Summary
One of the key promises of e-government is a reinvented government. The vision includes improved access for citizens, increased efficiency, lower costs, and greater effectiveness. While many governments have already implemented electronic service initiatives, the bulk of the work is still to come.
E-Government: Creating Tools of the Trade is designed to support e-government work at all levels of government by offering practical advice, successful models, and well-grounded guides. The focus of this project is centered on the many aspects of "how" to design, build, and evaluate e-government initiatives.
The project work began with an extensive environmental scan that served as the foundation for an E-Government Roundtable for government managers in New York State. The tools produced are in response to the expressed needs of those professionals engaged in e-government work.
Publications & Results
Practical Guides (2)
The Web offers people and organizations a new way to interact and communicate. This report provides a framework for helping local governments achieve the benefits of the Web without being overcome by its complexity.
Local and county governments are exploring the best ways to implement e-government. This report details the strategies, funding, barriers, and benefits brought to bear by several New York State local e-government pioneering initiatives, with insight and advice for their colleagues.
Online Resources (1)
The Internet offers an overwhelming amount of information about e-government. This new Web resource provides the top quality material by providing a carefully selected collection of e-government resources including executive-level briefings, research and best practice reports, case studies, and Web sites. Please note that e-Gov FirstStop was developed as a prototype resource and was operational from April through September of 2002. It has not been updated since September of 2002 and will not be updated in the future.
Reports and Working Papers (5)
Creating and Maintaining Proper Systems for Electronic Record Keeping
Sun, 01 Dec 2002 >Download PDF
Sun, 01 Dec 2002 >Download PDF
E-Government is changing the way government conducts business and captures records created during that business. This paper provides a framework for developing new e-government systems that foster electronic records management.
As Web sites have grown in size, complexity, and prominence, site management has become a growing concern for Webmasters, system administrators, and organizations as a whole. This paper discusses how XML technology simplifies the entire site management process.
This paper is based on testimony presented to the New York City Council on a sustainable definition and model of electronic government.
Information Access in an Electronic World: A policy panel summary transcript
Wed, 01 Mar 2002 >Download PDF
Wed, 01 Mar 2002 >Download PDF
Policies about online government information were a focus of attention following September 11th. This document provides a thought-provoking examination of how information policy issues were reassessed in response to those events.
Governments in the US are using a variety of methods to find out what citizens want from electronic government services. This report presents those methods, and weighs the pros and cons of each of them.
Journal Articles and Conference Papers (3)
Designing electronic government information access programs: a holistic approach
December 13, 2003 >Download PDF
December 13, 2003 >Download PDF
That electronic government information repositories are growing in number, use, and diversity is
one manifestation of the emergence of e-government. These information-centered programs both shape
and respond to user demand for electronic government information as computer-mediated user access
has displaced traditional staff-mediated access. These programs are no longer concentrated in
statistical agencies but increasingly are offered by a wide array of mission-driven operating agencies to
complement their other services. This study identified the design dimensions of electronic information
access programs by examining mature existing programs. These dimensions address users, uses,
organizational capabilities, data characteristics, and technology. The study then explored the
application and interdependence of these dimensions in three efforts to design and develop new
access programs. The study produced an empirically based, testable model of observable dimensions
that shape the cost, complexity, and potential performance of these programs. In addition, the article
offers government managers some insight into the practical implications they will face in designing
and operating electronic information access programs.
Though they may be going unnoticed, e-government initiatives are changing the way that the public sector works. This article introduces a four-faceted vision of e-government and describes some of the ways that it is already changing government.
Many of us have already experienced the potential of the Web to change our relationships with other individuals, businesses, and now government. This article discusses the transformation needed before we can realize the promises of electronic government.
E-Government: Creating Tools of the Trade
Boiled down to its essence, electronic government promises to make connections. Citizen to government. Government to business. Local to state. State to federal. Agency to agency. The possible connections and their implications are practically limitless.
