Towards a Framework for Assessing the Maturity of Government in the developing world, this understanding is a critical consideration, as it provides

is a critical consideration, as it provides a basis for

the efficient allocation of scarce resources. The ability to accurately establish and articulate e-
Capabilities for ‘E-Government’ application needs and prioritise them on the basis of their potential benefits and challenges, within
a framework of institutional capabilities, is an important dimension of this understanding. While
Gordon Z. Oyomno various assessment tools have been developed to assist in this important task, those developed
Senior Lecturer, LINK Centre, Graduate School of Public and Development Management to date do not have a sufficient level of specificity to be able to provide the required information
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and knowledge to assist decision-making. This is the problem that forms the basis of an ongoing
research work.

Abstract This paper discusses the theoretical aspects of the research work, which looks at the development of
The new reality of the 21st Century is characterised by increasing centrality of information and appropriate tools for assessing the levels of maturity of government capabilities for “e-government.”
knowledge and pervasive application of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). The study is premised on the need for a better understanding of the capability of government
The unavoidability of the new applications on the one hand, and their considerable complexity and agencies and departments for identifying, planning and implementing e-government initiatives. It is
costliness on the other, compel organisations to seek better understanding of these applications motivated in part by the observed inadequacies and weaknesses of existing electronic readiness
to guide their successful development and implementation. The ability to accurately establish assessment tools for application in e-government analysis.
and articulate needs and prioritise them on the basis of their potential benefits and challenges,
within a framework of institutional capabilities, is an important dimension of this understanding. As the term “e-government” is relatively new, with yet-to-solidify conceptual foundations, the paper
This is where assessment comes in. This paper proposes a framework for assessing the maturity explores first the underpinning conceptualisation of e-government. This discussion examines the
of government capabilities for “e-government.” It first traces the conceptual development of conceptual development of e-government and the key categories of e-applications. This is followed
e-government, noting a successive broadening of the conceptual scope and a shift in focus by a review of pertinent literature on institutional/organisational assessment and analysis, with
from technology to government. It reviews pertinent literature on “e-readiness” assessment a view to identifying the distinctions between “readiness” assessment and “capability maturity”
and “capability maturity” assessments, noting their strengths and limitations in a government assessment. This examination provides a theoretical basis for the formulation of a framework
institutional environment. It proposes an e-government capability maturity assessment framework for assessing the maturity of government capability for e-government in several important and
based on six capability factors (development and business agenda, ICT application portfolio, interrelated areas.
ICT infrastructure development, human and intellectual capital, governance and institutional
infrastructure, and leadership and management), six levels of maturity (business as usual, on- 2. Conceptual Development
line information services, on-line interactivity, on-line transactional services, service integration,
and organisational transformation), and a mapping function that traces the logistic trajectory of E-government is a new addition to the rapidly expanding vocabulary of e-prefixed terms that reflect
resulting growth curves. the expanding range of ICT applications in organisations and societies. Within the context of public
management, e-government has joined such terms as “e-health,” “e-procurement,” “e-services,”
and even “e-housing” in gaining high levels of common use. Unlike most of these other more
1. Introduction specific e-applications, e-government is still undergoing conceptual development to provide an
The 21st Century has ushered in a new reality defined by the new information and knowledge overarching conceptual framework. The locus of its conceptual development has moved at least
economy and rapid and pervasive proliferation of information and communication technology (ICT) one step above its original conceptualisation and is evidently still undergoing re-conceptualisation
applications. The new reality creates new opportunities and challenges that require new knowledge in a dynamic environment. The initial conceptualisation assumed a more technological flavour,
competencies and institutional capabilities, and the application of new ICT enables their effective thus allowing the term to mean different things to different people. Furthermore, the definitions
acquisition and utilisation (Melody, 2002). Electronic applications (“e-applications”) or on-line presented provide ideas only on what the term possibly means, thus leaving a degree of
applications, as the new range of ICT applications have become known, are transforming not only uncertainty as to what the definition does not include. While this type of definition is often sufficient,
the business that is done but also the way it is organised. These applications are increasingly it becomes problematic when different meanings are presented, and more so when some of these
becoming an integral part of the new organisational environment and therefore unavoidable. interpretations are conflicting. Under these conditions, clarification of those aspects that are clearly
Furthermore, due to their dependence on the Internet and related technologies, e-applications not part of the definition reduces uncertainty and identifies the aspects that must still be subject to
have a global scope and reach, which make them considerably more sophisticated and complex contextual interpretations. In light of this consideration, I will first conceptualise e-government both
than conventional ICT applications of the recent past. in terms of what it is and what it is not.

While presenting new opportunities to organisations, private and public, e-applications also present 2.1 E-Government: What It Is
major challenges that must be overcome. Being pervasive and unavoidable on the one hand,
and complex and costly to successfully develop on the other, e-applications present a serious The conceptual development of e-government has so far gone through two distinct phases, and is
dilemma to both private and public organisations, and perhaps more so to the latter. The dilemma presently witnessing the emergence of a third. In the first phase, the term e-government was used
brings into focus the need for a better understanding of these e-applications together with the to mean the application of advanced ICT to deliver public services. This conceptualisation emerged
organisational and institutional environment of their use. To some governments, especially those from the relative successes of “e-commerce” applications, resulting in pressure being placed on

