The title of this post is a definite generalisation and obvious assumption. But let me rather get straight into how have I arrived at this point of view. Yesterday (25^th February 2012), saw the first GCIS Website Content Managers Workshop for 2012 hosted in Pretoria. For the “un-Governmentalised”, GCIS is an acronym for Government Communications and Information Systems, the national body mandated to provide clear website guidelines for all national government departments and provinces. As part of the Western Cape Government contingency sent to this workshop, it gave us a good chance to speak to other government website managers. It was a successful workshop with many of the attendees asking that it be held quarterly and not annually as it is currently. I must stress that the Western Cape website team are committed to assisting our sister government websites,  and the criticisms in this post are in my personal capacity.

Why SA government websites fail:
Of course there are a number of reasons why government websites in our country seem antiquated and irrelevant. It must be said that there are a few brave souls who fight on despite the seemingly insurmountable odds they face. To the ladies and gents who continue the good fight, I take my hat off to you.  I’ve chosen to focus on the ones that I heard most while at the GCIS Workshop, I intend to follow up this post with suggestions that would mitigate the obstacles below. After this post I hope I get invited to the next one.

1. A general lack of e-Government understanding.
Before we approach this point, click here for more info on e-Government. Unfortunately this is a common problem within many, if not most, government departments. Most times it manifests at the top with website managers unable to convince their MEC’s and/or Ministers that they require support, whether that support be financial or advocacy. In rare cases, lack of e-Government understanding occurs on the operational level, with IT managers who see their sites as online brochures and nothing more.

2. Split between Communications and IT.
The lack of e-Government understanding, and its transversal qualities inevitably leads to the scenario of this point. A website team split between the communications department and the Information Technology unit. And here the website floats in limbo. Caught between a communications team, who consider the website and online platforms a “nice to have”. And the IT unit who hate being pestered by the Comms people who always want changes and new features on the website. It’s also not uncommon to find whole departmental websites maintained by one or two people.

3. No Strategies or Policies for Site content, Mobile or Social Media
Websites being the adopted child in the unholy marriage between government Comms and IT cause another fatal blow to the websites success. Caught between these two oft warring factions, websites are left without a clear development roadmap. Research into new technologies such as mobile and/or social media become a mere luxury. And once funding for the website finally dries up, all the operational team working can hope to do is keep the lights on while mom and dad are out painting the town red.

3. Forced to use SITA services
After this, my first year in e-government, I have quickly realised that the unpopular guys in the rooms tend to be SITA. Government Departments and provinces are compelled to use SITA for all IT related services (There are some that secretly bypass this). What this means is that procurement becomes a nightmare. It took us a more than a full year to employ one more website developer. All websites are hosted by SITA, who sometimes (I’m being kind) are unable to provide adequate infrastructure despite signed Service Level Agreements. This is a big point but I’m cutting it short here.

4. Their websites are still built with HTML pages
So, without any strategy, basic IT support and minimal funding are we surprised that many of our government sites are still built with manually linked HTML pages? This is the equivalent of going to a Transport conference to discuss the new features our cars should have and some of the guys pull up with a horse and cart. Fortunately, many departments are now doing Content Management System assessments.

Why the Western Cape will shine and lead e-government in South Africa
As before, these are a few points that I have selected for this post and are by no means the determining factors

1. MiGov 2019
The Western Cape Government currently has a draft version of its e-government strategy. The first draft of this document carried the title “MiGov 2019”. Which highlighted the two key areas of our e-government focus, namely “Mobile” and “Integrated”.  E-Government has gained a lot of traction within the Western Cape Government, and I’m proud that our superiors put so much faith and support into our unit. The e-government strategy will be released for public comment before it is finalised, this is a great opportunity for citizens to provide input.

2. E-government for Citizens
e-Government in the Western Cape is not split between communications and IT. We are housed within the IT Department with a great working relationship with our communications colleagues. We have a content team representative that attends key communications briefings, as this keeps us up to speed with developments across the province. Perhaps our greatest strength is that our directorate has Content, Usability and Design as well as Technology work streams all in sourced under the same roof. Communication and collaboration is as easy as working a few steps to a colleague and chatting about our ideas.

