The role of business process redesign in creating e-government in Ireland

Purpose – To investigate the role of business process redesign (BPR) in creating citizen-centred e-government. Design/methodology/approach – It is argued in this paper that the evolutionary-based development of BPR is better positioned to expand the use e-commerce technology in the public sector. The Venkatraman model of IT-enabled change is used in order to investigate the extent to which BPR was instrumental in the movement to e-government in Ireland. A case study is presented detailing how the Irish Government’s e-government strategy was devised and implemented. Findings – This paper details how 50 government authorities were co-ordinated in an effort to provide a single point of access (portal) to government e-services. However, as the infrastructure for the portal is to be developed around existing government structures, a full and complete process redesign is unlikely, as the existing authorities must remain in place. Research limitations/implications – To investigate the unique nature of processes within the public sector so that IS platforms can be developed that accommodate less efficient processes rather than platforms that require unobtainable process redesign. Practical implications – The establishment of a specific government entity, whose sole purpose is to oversee and implement the e-government strategy, has contributed greatly to the success achieved to date. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need for research in BPR in the implementation of e-government and provides a valuable insight into the successful attainment of citizen-centred e-government in other jurisdictions.