Critical Failure Factors: Why government Projects Fail

The main factors underlie failure of e-government in developing/transitional countries. Cases in which these factors have been identified are cited HERE BELOW:


Pressures only from IT vendors, with no internal ownership (or understanding of e-gov)
Lack of vision and strategy
Lack of any long-term view, lack of guidance, and lack of link between ends and means; may be caused by ever-shifting senior staff and/or ever-changing policy and political environment

National Databank
Universities MIS
Poor project management
Dispersed responsibilities due to multiple ownership of project; absence or weakness of controls; ineffective procurement

Social Investment Fund
Poor change management
Lack of support from senior officials (causing lack of resource allocation, and negative message to other groups); lack of stakeholder involvement (causing lack of ownership)

Warana Kiosks
Natural Resource IS
Durban Council
Universities MIS
Dominance of politics and self-interest
Focus of key players on personal needs and goals, often related to 'playing politics', with symptoms like infighting, resistance where loss of power is feared, 'me too' copying of e-gov solutions for image purposes, obsession with electoral impacts and short-term kudos, and corruption

Social Investment Fund
Douala Port
Beira City
Citizen Centre
Uganda Voters
Foreign Affairs Ministry
National Databank
Poor/unrealistic design
Caused particularly by lack of inputs from key local stakeholders, leading to designs that are over-technical, over-ambitious, or mismatched to local environment (culture, values) and needs; occurs particularly where foreign donors, firms and consultants are involved. Other design problems: lack of piloting, lack of fit to organisational structure

Warana Kiosks
Golaganang
Lack of requisite competencies
Lack of IT knowledge and skills among developers, officials and users/operators; lack of local knowledge among developers

Durban Council
Inadequate technological infrastructure
Lack of sufficient computers or networks



Cameroon Tax
Foreign Affairs Ministry
Technological incompatibilities
Inability of computerised systems to interchange data