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government organisations to improve their service delivery systems in the same way that some government bureaucracies, and in particular their deep vertical hierarchies, were designed for the
business organisations were doing. As a public sector equivalent of e-commerce, e-government is industrial economy and society. The new information and knowledge society therefore requires
viewed primarily as a tool for electronic delivery of public services. This view has been the primary new organisational arrangements and management paradigms (Nolan & Croson, 1995; Limerick
driver of e-government initiatives throughout the world. Through such initiatives, governments & Cunnington, 1993). Such arrangements will be built from existing ones through progressive
transfer a range of services into electronic formats, so as to make them more conveniently adaptation processes that incorporate the best of their functional features, abandon dysfunctional
accessible over the Internet. Proponents of this conceptual view include Holmes (2001), Cook ones and introduce new features required to strengthen the capabilities for effective and efficient
(2000) and Carrow (2001). According to Holmes (2001, p. 2), “Electronic government, or e- operation in the new environment. The ongoing reforms and transformation in government are
government, is the use of information technology, in particular the Internet, to deliver public therefore seen in this context to be part of the ongoing transformation in the broader society, and
services in a much more convenient, customer-oriented, cost-effective, and altogether different and as a response to the disorientation of existing arrangements. This view casts e-government as the
better way.” He further points out that cutting costs and improving government efficiency, meeting ultimate form and structure that government organisations will assume when the ongoing reforms
and improving citizen expectations and relationships, and facilitating economic development are and transformation are complete.
some of the important considerations driving e-government. Note that technological rather than
institutional and organisational considerations have driven this conceptualisation. It is the view that
most technically-oriented individuals and institutions hold. 2.2 E-Government: What It Is Not
The conceptual development of e-government presented above provides three definitional locations
The second stage in the conceptual development of e-government has emerged from the for the term. Definitions such as these, however, fail to remove all uncertainties, especially when
consideration that electronic service delivery is a new way of doing business in government, and the concept in question displays an expansionary trend, such as is the case with e-government.
is therefore part of the ongoing reforms and transformation of government. The past two to three Under such conditions, it is necessary and helpful to specify elements that are excluded from
decades have witnessed major reform and transformation of government processes, systems consideration, especially as e-government has been presented to mean many different things.
and structures. Some of these initiatives have been fundamental enough to be considered a re- Identifying what is not included in the concept of e-government to be employed here will have the
invention of government (Obsorne & Gaebler, 1992; Heeks, 1999). Osborne and Gaebler see beneficial effect of isolating inherent and potentially confusing ambiguities, so as to enable a better
government re-invention as the building of new government organisations with features including understanding than could otherwise be obtained.
being catalytic, community-owned, competitive, mission-driven, result-oriented, customer-driven,
enterprising, anticipatory, decentralised and market-oriented. It is interesting to note that Osborne While accepting that the concept of e-government can mean, and has meant, different things to
and Gaebler made no mention of a role or application of IT or ICT in the re-invented government. different people, it is increasingly becoming apparent that:
Richard Heeks (1999) made this observation and attempted to fill this vacuum by focusing on new
ICT applications in government. Other proponents of this view include Caldow (2001), Okot-Uma • It is not about technology; it is about applications of technology, specifically ICT, in government.
(2000) and Riley (2001). It is the enabling power of technology more than anything else that is of central interest, as
it expands the capacity to accomplish more, in the same way industrial machinery is used
Locating e-government in the context of ongoing reforms and transformation in government provides to multiply force and energy in commercial farming or manufacturing establishments. It also
for its definition as the application of ICT to transform government organisations and relationships means that decisions relating to the application of the technology are taken outside the scope
with the citizenry, the business community, and with other arms of government (UNDP, 1997). This of technological considerations.
perspective broadens the conceptualisation of e-government beyond electronic service delivery to
include such other things as enabling participatory governance and collaborative arrangements to • It is not so much about what the government does as it is about how the government
stimulate social and economic growth, outsourcing of some state functions to improve efficiency accomplishes what it does. The important consideration here is that e-government reverses
and effectiveness, and even privatisation of state enterprises. The aim of e-government in this conventional government orientation from government-centricity to citizen-centricity, in the
regard is to assist in a broader programme to make government organisations more effective, sense that the needs and convenience of citizens are intended to drive and define government
responsive and accountable. business philosophy and strategies.

The third stage in the conceptualisation of e-government locates it within the context of the • It is not so much about power and control in government as it is about empowerment of others
emergent information and knowledge age. The new reality alluded to in the introduction results through information, knowledge and convenient service delivery. It is creating an environment
from the ongoing transformation of the economy and society that has been widely articulated in the that permits individuals, organisations and communities to realise their potentialities in
past four to five decades (Drucker, 1988; Castells, 1996). It is the subject of the World Summit on exploiting the opportunities at their disposal. More importantly, the increasing number of
the Information Society (WSIS), the first part of which took place in Geneva in December 2003, with channels of information and knowledge make the citizenry potentially more knowledgeable
the second part scheduled for Tunis in November 2005. The WSIS confirms that the new socio- than ever before, and therefore more difficult to control or manipulate through denial of access
economic order is required at the highest level of government, and that its consequences, positive to accurate information, or through misinformation.
and negative, require the attention and intervention of global leadership for effective management.
• It is not about a political ideology or philosophy; it is about effective governance. While
E-government is viewed here as a kind of “new age bureaucracy,” with systems and structures this assertion is contestable, especially by international development organisations and
that adapt government organisation to the new environment. The argument is that existing practitioners whose belief systems are rooted deeply in democracy and democratic principles,