A Report from the E-Government Roundtable Center for Technology in Government, April 2001
How do you build a "government without walls?" Technology can help--but not without vision, skill, and an array of other tools and resources designed for a new way of working.
Press Releases & News Stories
Press Releases
Mon, 22 Nov 2004
Fri, 13 Sep 2002
Thu, 23 May 2002
Wed, 20 Jun 2001
Thu, 31 May 2001
Thu, 22 Mar 2001
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
March 15, 2009
National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council
June 28, 2001
Capital District Business Review
June 20, 2001
Federal Computer Week
June 8, 2001
Capital District Business Review
June 4, 2001
Capital District Business Review
March 22, 2001
Partners
The E-Government: Tools of the Trade project was based on the insight and input of a legion of e-government practitioners including representatives of 50-plus local governments, more than a dozen state agencies, valued academic and corporate partners, and numerous other university and government colleagues. CTG gratefully acknowledges their participation and contributions to the realization of these e-government tools. A complete listing of these partners is provided in each of the individual "tools" publications.
Academic Partners
- David Andersen, Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, SUNY
- Alan Borning, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WAhttp://www.washington.edu/
- David Landsbergen, Chair, Doctoral Studies Committee, Ohio State University
Center for Technology in Government
- Sharon Dawes, Project Director
- Theresa Pardo, Deputy Director
- Mark LaVigne, Project Manager
- Darshana Apte, Graduate Assistant
- Donna Berlin, Internet Coordinator
- Donna Canestraro, Project Support Manager
- David Connelly, Graduate Student
- Meghan Cook, Project
- Jim Costello, Web Applications Developer
- Anthony Cresswell, Deputy Director
- Winsome Foderingham-Williams, Education Coordinator
- Sallie Goodall, Publications Manager
- Jane Krumm-Schwan, Director of Administration and Outreach
- David Lance, Communication Manager
- C.N. Le, Research Associate
- Michael Ling, Graduate Student
- Christina Pagano, Graduate Assistant
- Shalini Paliath, Graduate Assistant
- Jochen Scholl, Project Support Manager
- Stephanie Simon, Information Coordinator
- Derek Werthmuller, Director of Technology Services
Funding Sources
This project was funded by a portion of CTG's New York State budget allocation.
Original Scope of Work
Every construction job needs the right tools. Building an e-government demands policy, management, and technology tools for planning, design, implementation, and evaluation.
E-Government: Creating Tools of the Trade will produce practical resources to help design and implement e-government. This project responded to the expressed needs of government managers who are engaged in this work.
They asked for guidelines and frameworks that address e-government planning, design, and implementation. They also wanted resources that encourage and enable e-government knowledge sharing, executive level briefings, technology awareness sessions, research and best practice reports, and case studies in collaboration.
How this work will benefit the business of government
One of the key promises of e-government is a reinvented government. The vision includes improved access for citizens, increased efficiency, lower costs, and greater effectiveness. While many governments have already implemented electronic service initiatives, the bulk of the work is still to come. "Creating Tools of the Trade" is designed to support that work at all levels of government by offering practical advice, successful models, and well-grounded guides. Our focus will be centered on the many aspects of "how" to design, build, and evaluate e-government initiatives.
CTG is working with state and local agencies, as well as corporate and academic partners, to produce the following tools of the trade for e-government.
An e-government knowledge repository is a Web-based resource that provides public officials with an array of practical references and resources for the development, implementation, and evaluation of electronic government. It also provides an interactive environment in which people can discuss their ideas and concerns about technology, policy, and management issues.
Making the transition from the static to the dynamic Web is a presentation series and White Paper that discussed some of the technologies that are changing the way everyone presents data on the Web, from XML to the next generation Internet.
Business process implications of e-government is a research and best practices report that will discuss the process analysis and process improvement dimensions of e-government service design and operation.
Making A Case for Local E-Government is a report on the state of local e-government in New York. It is designed to be communication tool for local governments in the planning, development, and implementation of e-government strategies.
