Government Information Systems - United Nations

ST/TCD/SER.E/28

overnment nformation ystems

A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Governance and Public Administration Branch Division of Public Administration

and Development Management Department for Development Support

and Management Services United Nations New York 1995

NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations.

Enquiries concerning this publication may be directed to: Mr. Guido Bertucci Director Division of Public Administration and Management Development Department for Development Support and Management Services United Nations, New York 10017

PREFACE

Inexpensive and powerful microcomputers, telecommunications technologies, and information systems have become an essential element of the development process of developing countries. Information systems for governance and public administration, as one of the most important aspects of computer applications in developing countries, have been a high priority concern in almost all developing countries. Governance and public administration can not be productive, effective and efficient without the support of modern information technology. The use of information technology has been an absolute requirement for public administration and management development. The Governance and Public Administration Branch, Division of Public Administration and Development Management of UN/DDSMS has been continuously and increasingly under pressure from developing countries to provide advisory services and technical assistance in this important area.

In practice, however, effective use of information technology and successful development of information systems in public sector are not easy. This is evidenced by the numerous government computerization and information systems projects which have failed, not only in developing countries but also in developed world. The tremendous speed with which information technology is evolving causes confusion, delays, and false expectations for these solutions by many decision makers and government officers. Misconceptions about the capabilities and limitations of this new technology, inappropriate development strategies, ambiguous development priorities, inadequate resource planning, incomplete cost estimates, misjudged user needs, selection of wrong products, etc. often cause information projects to fail.

The main difficulties hampering the success, in principle, are on the management side rather than the technical side. Understanding what is government information system and how to develop it successfully is vital to government decision makers and senior managers responsible for this critical area. The critical issues include: appreciation and understanding of the advanced state of the art of information technology; awareness of the trends of modern information technologies and their impacts on development strategies of developing countries; knowledge on the roles of government policy in stimulating effective use of information technology; and cognizance of the management issues of government information infrastructure and information systems building.

The General Assembly has recognized the importance of the role of information technology in promoting an effective, productive and efficient public administration. A special area, i.e., Integrated Management Information Systems, has been designated in Programme 21: Public

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Administration and Finance1, to assist developing countries in stimulating effective use of information technology in the public sector. In response to the resolution of the General Assembly, studies on the related issues were conducted under the Public Administration and Finance Programme during the Biennium 1994-1995.

This publication, as the outcome of the studies, lays stress on the practices of government information systems and intends to provide a constructive guide to government decision makers and information systems managers of developing countries to assist them in putting the establishment of government information systems on a right track and in effectively using their scarce resources of computer and communications.

Information contained in this work is quite comprehensive and covers a wide range of selected subject areas in the practice of government information systems. These materials can certainly help the readers to establish a solid foundation of up-to-date information upon which to make improved decisions.

This publication is intended for the readers in developing countries and the countries in transition to a market economy, such as government decision-makers, information systems managers and developers, program/project leaders, and senior government officers interested in the areas of information technology. The strategies, methods, and suggestions will not fit all the governments of developing countries. Developing countries at different stages of information systems development and facing different problems require different solutions to the problems. But many of the problems, strategies, and methods presented in this publication are common and can be applied extensively. The readers can pick and choose from this collection of ideas and tools to solve specific problems in his or her own environment.

Following is a brief overview of each chapter.

PART I: MANAGERIAL ISSUES

Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter gives the basic concepts of information technology (IT) and the evolution of IT use in public sector. The roles of governments in stimulating the use of IT are examined and experiences and lessons of IT use in both developed and developing countries are discussed. The opportunities and challenges that developing countries are facing are reviewed as well.

Chapter 2: Government Policy for IT Use in Public Sector. The crucial role of government policies in stimulating effective IT use is discussed. The main issues to be addressed

1 refer to: "2 - Public Administration and Development Management, Section 10 - Department for Development Support and Management Services", Volume I, Proposed Programme Budget for the Biennium 1994-1995, General Assembly, Official Records, FortyEighth Session, Supplement No.6 (A/48/6/Rev.1), the United Nations, New York, 1994.

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are government policies for information infrastructure building, for information systems development, and for public data/information.

Chapter 3: IT Management Issues in the Public Sector. Issues that must be addressed by top management of governments are introduced in this chapter. The importance of strategic systems planning of a government and its main aspects are addressed. In a rapidly changing technological environment, the strategic principles that developing countries should follow for successful information systems development are suggested. Methodologies of information systems development are introduced for the understanding of government decision makers. The significance of standardization of government information systems are stressed. Laws and regulations related to smooth development of government information systems are presented.

Chapter 4: Critical Success Factors. Four points that are widely recognized as the critical success factors of government information systems are introduced in this chapter. The role of top management and the user in information systems development are discussed. Improving communications between information officers and top management, and establishing effective user relations are discussed in detail for information systems managers and developers. Making appropriate institutional arrangements is another key to successful systems development and effective utilization of government resources. Suggestions on this critical factor are provided. The main concerns for the formulation of an open, cooperative government information systems architecture are also presented.

PART II: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AWARENESS

Chapter 5: Developments in Computer Technology. This chapter provides the basic information on the development of computer technology, including the evolution of microprocessor technology, the state of the art in microcomputers, a brief introduction to minicomputers, mainframes and the trend of downsizing, optical storage technology, such as CD-ROM, and multimedia technology.

Chapter 6: Developments in Software Technology for Microcomputers. This chapter reviews the development of software technology in terms of PC-based computing. The state of the art of microcomputer operating systems are examined. The evolution of programming languages, in particular, object-oriented technology, is briefed. The progress of applications software, such as word processors, spreadsheet, data base management systems, integrated software packages, etc., are presented. Attention is also given to workgroup computing and groupware - the new generation of software technology.

Chapter 7: Network Computing. As one of the main trends of computer and communications technology, the benefits of network computing are discussed in this chapter. The topologies of Local Area Networks (LANs) and three major standard LANs are familiarized. Client/Server technology is presented. The current status of network operating systems is given. The recent development of wireless LAN is briefed. Finally, internetworking and Wide Area

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