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 one should note that China, for example, has embraced e-government, even though it is yet unnecessary delays, paperwork and redundant data capture. Consequently, these applications
to embrace democracy (Chengyu, 2002; Lovelock & Ure, 2002). Furthermore, most oil-rich can improve the business and economic competitiveness of a country. By permitting direct
countries of the Middle East are non-democratic, yet they have embraced e-government. This interaction between the parties, e-business cuts out the middleman and transfers the resulting cost
being the case, e-democracy is clearly not necessarily an integral component of e-government. benefits to the buyers. This leads to increased affordability of goods and services. In addition to
E-government cuts through political ideological orientations, though we recognise that it may speeding up the processing time, e-business creates a more transparent business environment,
have democratising effects, particularly when e-services components are used to improve the thus leading to better and timelier decisions and actions. It also leverages new technologies for
interactions between government and the citizens in a manner that empowers citizens. better communication between the parties. E-business activities take different forms. They can be
transactional, such as in licensing, permits, procurement, and revenue collection. They can also be
• It is not about building a smaller government; it is about building a more efficient and effective promotional and facilitative, such as in trade, tourism, investment and campaigns.
government, in the sense that it is simpler, accessible, responsive, and transparent. Such
a government is devoid of unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, and is therefore able to take
2.3.3 Electronic Services (‘E-services’)
action as and when required.
The “e-services” category of e-government applications enables interactions and relationships
between the government and citizens, through which the latter gain access to a range of
2.3 Main Categories of Applications
public services. Generally referred to as government-to-citizen (“G2C”), these interactions and
Even though the concept of e-government includes elements that are ordinarily outside the scope of relationships are not limited to citizens only. They include non-citizens and other legal entities that
technological considerations, the dominant role of ICT in enabling government systems and processes the government interacts with in the process of delivery of public services. Ideally, e-services enable
cannot be downplayed. The processes and systems that the technology enables define the range all branches and levels of government to function as a single coordinated entity, thus expanding
of interactions and relationship between the government and its stakeholders, of which citizens, the government availability and accessibility, moving government in the direction of anytime, anywhere
business community, the society in general, civil society in particular, and the government itself are and by any means. The goal of anytime service availability is basically a round-the-clock service,
principal. The interactions that define relationships between the government and these stakeholders often expressed simply as “24-7,” meaning 24 hours day, seven days a week. When compared to
have given rise to four main categories of e-government application: electronic administration, conventional government availability of eight working hours a day and five working days a week, or
electronic business, electronic services, and electronic society. The descriptions that follow highlight “8-5,” e-applications have the potential to improve government availability dramatically.
the potential benefits of the different categories of e-government activities. The remainder of the
paper then examines the reality of attempting to realise these benefits. The anywhere dimension of e-services accessibility puts choices in the hands of government
customers as to how they wish to interact with, and do business with, their government. It gives
them the convenience of accessing government services from wherever they are – at home, in the
2.3.1 Electronic Administration (‘E-administration’) office, at a shopping mall or a local community center, or even overseas. Finally, the by-any-means
The “e-administration” category of applications arises from the interactions within and between dimension provides further choices, in that it allows consumers to use a variety of means and
government agencies, as well as between different spheres of government (local, provincial technologies to gain access. This could be by telephone, fax, e-mail, kiosks, face-to-face, or any
and national). The interactions are generally referred to as government-to-government (“G2G”). other convenient means of reaching such services. Typical public services that can be delivered
These applications seek to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of government electronically include: permits and registration, directory services, public information and records,
organisations, as they provide facilities to enable electronic communications and sharing social grants, schools and library information, and revenue collection.
of information and knowledge. E-administration applications permit simultaneous access to
information, thus shortening the bureaucratic red tape associated with access to, and transmission
2.3.4 Electronic Society (‘E-society’)
of, information. This gives e-administration high potential for improving government efficiency and
effectiveness, shortening the long turnaround times that are occasioned by waiting for information. The “e-society” category of applications enables the government to engage with the collective
It minimises situations where files go missing, and enables better integration of inter-governmental membership of communities and societies that comprise the nation. These applications
programmes and projects, potentially leading to considerable performance improvements. create convenient channels for consultations and dialogues between the government and its
stakeholders, thus enabling the interactions and relationships generally referred to as government-
to-society (“G2S”). E-society applications can give these communities a collective voice in their
2.3.2 Electronic Business (‘E-business’) dealings with the government, thus enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the communications,
The “e-business” category of applications can improve interactions and relationships between and encouraging active and productive participation in the governance process. The capacity of
the government and its customers and suppliers, who are considered here to be members of e-society applications to enable interactive participation and multiple consultations between the
the business community. Although generally referred to as government to business (“G2B”), the government and all its stakeholders explains why some, such as Okot-Uma (2000), choose to
interactions and relationships could be with business entities, citizens or any other legal entity speak of these applications as e-democracy. It is, however, important to note that regardless of
with which the government has a business interest. Thus, citizens interacting with the government what this category of applications is called, its importance emanates from its capacity to enable
in a G2B mode are viewed in terms of their business relation to the government. E-business stakeholders to engage their governments on a range of issues beyond service delivery. Through
applications take most government procurement and disposal of assets to the electronic medium, such a collective voice, stakeholders can influence government decisions and actions in a manner
thus cutting the red tape, the middlemen and the time required, and reducing operational costs, that can be seen to be democratising.

