comment on various approaches, services, and
creative actions are required. One of the critical requirements of a designs (Carter & Bélanger, 2005; Löfstedt, 2007).
• Be aware of the expectations being created and the impact of not meeting them
successful E-Government initiative is changing organizational struc- (Torres et al., 2005).
ture and processes to account for job and information flow changes • Ensure that E-Government does not lessen the responsiveness of government
(Becker, Niehaves, Algermissen, Delfmann, & Falk, 2004; Bhatnagar, officials. It may be easier to provide a slow response to an electronic
2002). The creative approach necessary for effective results in this communication than to a person on the phone or face-to-face (Jaeger &
Thompson, 2003).
endeavor requires participants who have sufficient time and energy
• Ensure the clear delineation of responsibility and accountability for all
to devote to the task. information and services provided. An E-Government initiative should not be
Another critical aspect of success in the public sector environment allowed to lessen the accountability of government officials (Jaeger & Thompson,
is coordinating federal, provincial/state, and local E-Government 2003).
programs (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003). This is a difficult task • Understand the legal ramifications of false or incorrect information (Jorgensen &
Cable, 2002).
considering the numerous policy, funding, and authority debates
 W.R. Rose, G.G. Grant / Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33 29

Central to CRM is the concept of customer involvement and the Table 3

importance of the perception of this involvement from the perspec- Critical product-related issues.

tive of the customer. In the case of E-Government, the broadest • Ensure that the information and services provided are useful to the citizens,
approach to the term customer is probably most appropriate and businesses, and other customers (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003).
would include representation from all stakeholders. In particular, the • Ensure a customer-centric approach to site design (Ke & Wei, 2004; Roy,
2006).
involvement of citizens and businesses of various ICT means and
• Ensure that issues of privacy and security (and perceptions of same) receive
capability has been found to be critical to success (Brown & Schelin, adequate focus (Bhatnagar, 2002; Moore, 2005; Norris & Moon, 2005; Reddick &
2005) by ensuring that the information and services eventually Frank, 2007).
provided are useful to the customers (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003). This • Address language and communications issues (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Moore,
2005).
means that governments must make a concerted effort to find out
• Consider using a commercial search engine such as Google on the site instead of
what customers actually want if the initiative is to be successful an in-house developed search tool (Moore, 2005).
(Carter & Bélanger, 2005; Löfstedt, 2007). The involvement of all • Ensure processes that connect the electronic services to follow-on physical actions
internal and external stakeholders ensures that what citizens and by applicable government agencies are in place and that follow-up is built-in
businesses actually want is also possible and affordable. The (Jorgensen & Cable, 2002; Ke & Wei, 2004).

