Barriers to e-government integration

Purpose - Integration is a critical success factor for achieving a mature level of e-government. This research seeks to identify barriers to e-government integration (EGI). Design/methodology/approach - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 consultants with significant experience of e-government projects. The interview transcripts were analysed by the researcher to identify barriers in EGI. Findings - The findings resulted in a set of 17 barriers which were organised into one of four categories: strategy, technology, policy and organization. Strategy barriers include common e-government goals and objectives, delivery timeframes, and ownership and governance. Technology barriers include architecture interoperability, data standards and legacy systems. Policy barriers include citizen privacy, data ownership and policy implications. Organization barriers include pace of government reform, legacy government processes and management and technical skills. Research limitations/implications - One of the limitations of the research is that it involved in-depth interviews with a relatively small number of individuals. In addition, improvements in research procedure, such as the use of multiple interviewers, will go some way towards increasing the reliability of the research findings. Practical implications - EGI is not simply a technical matter of getting IT systems to talk to each other. Stakeholders should engage in strategic planning and change management. Originality/value - The paper has identified a set of barriers in e-government. Certain barriers, specifically in the area of policy, are particular to e-government projects. A model of EGI, based on a synthesis of government relationships, is also proposed.