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3. Readiness and Capability Maturity Assessments At the most basic level, the concept of readiness tends to inspire a yes/no answer. Either a
government is ready or it is not. This situation begs the question: so what? Whether the organisation
3.1 General Overview is ready or not, what should it do?
An assessment, or situation analysis, is purposeful information-gathering conducted as a learning Secondly, available e-readiness assessment tools have a fairly general applicability – to
process. Assessments seek to provide a better understanding of a given situation, and for a given communities, societies, nations, economies and the like. When applied in a government situation,
purpose. They take different forms and assume different names, depending on the situation and they carry the same level of generality, thus failing to provide adequate specific information beyond
intention, including appraisal, evaluation or feasibility study. All in all, assessments provide a the tendency to conclude that an organisation is either e-ready or not. Such information is not
snapshot of the state of affairs of a situation at a given point in time. The information content of so useful to an organisation wishing to determine priorities and required levels of investment for
such undertakings depends on the purpose, and can be brief or detailed. meaningful e-government initiatives.
When applied to proposed initiatives, assessments profile the environment so as to draw out needs, Furthermore, available e-readiness tools are based on qualitative measures, the interpretation
potential benefits, opportunities and challenges. Such information provides a basis for decisions of which can be very subjective. Such situations permit different conclusions to be arrived at by
about resource requirements. The information and knowledge gathered from an assessment are different observers. Considering that such conclusions influence important decisions, they do not
used to review, refine and re-focus institutional purposes and intentions, to determine resource provide the necessary essential information relating to risk minimisation for such a fundamental
requirements for an undertaking, and to formulate appropriate intervention strategies. institutional change.

3.2 Electronic Readiness (‘E-readiness’) Assessment 3.3 ‘Capability Maturity’ Assessment

“E-readiness” assessment is a recent development that accompanied the rapid expansion in Unlike readiness assessment, which tends to inspire a yes/no answer, a “capability maturity”
Internet-based applications and their potential to influence social and economic development. assessment seeks to determine a point or a set of points on the maturity scale at which the unit of
The rapid proliferation of ICT applications in organisations and society that followed the analysis is located. Although such scales are generally continuous, contiguous (distinct) locations
commercialisation of the Internet brought with it numerous challenges and opportunities. The can be established that define different levels of maturity in each of the capability factors.
complexity of the emergent application environment is one of these challenges, and it to a large
extent accounts for a significant number of failures in new ICT applications initiatives. While the
The concept of “maturity” inspires a sense of progress and growth. To this end, a maturity
critical importance of these applications makes their development an organisational imperative
assessment is viewed positively to suggest a direction in which to grow and improve. It thus
and therefore unavoidable, their complexity considerably increases the risks associated with
provides richer and more useful information than a readiness assessment, which tends to generate
their development and implementation. Electronic readiness assessment provides a better
a ready/not ready answer. On the basis of these considerations, a capability maturity assessment,
understanding of the target application environment, thus enabling effective management of
when applied in an institutional analysis and profiling exercise, can provide better information than
associated risks.
an e-readiness assessment. The information content of a capability maturity assessment includes
the current maturity level, current capabilities and current challenges. Such information leads to
E-readiness assessment has also been motivated by the increasing complexity and dynamic a more accurate determination of strategies required to improve current levels of performance, to
nature of the emerging ICT environment, the strategic value of the technology, and its high overcome the challenges, and to grow the capabilities to the next level of institutional maturity.
development and operating costs. While the strategic value of the technology and its high
development costs demand that such developments succeed the first time, the complexity of the
The need to determine what a given government agency can and cannot accomplish well, and what
application environment increases the risk of failure. E-readiness assessment seeks to address
specific obstacles may inhibit its capacities, is an important step in assisting such organisations
both problems. By creating a better understanding of the application environment, the e-readiness
to improve and grow relevant capabilities. Moreover, the ability to differentiate organisations on
assessment reduces the complexity and the associated risk-bearing uncertainty, thus increasing
the basis of their institutional capabilities permits determination of intervention strategies that are
the likelihood of success.
appropriate to the unique situation. This differentiation is generally captured in terms of levels of
maturity in a given dimension of their strategic and operational capabilities.
A number of e-readiness assessment tools have been developed and used. Some tools have
targeted communities and society (CSPP, 1998; CID, 2000), while others have focussed on
A number of capability maturity models have been developed. Among these, the works of Greiner
countries (APEC, 2000; WITSA, 2000). Other e-readiness assessment tools were developed to
(1972), Gibson and Nolan (1974), Nolan (1979), the Carnegie Mellon University’s Software
assess the diffusion of ICT in developing countries.
Engineering Institute (Humphrey & Sweet, 1987), and the Software Engineering Research Centre
(SERC, 2002) are notable. Greiner’s work partitioned the growth of business organisations into five
The general popularity of the term “e-readiness” notwithstanding, a critical examination of its stages, each comprising a period of stability and steady growth (evolutions) followed by a period of
conceptual underpinnings and the available tools being applied reveal underlying inadequacies turbulence and crisis (revolution). Greiner identified the age of the organisation, its size, its stages
and inappropriateness of application. of evolution, its stages of revolution, and the growth rate of the industry to be the five key forces
driving organisational growth. He defined the stages of growth as given in the table below:

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 to determine the institutional capacity of a government agency or department for e-government.
Stage Evolution Revolution It should in this regard provide as much information as possible about the organisation. Such
information and knowledge fall into three broad categories.
1 Growth through creativity Leadership crisis
2 Growth through direction Autonomy crisis • Organisational resource capacity, level of performance, and what the organisation can and
cannot do at its current level of resource capacity
3 Growth through delegation Control crisis
• Existing opportunities that the organisation can beneficially exploit, and typical problems and
4 Growth through coordination Red tape crisis challenges it is likely to face given its profile
5 Growth through collaboration Crisis of ??? • Appropriate intervention strategies the organisation needs to follow to improve its current level
Source: Greiner (1972) of performance, to effectively address the problems and challenges, and to build a new level
of performance capabilities
Although Greiner’s model may not be directly applicable to the growth of government organisations
KPMG Canada’s (2000) E-government Capacity Check is one of the most comprehensive tools
and institutions, its partition of the growth into distinct stages, each with certain capabilities, is an
specifically developed to assess government capabilities for e-government. The tool defines six
important concept with strong potential for general applicability.
factors that define organisational e-government capabilities. These include: e-strategy, architecture,
risk and programme management, organisational capabilities, value-chain management, and
Gibson and Nolan (1974) developed a model for the maturity of organisations involved in electronic performance management.
data processing. Nolan revised the model in 1979 to include six stages from the original four. The
six stages -- initiation, contagion, control, integration, data administration and maturity -- suggest
It also defines five levels of e-government maturity that range from non-existent/underdeveloped
that as the organisation matures, it becomes better able to manage its information systems and
capabilities (Level 1) to industry best practice (Level 5). The intervening maturity levels include early
resources, with increasing focus on systems integration and data management (Nolan, 1979).
stages (Level 2), good management practice (Level 3), and advanced practice (Level 4). KPMG
Canada developed and applied the model in assessing the maturity of Canadian government
The Software Capability Maturity Model (SW-CMM), developed by the Software Engineering capabilities for e-government.
Institute (SEI) of Carnegie Mellon University, provides a framework for assessing the maturity of the
software development processes of an organisation (Humphrey, 1987; Humphrey & Sweet, 1987).
Accenture Consulting conducts on annual e-government survey and publishes its findings. In the
It identifies key stages of development that lead to maturity of these processes. The model defines
2002 survey, the third in the series, Accenture used the title “eGovernment Leadership – Realising
a five-stage model reflecting the progressive maturity of the process capabilities of a software
the Vision,” to underpin the “growing recognition that e-government is not just about technology
development house. These stages are: initial, repeatable, defined, managed and optimising. While
– but about harnessing technology as just one of the tools to transform the way governments
SW-CMM was designed to assist software development companies to assess the maturity of their
operate” (Accenture, 2002, p. 2). The 2002 survey focussed on the maturity of e-services and
capabilities, and to plan the acquisition and institutionalisation of these capabilities, it has features
customer relationship management as key e-government capability factors. Using a weighting
that can be adapted for application in other organisations.
ratio of 70:30 for the data collection on the two factors, Accenture located each of the 23 countries
surveyed into one of the following four maturity categories: platform-builders (Level 1); emerging
The IT Services Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is similar to the SW-CMM but applicable performers (Level 2); visionary challengers (Level 3); and innovative leaders (Level 4).
to organisations that provide IT services. The model seeks to enable IT service providers to
assess their ability to deliver IT services and how to improve them. The Software Engineering
Research Centre (SERC) of Vrije University developed the model between 1995 and 1999, 4. E-Government Capability Maturity Assessment Framework
through a collaborative research programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Building on the work in this field to date, I propose here a framework for assessing the maturity
(SERC, 2002)
of government capabilities for e-government. The framework comprises a set of e-government
capability factors, maturity levels for each capability factor, and a function for transforming
Although the maturity models discussed above apply to different types of organisations, they all
quantitative data collected on each capability factor into a corresponding maturity level.
have two features in common. They define a set of capabilities against which the maturity of the
organisation is assessed, and they partition the maturity spectrum into sequential contiguous
The assessment framework is premised on the conceptualisation of e-government as a new
stages within which the maturity of an organisation is located. The number of stages ranges
age government that must be built from existing government institutions. This is to say that any
between four and six.
government organisation that has launched an e-government initiative has started the process
of transforming itself into an e-government. It will achieve this goal by progressively acquiring e-
3.4 E-Government Capability Assessment government capabilities. To this end, the concepts of capability and progressive movement are
central to the conceptualisation of the framework.
Apart from being an assessment in the sense discussed above, an e-government assessment seeks

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Capabilities are taken to be processes and functions that enable an organisation to deliver on intends to do so, to have a clear statement of its development and business agenda (DBA). DBA
its business mission and mandate. They may be business strategies and processes, or enabling statements normally take the form of national or corporate development policy, strategy and plans
institutional arrangements, or enabling technologies and other resources. Progressive movement, that include, among other things: national/corporate vision, mission, goals, and strategies; agency
on the other hand, is a measure of the extent to which an organisation builds its e-government customer profile; a catalogue of products and services; delivery programmes and mechanisms put
capabilities. It is a measure of the maturity of the organisation in these capability areas. Thus, in place; business drivers and challenges; and critical success factors.
capability factors, and levels of maturity in terms of each capability factor, are central to the
conceptualisation of electronic capability maturity assessment.
4.1.2 ICT Application Portfolio