importance of broad-based participation has been a consistent

theme in E-Government studies worldwide (Brown & Schelin, 2005;
Carter & Bélanger, 2005; Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Moore, 2005;
Yoon, 2005). Among the CRM critical issues is the importance of engaging
Contact with a wide selection of the user community also has the customers to ensure the identification of E-Government services that
benefit of allowing an understanding, and some level of management, would be useful to customers. A key success factor for the product is
of expectations. By being aware of the high level of expectations of that this information is actually utilized in the design and operation of
customers, governments can avoid customer frustration by proac- the E-Government initiative (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003). In addition
tively meeting expectations or communicating situational realities to the services being useful, the site must also be usable for the
brought about by factors such as available funding (Torres et al., customers. The decision to make the site customer-centric versus
2005). agency-centric is an important part of this process (Ke & Wei, 2004).
An unintended consequence of electronic communications is the For example, navigation from an agency-centric perspective could
possibility that government officials may become less responsive and mean that a site is structured in alignment with existing departments
less accountable (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003). For example, a person including police, planning, garbage collection, and municipal taxation
standing at a wicket or waiting on the phone is much harder to ignore for a city site. However, unless a customer knows in advance which
than an email. Further, the ease of changing documentation on a department contains the service sought, navigation can be a
website may make government officials less concerned with the frustrating experience. A customer-centric approach might structure
accuracy of their work or may result in unauthorized persons altering the site around type of user (e.g., business, citizen, visitor, etc.), type of
documentation. It is incumbent upon governments implementing E- event, or a list of common topics (Roy, 2006).
Government initiatives to build process frameworks which monitor Another critical issue that is seen in E-Government initiatives
the timeliness of response to customers and solicit feedback from worldwide is the necessity to ensure that issues of privacy and
those customers as to the quality of the response. Processes must also security, and the customers' perception of privacy and security, receive
be put into place to ensure clear lines of accountability and authority adequate focus (Bhatnagar, 2002; Moore, 2005; Norris & Moon, 2005;
for the accuracy and approval of information placed on a government Reddick & Frank, 2007). Simply stated, if customers feel unsure of their
site. A special case of this accountability is the possible legal safety in providing personal information or in conducting financial
ramifications of inaccurate information provided to citizens or transactions on a site, they will not use the services requiring these
businesses (Jorgensen & Cable, 2002). A simple example might be actions. Language and communication issues must also be addressed
errors in building code documents that might cause a business to (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Moore, 2005). The languages used by the
illegally build or modify a commercial property, thereby leaving the targeted customers must all be present; however, this alone is not
applicable government liable. sufficient. Many of the customers who might use a site may be
These CRM-related critical issues condense to the importance of unaccustomed to the more formal words and phrases that are common
customer focus in E-Government initiatives. Customers should in bureaucratic discourse. Therefore, the choice of tools, structure, and
participate in the planning, implementation, and testing of E- instructional verbiage used on the site should be aligned with what
Government systems. Customer needs should be paramount through- will be familiar and easily understood by the customers. For example,
out the life of the initiative and every effort should be made to be in terms of ease of use, this approach may mean using a customer-
proactive in meeting future customer needs. Finally, responsiveness familiar commercial search engine such as Google on the site versus an
and accountability should not be allowed to lessen with the onset of in-house developed engine (Moore, 2005).
an E-Government initiative; in fact, given the taxpayer investments As noted above, an E-Government initiative represents much more
involved, stakeholders should expect heightened levels of respon- than a technology program. In fact, the technology is only the
siveness and performance from governments. customer facing front-end of a complex set of organizational
structures, policies, and processes that are designed to provide
4. Critical product-related issues particular services. As such, one of the issues highlighted in both
Korea and the United States is the importance of ensuring processes
In designing a new product, a business will include features which are in place that connect the electronic services to follow-up physical
it believes will represent value to its targeted customer segment so actions by applicable government agencies (Jorgensen & Cable, 2002;
that the customers will buy the product. In designing an E- Ke & Wei, 2004). For example, if the site has a place for requests of
Government “product,” a government attempts to do much the government services such as road repair, processes must be in place to
same thing. It will try to include features which it believes will collect these requests, provide them to the applicable agency, and
represent value to its targeted customers so that the customers will initiate follow-up to ensure requests have been completely addressed.
repeatedly use the system. The literature on planning and implement- A focus on these critical product-related issues will ensure the
ing E-Government programs contains a number of critical issues product has features that represent value to the citizens, businesses,
which align with product design. Table 3 contains these issues. and other users of an E-Government site. This, in turn, should increase
30 W.R. Rose, G.G. Grant / Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33

