'E-gov projects too focused on tech'

Councils must address business processes too, say IT managers

Public sector IT managers have blasted e-government projects for failing to focus on people instead of technology.

The Society of IT Management (Socitm) said changes in e-government have not occurred because the majority of projects have been too concerned with technology rather than with a change in business processes.

A Socitm spokeswoman said: "We're suggesting people think about this in terms of transformation. It's not just a case of putting up a website. It's about change and using ways of working with technology that will improve services for citizens and efficiency gains. [That is] a deeper understanding of what e-government might mean."

Yesterday, president of Socitm, Angela Waite, told delegates at an annual conference she wanted to promote a "radical and ambitious" version of e-government, launching a series of training courses to back the move.

In a silicon.com poll taken earlier this year, more than two-thirds of readers said they saw no change in their councils' communication methods, despite looming deadlines for authorities to improve e-government services by December.

Only 21 per cent said they had seen changes in the council's online services, while the remaining seven per cent said they were unsure.

A separate survey out today, from researcher and publisher Kablenet, found 70 per cent of UK councils have yet to offer telephone self-service.

At the same time, the survey found 92 per cent of councils were providing interactive websites or email services.

According to the research, councils look set to plough ahead with technology rollouts, as many said they would still invest in internet-based communication methods.