4.1 Capability Factors

Capabilities form the building blocks for an e-government initiative. The literature reviewed on e-
ICT Application Portfolio
readiness and e-government assessments defined different categories of capability factors. The On line Business Systems
Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP, 1998) e-readiness guide covers categories of capability • On line information services
indicators including: leadership, policy and regulations; connectivity and infrastructure; human • On line interactivity
capital and workforce skills; applications and services; ubiquity of ICT; and the economy and foreign
• On line transactional services
investments. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group of nations (APEC, 2000) identified the
following six categories of “enabling factors” in their guide for assessing the e-readiness of their
member countries: basic infrastructure and technology; access to necessary services; current level
and types of Internet use, promotion and facilitation; skills and human resources; and positioning
for the digital economy. Similarly, as noted earlier, KPMG (2000) defined the following capability Information Systems Communication Systems
factors: e-strategy, architecture, risk and programme management, organisational capabilities,
value-chain integration, and performance management. Classical: Contemporary: •Voice communication systems
•TPS/DPS •Strategic IS •Data communication systems
These factors provided the background for the formulation of a set of capability factors for the
•MRS •Enterprise IS •Video communication systems
framework of this study. This was achieved by weighting each of the factors defined by each
model reviewed on the basis of its commonality across the various tools and models reviewed. •DSS •Multimedia communication system
Consideration was also given to the implications of the shifting focus of e-government from being •Executive IS
about “e” to being about “government.” This change in focus has required that consideration be
given to typical government processes, the extent to which they can be ICT-enabled, and the impact
Applications are the vehicles through which a selected range of services is delivered electronically.
and implications of this factor on the organisation and management of these organisations.
An organisation’s application portfolio defines the capabilities of its ICT infrastructure in terms
of electronic service delivery. In today’s complex organisational environments, the application
On the basis of these considerations, the following six factors were identified as constituting the
portfolio comprises the broad categories of applications, namely: information systems, on-line
most appropriate capability factors for e-government, and they are used in this study.
communication systems and on-line business systems.
• Development and business agenda
Information systems are the older and most common set of applications found in any organisation.
Conventional information systems seek to provide information for internal consumption and ensure
• ICT application portfolio
that members have access to the right information at the right time, for the right purpose and at
affordable costs. Emerging trends however suggest that information systems partitioned on the
• ICT infrastructure development
basis of classical organisational hierarchy have serious limitations – limitations that arise from
their inability to integrate information across different functions, and across different levels of the
• Human and intellectual assets
same functions. Consequently, contemporary approaches seek to generate integrated information
systems.
• Governance and institutional infrastructure
On-line communication systems are of four main types: voice systems, data systems, video
• Leadership and management
systems and multimedia systems. Until recently, the first three tended to exist independently in
organisations. The advent of digital information and communication technologies has given rise
4.1.1 Development & Business Agenda (DBA) to convergent communication networks that process and transmit all forms of information – data,
voice and video. The extent to which an organisation has moved in the process of integrating its
To the extent that defining e-government as a new age government makes sense, it is imperative hitherto disparate electronic communication systems is a measure of the maturity of its application
for a government agency or department that has embraced e-government initiatives, or that portfolio.

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Finally, on-line business systems (OBS) support delivery of services via electronic channels. OBS access. Risk management systems attempt to ensure that potential known threats specific to
applications enable business transactions within and between organisations, thus transcending the organisational electronic environment are protected against, and that effects are minimised
traditional organisational boundaries. They support direct interaction between the organisation when disruptions occur. Disaster management systems attempt to ensure the establishment and
and its business stakeholders and shorten turnaround times, leading to higher organisational maintenance of a state of preparedness in the organisation against any disaster that may disrupt
productivity and cost savings. proper functioning of the organisational electronic business environment. In the event of a disaster,
the system puts in operation mechanisms to ensure that critical business systems are not affected,
Profiling the composition of an organisation’s applications portfolio, and how specific applications and provides for speedy recovery of all business systems to full functionality.
are distributed into the three categories just outlined, provides a reasonable measure of the
maturity of its e-government capabilities. To the extent that an organisation’s ICT infrastructure defines the nature and scope of its applications
portfolio and therefore its e-applications, reviewing the organisation in these dimensions provides
indications of the maturity of its e-government capabilities.
4.1.3 ICT Infrastructure Development
ICT infrastructure is the third capability factor for e-government. It provides the technical operating
4.1.4 Human & Intellectual Assets (‘Capital’)
platform for the ICT applications portfolio. The ICT infrastructure generally comprises the following
four components: ICT networks; access and connectivity; databases and data warehouses; and The capacity of an organisation to perform any task associated with its business is critically
business continuity systems. dependent on human intervention. Even when the most sophisticated technology is used to
carry out a particular task, there will always be human intervention at one point or another. Such
ICT networks conventionally comprise a combination of local area networks (LANs) and various interventions are guided by the specialised knowledge and expertise that human experts bring
forms of wide area networks (WANs). Emerging trends show moves towards the adoption of to bear on such activities. Because such skills and expertise are deployable assets, we consider
enterprise network architecture based on Internet TCP/IP protocols. This can provide organisations them as organisational capital, and therefore we speak of human and intellectual “capital.” We
with a single network environment with three streams of service capabilities: Intranet (for internal therefore make a clear distinction between human resources and human capital. We consider
organisational communications), Extranet (for communications between the organisation and its human resources to be a potential yet to be developed for future exploitation, and human capital to
key stakeholders), and Internet (for public domain communications and global presence in cyber be the finished product, ready for deployment and exploitation.
space).
With regard to e-government, successful development and implementation of mission-critical
Access and connectivity measure the extent to which organisational members and stakeholders initiatives will require skills, expertise and competencies in the areas of: business skills and
have access to ICT hardware and services. For organisational members, it measures the extent competencies; conceptual competencies; technological competencies; institutional “capability
of access to telecommunication services (both land-line and mobile), to the Internet and related development” competencies; social networking and “teaming” competencies; and leadership
services, and to personal computers or workstations. For stakeholders of the organisation, the competencies.
same metric is used, but with a view to establishing the proportion of stakeholders that can gain
electronic access to the organisation and its services. The degree to which a government organisation has these competencies in its human and
intellectual capital repository, or has access to them from external sources, is a measure of the
Databases and data warehouses are key to all electronic interactions and transactions, in that maturity of its e-government capabilities.
databases and data warehouses contain and maintain the information required. Databases are
repositories of organisational active business records. They capture and maintain data resulting
4.1.5 Governance & Institutional Infrastructure
from such activities. All active applications interrogate the databases, manipulating existing
information and creating new information in the process. Data warehouses on the other hand Governance and institutional infrastructure are essential for successful development and
are repositories of archival information, and have facilities that transfer dormant data from the sustainability of e-government initiatives. While governance ensures the establishment of
databases to the warehouse. A data warehouse also has powerful search engines that assist institutional arrangements, and distribution of institutional powers and authority in terms of roles
active applications to locate archival records. These search engines harvest relevant knowledge and responsibilities, institutional infrastructure provides an effective framework that ensures
and intelligence hidden in the massive data content of the warehouse. Although closely associated predictability in the exercise of such powers and authorities. A strong governance and institutional
with applications, database and data warehouse facilities are a basic minimum requirement for infrastructure for e-government will require a number of components, including: institutional systems;
effective use of organisational ICT resources, and thus they qualify to be considered as part and a legal and policy framework; an ICT architectural framework; an information communication and
parcel of ICT infrastructure. knowledge management (ICKM) framework; a funding and resource mobilisation framework; and
a capability development framework.
Business continuity systems (BCS) ensure that the electronic business environment is secure
and not susceptible to threat or interruption. BCS infrastructure comprises three categories of To the extent that governance and institutional infrastructure defines the culture and structures
interrelated systems, namely: security management systems, risk management systems and required to accomplish the business mandate of an organisation, it is imperative that these
disaster management systems. Security management systems attempt to protect the electronic systems reflect the environmental dynamics of the organisation. They should be stable enough
business environment from intrusions and threats, regardless of their source, by controlling to create a sufficient level of internal predictability, and flexible enough to promote innovation and