Table 4 tions without due consideration to existing or planned architectures

Critical place (i.e., distribution)-related issues. can have costly consequences. In addition, given that many smaller
• Ensure the ability of citizens to use the technologies involved (Bhardvaj, 2005; government entities have limited integral technical capability,
Jaeger & Thompson, 2003). governments must ensure that processes and funding are in place
• Ensure that transaction payment is easy, secure, and also feels secure (Carter & that will keep a site up-to-date and properly maintained (Jorgensen &
Bélanger, 2005; Ke & Wei, 2004).
Cable, 2002; Ke & Wei, 2004).
• Ensure that a lack of access to E-Government is not present for the disadvantaged.
This increases the gap in the digital divide (Armstrong, 2000; Jaeger & Thompson, Paying appropriate attention to critical issues relating to place not
2003; Jorgensen & Cable, 2002; Ke & Wei, 2004). only ensures that customers have access to the E-Government site,
• Ensure that persons with disabilities have access to E-Government (Jaeger & but it also addresses the customers' ability to use the site and, equally
Thompson, 2003; West, 2001).
importantly, it takes into consideration how citizens feel about the E-
• Ensure that the system's architectural approach is finalized first. This will impact
all the applications and services which come later (Moore, 2005; Ogilvie, 2005).
Government initiative and the government behind it. However, before
• Ensure that processes are in place that will keep the site up-to-date and running citizens can use the site, they have to know that it is in existence. The
properly (Jorgensen & Cable, 2002; Ke & Wei, 2004). efforts taken to inform customers about the initiative represent
another step in a successful E-Government program.

6. Critical promotion-related issues

the use of the site by its customers as well as their level of satisfaction
with the E-Government initiative. One of the fundamental truisms in marketing is that a company
can have the most innovative and useful product in the world, but if
5. Critical place (i.e., distribution)-related issues customers are not aware of it, it will not sell. Table 5 includes the
promotion-related critical issues found in the E-Government litera-
In the marketing context, “place” refers to all the complexities of ture. While only two issues are present, they are powerful factors with
the distribution channels utilized by a product or service with specific respect to the success of an E-Government initiative.
focus on ensuring that customers have easy and consistent access to To promote the use of E-Government among citizens and
the product. In the E-Government context, this takes on special businesses, two separate but interrelated actions must be accom-
meaning if a government is truly concerned with transforming the plished. First of all, customers must be educated with respect to the
way it relates to its customers and ensuring that all its customers have scope of services and utility of the specific E-Government initiative
access. Table 4 lists the critical place-related E-Government planning (Wang et al., 2005). Secondly, customers must be convinced that use
and implementation issues found in the literature. of the site will provide a level of value to them (Jaeger & Thompson,
While it might seem obvious, an important step in designing an E- 2003; Wang et al., 2005). The educational aspect of promoting E-
Government site is ensuring that the customers who will use the site Government is fairly straightforward in that it should involve a
are actually capable of using the technology employed (Jaeger & factual, albeit interesting and engaging, rendition of the scope of
Thompson, 2003). The user interface employed will probably be services, how they can be accessed, how the site can be navigated and
designed by technical experts with vast and intuitive knowledge of operated, and other pertinent information. Various types of advertis-
systems operation. However, the customers will include ageing and ing and informational media and demonstrations can be utilized to
disadvantaged portions of the population with limited computer skills accomplish this task, noting that different segments of the customer
who may be intimidated by overly complex systems operation market may require different media for the message to be effective.
requirements. If the goal is to engage the greatest percentage of the Convincing the diverse spectrum of customers targeted for an E-
population possible, alternative designs should be trialed with a cross- Government initiative that ICTs represent a better way to interact
section of the possible users (Bhardvaj, 2005) and their feedback with government may be a much more difficult challenge (Carter &
conscientiously employed. Confidence in the system must also be Bélanger, 2005; Wang et al., 2005). For the tech-savvy segment of the
taken into account if financial transactions are among the services population, the value may be obvious. However, in many cases, large
offered. Financial transactions must be easy, secure, and also feel segments of the population may not easily see the benefit of changing
secure, if customers are to feel comfortable using the site for these their previous modes of interaction with the government. Also, as
actions (Carter & Bélanger, 2005; Ke & Wei, 2004). noted above, the segments of society on the disadvantaged side of the
The implementation of E-Government initiatives presents a digital divide face the additional challenge of having to acquire
significant opportunity or threat relative to the disadvantaged in computer skills and gain access to the hardware and software needed
society. A lack of access to E-Government can increase the digital to utilize E-Government. Ignoring these challenges can place govern-
divide between the advantaged and disadvantaged (Armstrong, 2000; ment in the position of worsening the plight of these persons
Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Jorgensen & Cable, 2002), and if the E- (Armstrong, 2000; Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Jorgensen & Cable,
Government site is used to foster e-democracy, this lack of access can 2002). In this case, convincing may mean more than advertising and
have the unintended effect of silencing the voices of various segments demonstrating. It may mean providing training and community self-
of society. In Singapore, the government recognized this threat and service terminals such as those that were successful in Singapore (Ke
turned it into an opportunity by providing training and community & Wei, 2004). Further, convincing, in the context of persons with
self-service terminals for those who did not have the internet at home disabilities, may mean creating the additional funding and infra-
(Ke & Wei, 2004). Another group that may lack access is comprised of structure required to facilitate their access (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003;
people with disabilities. If the process is to be inclusive, and seen to be West, 2001).
inclusive, thought must be given to how persons with disabilities are
included in an E-Government initiative (Jaeger & Thompson, 2003;
West, 2001). From a conceptual perspective, this is similar to the
provision of access ramps into government buildings. Table 5
Critical promotion-related issues.
From a technical perspective, initiatives in the United States and
elsewhere have noted that decisions with respect to a system's • Educate citizens about the scope and use of the specific E-Government initiative
architectural approach should be finalized first, as this will impact the (Wang et al., 2005).
applicability of all the applications and services which come later • Convince citizens that E-Government has value for them (Carter & Bélanger, 2005;
Jaeger & Thompson, 2003; Wang et al., 2005).
(Moore, 2005; Ogilvie, 2005). The acquisition of expensive applica-
 W.R. Rose, G.G. Grant / Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33 31

