Emerging Tech

For the skilled researcher, the Internet is rich with advice and information on electronic service delivery. One of the best places to start -- or finish -- is the web site run by the OECD's program on Public Management and Governance. Lac Carling Governments' Review's David Newman conducted this e-interview with Project Manager Jens Kromann Kristensen.

In the months following the Y2K transition, governments and institutions around the world produced follow-up reports, complete with recommendations and lessons learned. Now, with more time behind us and, for the federal Information Technology community at least, a 2004 deadline looming for Government On-line, Lac Carling Governments' Review spoke with executives across the country to see which lessons have taken -- and which might be useful in terms of electronic service delivery.

You may think only readers are finding today's magazines a bit on the hefty side, but trust us, we editorial types have noticed, too.

Few executives go anywhere these days without that staple of 21st century commerce - a cell phone - in tow.

Almost half of Canadians with a home Internet connection now access government services online and the figure is rising rapidly. That means federal, provincial and local departments and agencies across the country are working feverishly to throw open the electronic door to their information and services. But even in the rapidly changing world of electronic service delivery, there are some rules of doing business that you ignore at your peril, according to a sampling of Canada's e-government practitioners.

Last month we took a broad look at the results of the ITX Survey, Canada's largest IT Management Survey, conducted recently by Athabasca University and CIO Canada. The results attracted nationwide attention and were widely reported in the print, radio and television media. In this and future issues we'll provide more in-depth analysis of the results. First up, we put IT resources, and in particular the IT department, under the microscope. How ready are they to contribute to the E-business boom? And we'll also look at management of IT projects - how widespread are the problems?

Like a feudal lord trying to keep the barbarians from storming the castle walls, you have to protect your organization

IT professionals who have to juggle multiple projects but have too few hands and face too many demands from upper management sometimes drop the ball when it comes to mentoring.