Lesego Ditibane, Magda Huisman and Nehemiah Mavetera
b) Information Engineering( IE) – is a blended SDM and it is suitable in the development of systems which are designed for trading in a wide range of industries and organizations. This SDM views data as the building block of systems and it also recognizes the impact of the processes involved in the development such systems.
c) Rational Unified Processes( RUP) ‐ an object‐oriented SDM and is suitable in the development of computerized systems. This SDM is only appropriate for large systems in large organizations.
d) Extreme Programming( XP) ‐ is a rapid development SDM and it is appropriate for problem solving of small and medium size application systems and organizations.
e) Effective Technical and Human Implementation of Computer‐based Systems( ETHICS) – is a people‐oriented SDM and is suitable in the development of systems which would enhance the quality of the work environment, the jobs, and the skills and knowledge of people in an organization. This type of SDM is much more appropriate in the development of systems in large organizations.
f) Soft Systems Methodology( SSM) – is an organizational‐oriented SDM and is suitable in the development of systems of human activity situations with existing complex problems.
Since most of the SDMs discussed above are touted to be used for a variety of systems, they can also be suitable in the development of e‐government systems. The next section discusses the e‐Government systems, the types of e‐Government systems and the challenges of developing e‐Government systems.
4. E‐Government
e‐Government emerged from the term e‐commerce which is defined as“ the sharing of business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks”( Molla 2001). The concept of e‐Government focuses largely on electronic service delivery and some additional channels of interaction among governments, businesses, and citizens( McClure 2000). The service delivery of e‐Government systems is mainly focused on the number and the type of online services offered( Farelo & Morris 2006).
4.1 Definition of e‐Government system
Researchers such as Layne and Lee( 2001) defined e‐Government focusing largely on the range of technologies that can be used, the use of internet, accessibility and service delivery. Figure 1 shows a proposed theoretical framework that is used in this study to explain e‐Government systems.
Service
- PERSAL
- Web-based application systems( i. e. e-Filing)-e-Voting system
Core business
- Business transaction- Processing systems-Number crunching systems
Web Based information systems( Web site, Web pages)
General ICT
Internet
Figure 1: Proposed theoretical framework for e‐government systems
Based on the above proposed framework in Figure 1, e‐Government system can be defined as the use of general Information Communication and Technology( ICT) and the internet,
• to improve the core business operation in government and,
659