Table 6 These building blocks are now presented in a model which may aid in
Critical price-related issues. the conceptualization of E-Government planning and implementation
• Consider various funding and system management options, including public, processes. Fig. 1 is a representation of the proposed E-Government
private, or a combination of both (Gant, 2002). Planning and Implementation Conceptual Framework. The E-Govern-
• Upfront and ongoing expenses can be larger than expected (Jorgensen & Cable, ment initiative at its center is composed of the “4 P's” of the marketing
2002).
mix: product, promotion, place (i.e., distribution), and price (Kotler &
Turner, 1995). The E-Government marketing mix is encompassed by
the customer focused approach, which is brought about by customer
relationship management. The applicable critical issues taken from
Promoting the use of E-Government will have a cost; however, the the literature on E-Government initiatives are all issues which would
widespread use of this innovation should result in tangible and normally be considered when applying these aspects of marketing
intangible benefits to both the government and its customers. The theory as can be seen in any university level introductory marketing
challenge is to convincingly inform customers about these benefits so text (for example Kotler & Turner, 1995). The marketing aspects of the
as to promote their use of E-Government. initiative are enclosed in the rigor that is brought to bear by the tenets
and discipline of program management.
7. Critical price-related issues The conceptual framework provides a coherent structure in which
to house these identified issues and allows them to be positioned
In a business context, pricing decisions relate to the expenses within the broader context of established theory and literature. From
associated with the product, assumptions related to perceived value an academic perspective, the framework allows us to think about these
on the parts of the customers, planned profit margins, anticipated issues relative to accepted and well-documented theory in the
volume, and a host of other factors. In a government context, “price”- program management and marketing realms. Given the wealth of
related issues for a program are related to available budgetary funds, scholarly study into marketing, linking the E-Government literature
political exigencies, perceived value on the parts of the customers, with marketing theory may create significant opportunities to study E-
perceived willingness of customers to pay user fees, and numerous Government in new ways. The well-developed literature on marketing
others factors. Table 6 lists the only price-related critical planning and theory may also give scholars of E-Government new ways to
implementation issues found in this review. conceptualize and theorize E-Government-related phenomena.
This in itself is interesting given the multiple opinions and debate From the practitioner perspective, the E-Government Planning and
that usually surrounds funding for any new government program. Implementation Conceptual Framework gives those charged with the
However, these critical issues are broad enough to encompass many planning and implementation of an E-Government program a way to
of the factors mentioned above. structure and proceed through this complex process. An under-
Noting the numerous potential cost drivers included in all the standing that the creation and implementation of a new E-Govern-
preceding critical issues, it is clear that even a modest E-Government ment program can be thought of as a marketing initiative wrapped
initiative can involve considerable expenditures. Further, these inside the rigor of program management gives the team a new way to
expenses can often escalate as the program proceeds (Jorgensen & think about and plan the initiative and may also facilitate the use of
Cable, 2002). One option is to target a sizeable budgetary line item for expertise on a program that might not otherwise be involved.
the program; however, given the ever-present focus on reducing Bringing marketing personnel onto a team with technical, program,
expenditures at all levels of government, this may not always be and operations staff may allow the marketing aspects of the identified
feasible. The argument is often put forth that information technology critical issues to be more fully developed and successfully deployed.
investments will result in significant savings, but studies in this area By identifying and delineating the critical planning and implementa-
have provided mixed results (see Soh & Markus, 1995). tion issues from such a wide array of E-Government initiatives, this
Another possibility is to consider innovative funding and system
management options including private or combination public/private
arrangements. For example, the state government of Indiana
successfully pursued a self-funding framework with a private sector
partner (Gant, 2002). The private sector partner recoups its
implementation investment and ongoing operating costs through
user fees for transactions and high-end services on the site. While this
may not be the appropriate solution for other E-Government
initiatives, it does provide the benefits of reducing government
implementation and operations expenditures and negating the need
for hiring numerous permanent information technology resources.
While user fees are always a difficult issue for governments to
implement, the customers' overall costs may in reality be reduced
compared with their former costs associated with fuel, parking, and
the time required for a visit to a government facility. However, this
approach adds another layer of complexity and challenge to the
promotion issues discussed above.
While program funding and user fees are difficult issues to resolve,
they can have a dramatic impact on the scope and success of an E-
Government initiative. A number of options are available and should
be considered during the planning of the program (Gant, 2002).

