On 5/23/05, Vesper Owei asked: > Does anyone have or know of a survey instrument, (e.g., a > questionnaire), that can be used to elicit information from the LGs on > their ICT needs?
The problem with surveys is that experience shows that you can't simply ask local government unit (LGU) officials (or business managers for that matter) directly: "What information do you need?" The mind goes all over the place. You have to triangulate in on the information needs. To do that, you identify the major issues affecting performance, how information relates to those issues, how the information flows (or gets blocked). It's also important to understand the perspectives of the various stakeholders (inside and outside the LGU) and, ideally, to develop consensus on the CSFs and critical information needs, before designing the ICT system. One approach to understanding their needs involves identifying the "critical success factors" (CSFs) that local governments need to fulfill, and then, based on those CSFs, identifying the information they need in order to meet those CSFs. There's an entire methodology for this, which we developed using a method that Sloan Business School, MIT, used for companies. We prepared a manual that explains the methodology, "A Strategic Information Technology Planning Framework: Getting the Most from Information Technology", many years ago. One can order the manual from EDC <http://www2.edc.org/GLG/Publications.asp#GLOBAL> at a cost of $30, but frankly I think it needs to be updated to be really useful. Essentially, the steps are: * Clarify the organization's mission and goals * Assess the current information system and information flows * Conduct a CSF process and determine the critical information needs * Understand the gaps between the infromation needs and the IT resources * Identify the trade-offs among options * Stakeholders assess and select the final option Cheers, Janice -- Janice Brodman Director Center for Innovative Technologies EDC <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ------------ This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by the dot-ORG USAID Cooperative Agreement, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org provides more information. To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For past messages, see: http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/archive.html
