As government at all levels around the globe strive to serve their citizens better by providing on-line access to services, Web resources pertaining to government on-line initiatives are exploding. Here’s a look at some of the best sites.
The public sector, worldwide, has been investing heavily in information technology to improve government operations. Recently, the focus has shifted to E-government. For the private sector, there is an opportunity to learn from the various projects around the globe.
Government On-Line – Serving Canadians in a Digital World
Government On-Line is the Canadian Federal Government’s lead effort in serving Canadians in a digital world (see View From The Top, page 50). This multi-project initiative proposes to deliver world-leading on-line access to government services by 2004! With such an aggressive schedule there are many management issues that will need to be addressed in a short time. Check out www.gol-ged.gc.ca to obtain an understanding of their efforts.
Also, study the various solutions that are being contemplated to deal with numerous issues in moving to an on-line operational capability. I’d start with a review of “Results for Canadians: A Management Framework for the Government of Canada” at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/res_can/rc_1_e.html.
Lac Carling Governments’ Review – The Canadian E-government Perspective
The print publication Lac Carling Governments’ Review is a continuing source of information on E-government in Canada and around the world, as well as a valuable source of information on a host of other Canadian government IT activities. The publication’s electronic version – containing a large database of current and archived articles – can be found at www.ITworldcanada.com/lac/
FIRSTGOV – Your First Click to the U.S. Government
FirstGov.gov is a new federal Web portal for the U.S. Government.
FirstGov is an easy-to-search, free-access web site designed to give you a centralized place to find information about local, state, and U.S. Federal Government Agency websites.
The Council for Excellence in Government – exchange of ideas
The Council for Excellence in Government is based in Washington, D.C. The Council publishes opinion polls, books, reports, newsletters and web sites that disseminate information to stimulate the exchange of ideas and broaden understanding in support of excellence in government. Their web site is at www.excelgov.org.
I’d start your review of this site at www.excelgov.org/techcon/resources, which has been organized by the Technology Leadership Consortium. The site provides a wealth of information that will assist anyone attempting to improve the results of their E-efforts.
“E-Government: The Next American Revolution” – A Timely Report
The council’s latest report is entitled “e-Government: The Next American Revolution”, which is a blueprint in support of e-Government efforts everywhere. The team that developed this paper spanned the public, private, nonprofit, and research sectors with scores of leaders across the US – with a peak volunteer base of around 350 individuals.
This comprehensive report provides a high-level blueprint in moving to a dot.gov operation. Check out http://www.excelgov.org/techcon/egovex/ebluprint.htm to review the many issues the team explored and the recommendations they provide.
Dan Swanson is a management consultant with LGS Group in Winnipeg. He specializes in audit and management consulting and can be reached at dswanson@lgs.ca