8. Discussion

As noted above, all of the critical issues identified in the literature

aligned with program management concepts or marketing theory. Fig. 1. The E-Government planning and implementation conceptual framework.
32 W.R. Rose, G.G. Grant / Government Information Quarterly 27 (2010) 26–33

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Torres, L., Pina, V., & Acerete, B. (2005). E-Government developments on delivering Wade R. Rose is a Ph.D. candidate in management at the Sprott School of Business,
public services among EU cities. Government Information Quarterly, 22(2), Carleton University. He holds graduate degrees in engineering and business
217−238. administration, and his research interests concern strategy and strategy formulation
Wang, L., Bretschneider, S., & Gant, J. (2005). Evaluating web-based E-Government in the public and private sectors. His management experience includes over 20 years
services with a citizen-centric approach. Proceeding of the 38th Hawaii International in the public sector, as well as executive roles in both the aerospace and third-party
Conference on System Science, 3-6 January, 2005, IEEE. logistics industries.
West, D. M. (2001). Urban E-Government: An assessment of city government websites,
Taubman Center for Public Policy, Brown University.
Wimmer, M. A. (2006). E-Government, DEMO-net and eParticipation research Gerald G. Grant is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Information Systems
challenges, opportunities and prospects. Presented at DEMO-Net E-Gov PhD Area at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. He
Colloquium, 3-4 September, 2006, Krakow. obtained his Ph.D. in Information Systems from the London School of Economics and
Yoon, J. (2005). Implementing E-Government portals, technical and organizational Political Science, London, United Kingdom. Dr. Grant currently serves as an associate
issues: Korea national portal. Proceeding of the e-Gov VC Series Under Joint Economic editor of both the European Journal of Information Systems and of the Journal of
Research Program of the Government of Kazakhstan and the World Bank, World Band Global Information Management. He is also a member of the editorial board for the
Video Conference. Information Technology for Development Journal.