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organisational learning in response to the changing external environment. The degree to which 4.2.1 Business-As-Usual Level
an organisation has put in place such systems and structures is a measure of the maturity of its
A government organisation in this stage goes about its business in more or less the same way it
e-government capabilities.
has always done over the years. It displays no awareness of the expanding impact and challenges
of the new ICT applications on government in particular and society in general. It does not consider
4.1.6 Leadership & Management these to be relevant or important to it. It does not view ICT as a strategic resource, and maintains
conventional applications to provide support services. The ICT application portfolio of such
Leadership and management are key to any organisational undertaking, but different views exist
organisations comprises mainly lower-end operational applications, the majority of which are for
as to the meaning of each term and the relationship between them. There are those who consider
capturing financial transactions and maintaining resulting financial records.
leadership to be one of the four management tasks, namely: planning, organising, leading and
controlling (Mintzberg, 1975; Smit & de J Cronje, 1992). There are others who believe that the
Any reforms that the government may be undertaking are viewed exclusively as institutional
concepts of leadership and management are different but complementary.
and organisational adjustment processes -- processes that have nothing to do with either the
new public management paradigms or any other new developments that seek to re-invent or re-
Kouzes and Posner (1987) underscore the symbiotic relationship between leadership and
engineer government systems and processes.
management by using such terms as turbulence, conflict, innovation, and change to describe
leadership situations, and the terms stability, harmony, maintenance, and constancy to describe
management situations. They conclude that both leaders and managers are needed, as they are 4.2.2 On-line Information Services (‘Publishing’) Level
essential for making social systems work.
The on-line information services level, also known as the “publishing” level, entails the establishment
and maintenance of an organisational presence in the global cyber space. This comes through an
In making a distinction between leadership and management, Kotter (1996) argues that leadership
appropriate website to which various pieces of information on the organisation are posted. Initially,
is about “coping with change,” while management is about “coping with complexity.” He explains
the content of the website is predominantly about the structure of the organisation and those who
that leaders cope with change by setting direction, and aligning and motivating people, while
occupy political and administrative leadership positions. Later, more information, such as annual
managers cope with complexity by planning and budgeting, organising and staffing, and controlling
reports and other publications relating to the activities of the organization, are posted to the website.
and solving problems.
Also included at this point are events and the activities of the leadership of the organisation.
To the extent that e-government is about building a new age government, it requires a proper
combination of leadership and management -- the former to champion the transformation process, 4.2.3 On-line Interactivity Level
and the latter to keep the wheels of government rolling. This, however, must be accomplished
in such a manner as to maximise the benefits of their complementarity, by ensuring that the This level expands the capabilities of on-line presence to include forward and backward
organisation is not “over-managed and under-led,” as is typically the case according to Kotter communications between the government agency and its stakeholders, be they customers,
(1996). A number of factors can be used to find out the extent and effectiveness of organisational suppliers, citizens or other communities of interest. At the lowest end of this level, the government
leadership and management for e-government. These include: e-government vision, mission and makes various application forms for the range of services it provides available and accessible
strategy; political and administrative “championship”; composition of e-government initiatives; on-line. Such forms can be downloaded, completed and then submitted using various modes,
location of direction, coordination and oversight for e-government initiatives; strategic partnerships including hand-delivery, postal services, or faxing. Later levels of interactivity provide for on-line
and collaborations; and organisational planning and budgeting systems. completion and submission of applications forms, and for requests for specific services from
government, especially those relating to how to accomplish specific tasks, and provision of
appropriate responses. Additional tools are added at this level to improve service. These may
4.2 Capability Maturity Levels include databases that allow for posting of inquiries and conducting advanced searches to obtain
real-time responses.
We have noted that e-government maturity in a given government organisation is defined by its
location on the growth scale on each capability factor. As growth is a continuous process, it has
been partitioned into contiguous stages that we refer to here as levels of maturity. Most of the 4.2.4 On-line Transactional Services Level
assessment models reviewed in the literature have defined levels of readiness or maturity. These
ranged from three to six levels. The APEC (2000) defined three levels of readiness, while CSPP This level expands further the capabilities of the previous level to include conclusion of business
(1998) defined four progressive stages. The KPMG (2000) E-Government Capacity Check defined deals electronically. A government organisation at this level of electronic maturity has developed
five levels of e-government maturity. its website to the point where its clients are able to carry out complete transactions on-line. Clients
are thus able to identify a service or a range of services that they require, apply for them, make
necessary payments for such services where applicable, and obtain service or services, where
For this study, we have selected six e-government capability maturity levels: business-as-usual;
possible. Services such as renewal of business or road licences can be delivered electronically
on-line information services; on-line interactivity; on-line transactional services; service integration;
in the manner discussed here. These transactions are conducted on-line from a suitable access
and organisational transformation. These are defined as follows:
point, which could be a public service kiosk, an office or a home computer. Fully web-enabled
service is added to make a business process such as tax and fee collections -- or purchase order