A guide to building a business case for e-government will be part of the second edition of our Making Smart IT Choices guidebook. It will lay a framework for building a case for funding, support, and buy-in for electronic government.
Briefing paper for top executives on the critical role of business process transformation in realizing the promise of electronic government is a report that will present the strategic and economic reasons for "end to end" design, so that e-government investments can achieve their goals.
Guide to managing electronic records in e-government is an article that offers best practice advice and guidelines about how to design and manage the records associated with e-government applications.
Guide to collecting baseline measures on cost and performance of existing services and guide to conducting a return on investment (ROI) analysis for e-government will cover the essential need to set goals, measure performance, assess costs, and evaluate the benefits of e-government investments.
These tools reflect the needs of the people who are creating e-government services in New York. On March 22, 2001, 79 representatives from 43 organizations (including 35 state agencies, 3 local governments, and 5 non-profit or private sector organizations) met in a roundtable event to discuss key aspects of e-government development in New York State.
Based on 26 recommendations made at the roundtable, CTG conducted an on-line survey and encouraged government managers to vote for the products they felt were most important or useful to their work. The survey results identified the priority concerns of several groups: state agency managers, local government officials, program and administrative professionals, and IT professionals. This collection of high priority concerns has become our initial working list. Other items may be added in the future.
Related Web Sites
State and Federal E-Government in the United States, 2002
http://www.insidepolitics.org/Egovt02us.htmlResearchers at Brown University annually gauge how governments at all levels are making use of commonly available information technology.
Building Better eGovernment: Tools for Transformation
http://www.nga.org/center/egovernment/This National Governors Association toolkit includes best practices designed to help state governments streamline government and improve customer service.
Partnership for Intergovernmental Innovation (PI2)
http://policyworks.gov/intergovThis site, sponsored by the General Services Administration's (GSA) office of Intergovernmental Solutions, includes what citizens say they want in an electronic government.
Creating Citizen-Centric Digital Government: A Guide for the States
http://www.nascio.org/
This document is a statement of NASCIO's long-term vision to support the states in the evolution of digital government.
The Digital Divide Network
http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org
The Digital Divide Network Web site brings attention to the gap between those people and communities who can make effective use of information technology and those who cannot.
DG (Digital Government) Online:
http://www.dgrc.org/dg-online/DG Online presents the latest developments in advanced computer and IT research for Digital Government along with news and viewpoints on the most important e-government issues.
EGovLinks
http://www.egovlinks.com/eGovLinks is designed to provide rapid and easy dissemination of e-government-related information.
e-Government: The Next American Revolution
http://www.excelgov.org/displayContent.asp?NewsItemID=2191&Keyword=ppStudiesThis blueprint is designed to provide recommendations and priorities for the national design of e-government.
Harvard's Eight Imperatives for Leaders in a Networked World
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/exec_ed/3e/eight_imperatives.htmThis report outlines a road map for leaders to establish strategic directions, implement specific projects, and formulate new public policies for information technology issues.
Knowledge Management.Gov
http://www.km.gov/Knowledge Management, in the context of e-government, is leveraging the collective knowledge of agencies to fulfill the missions of government.
New York State Office for Technology
http://www.oft.state.ny.us/New York's Office for Technology is committed to fast-paced, but purposeful change and believes that program needs drive technology, and not the reverse.
New York State Forum for Information Resource Management
http://www.nysfirm.org/Part of the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the Forum is a network of public officials and state government organizations concerned with information management, policy, and technology.
Contact Information
Center for Technology in Government
University at Albany, SUNY
187 Wolf Road, Suite 301
Albany, NY 12205
(518) 442-3892 (phone)
(518) 442-3886 (fax)
University at Albany, SUNY
187 Wolf Road, Suite 301
Albany, NY 12205
(518) 442-3892 (phone)
(518) 442-3886 (fax)