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submission, or electronic payment -- interactive and automated. This level of technology requires
business process analysis and re-engineering to make it reliable and secure for the Internet
environment.

4.2.5 Service Integration Level

This integration level creates bridges between the various electronic government applications in
the various government organizations, so that they work together as a single, government-wide
system. It eliminates the functional and departmentalised manner in which the government operates
internally and externally. It creates one-stop shops and single-window access to such services,
or government portals built around customer needs and priorities. This stage ensures that public
services are built around “life events,” and not around government structures, as is traditionally the
case. While the traditional government structures may remain intact, they become invisible as they
increasingly recede into the background, while the e-services take the front stage as the interface
between the government and its clients. Fully integrated interactions and transactions between
multiple organisations, applications and databases, both internally and externally, are enabled at
this level. Functions include ordering, delivery, accounting, and reporting. While Level 3 (On-Line
Transactional Services Level) applications are focused on individual transactions, applications
at this level (Level 4) focus on automating and integrating the multiple re-engineered business
of an organisation experience slower growth at the beginning due to inertia arising from resistance
processes that support the goals and mission of the applications.
to change and other cultural factors. As time goes by, the organisation gradually builds more
knowledge, competence and confidence in the changes introduced, and its capabilities experience
4.2.6 Organisational Transformation Level a period of accelerating growth, peaking somewhere in the middle. Beyond this point, the growth
rate decelerates due to increasing saturation. The diagram depicts the resulting trajectory and
This level presents the final stage in the development of e-government applications, when a total maturity levels.
overhaul of traditional government organisational structures takes place and is replaced with
new architectures that take full advantage of the power of ICT. The fact that all service delivery The adoption of equal intervals for maturity levels means that these can be expressed as capability
mechanisms have been fully integrated and streamlined so that they reflect the needs and maturity indices (CMI).
aspirations of the customers, rather than the agencies responsible for their delivery, renders most
traditional government structures dysfunctional and irrelevant. Furthermore, the work processes
and systems that have given rise to seamless integration of service delivery on a government-wide 5. Conclusion
basis provide a pointer to the kind of integration that may be required. Although the extent of the
This paper has developed a comprehensive framework for assessing the maturity of government
required transformation may not be fully understood in practical terms, since no government has
capabilities for e-government. It specifically proposes an e-government capability maturity
yet reached this stage, there are indications that new age governments will adopt organisational
assessment framework based on:
forms that are less hierarchical and more “networked,” less command-and-control and more
enabling and empowering -- more information- and knowledge-driven than is presently the case.
• Six capability factors (development and business agenda, ICT application portfolio, ICT
infrastructure development, human and intellectual capital, governance and institutional
4.3 Capability Maturity Function (CMF) infrastructure, and leadership and management);
This study defines a capability maturity function (CMF) as a composite function that takes the data
• Six levels of maturity (business as usual, on-line information services, on-line interactivity, on-
collected on the variables associated with each capability factor and returns values corresponding
line transactional services, service integration, and organisational transformation), and
to the maturity of the organisation in that capability factor. It is considered a composite function
on two counts. First, the variables corresponding to each capability factor may in themselves
• A mapping function that traces the logistic trajectory of growth curves.
be functions of other lower-level independent variables. Secondly, the value obtained by direct
manipulation of the variables corresponding to each capability factor must first be subject to
The electronic capability maturity assessment framework proposed here provides for both
transformation that aligns the variables to a standard learning or logistic curve. Finally, the value
quantitative and qualitative assessment of government institutional capabilities for e-government.
obtained from the learning curve is converted to a contiguous value corresponding to the maturity
By locating the maturity of relevant capabilities, quantitative assessments provide pointers to areas
level of the organisation for the capability factor.
of the institutional environment that need further qualitative analysis to provide better understanding
and knowledge. The framework also provides a more refined set of institutional capability factors
The use of a learning curve is necessary to depict the actual situation in organisations. Being a
relevant to an electronic government environment than is found in the current set of e-readiness
growth process, capability maturity is subject to characteristics similar to growth. The capabilities
assessment tools. The statistical tools to be used to translate data obtained into a contiguous set of

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is to implement the new framework in a real world setting, a challenge that the author is taking up Vol 50, July/August, Harvard University, Boston, MA.
in the next stage of a longer research project.
Heeks, R (ed.) (1999) Reinventing government in the information age: International practice in IT-
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