3. Mobile and Social focus
As the Web Portal Manager it’s a no-brainer that I steer the Portal toward objectives that fast track our move to mobile optimisation and social media integration. Initial workshops with our team have beared fruitful conversation with exciting implementation possibilities. With being a government organisation, there are processes to be followed before any implementation. Having followed due process I’m looking forward to our upcoming implementations.

4. Digital Industry, e-Government Forum and Meet-ups
Those familiar with the history of capegateway.co.za will recognise that the Westerncape.gov.za website did not always sail with the wind in her sails. Our site was at a time in the same lifeless doldrums as the websites I previously spoke of. And as is common place, all our team could do during that time was try their utmost to keep the website chugging along on fumes. Thankfully the new administration has embarked on programme to raise e-government awareness and return the Western Cape Government website to its former glory. As we start this journey we look to our digital partners in industry and extend a welcoming hand. The Western Cape, home to the majority of South Africa’s digital start-ups and entrepreneurs, will become a hub of e-government innovation.
A project that we are keen on implementing is an e-government forum (any ideas for a sexier name), that will operate both online and off. Scheduling Quarterly meet-ups where we discuss digital tools and services for our citizens.
I’ve been advocating a Western Cape Government API, as this would be the catalyst enabling the digital industry to build the applications and mash-ups, we in government would never have thought of.

I’d like to end with this line I heard at the GCIS workshop. For those who question the ROI of e-government and why it should receive funding when compared to Health and Education:
“Information availability IS service delivery” – Tyrone Seale, Chief Director GCIS communication and writing

- Aslam levy

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Since having a daughter I’ve spent considerably more time thinking about family and how to ensure that I become a good role model to my kids and grand-kids.  I’ve realised that societal influence has and will always impact what the norm is considered to be. But how much of this societal influence comes from our immediate social circles and can we cherry pick the positive influences while protecting our families from detrimental stereotypes?

I’m a new dad so I’m not yet an authority on family dynamic’s, nor have I done comprehensive research into this topic so I could be totally off the mark. My initial thoughts are that there are four principles that influence family dynamic – Religion, Finance, Society and Legacy. A good question is whether people choose friends based on a similar prioritization of these principles, or whether we influence each other and by so doing able to relate to each other. Maybe it’s a bit of both?
I’m sure this wont be my first post on this topic so I’ll just kick off with initial thoughts.

Religion:
Many Religions  consider themselves a way of life and have stringent rules as to how you should live your life. This is by far the biggest determining factor in many households. Noticeably, people who are in more progressive religions and denominations, tend to live more progressive lifestyles
Finance:
Cashflow into a household does also impact a lot of the family dynamic, especially in relation to lifestyle. Where this is most evident in our current family dynamic is when the monthly cashflow from a single working spouse does not cover all family expenses. In this scenario it is likely that both the husband and wife need to maintain a monthly salary. The impact of this on the family is something I’ll unpack in a future post.

Society:
That old phrase comes to mind – “Keeping up with the Joneses”.  In an age of daily marketing bombardment and easy credit, many families look to their peers and compare their lifestyles. My mother had an interesting saying “If you cant afford it, you can do without it”. I didnt like the saying at the time, but when I think about it, most times it does actually apply.
Legacy:
Grandparents are powerful in the role they play in a family dynamic. Take a look around you, notice how families with respected and successful Grandparents who communicate with all their descendants, are families who seem destined for similar success. This is a topic very dear to me, so I’m hoping I can unpack it in more detail.

As I travel the road of the new dad, I’m sure there’ll be many course corrections and countless refinements to my thinking around family. But I hope that I’ll remain open-minded and committed to establishing a happy and successful family of my own.

-AL-

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User-centered design, a term  that is found in more and more design discussions. The design of objects and systems that put the user first. At first it seems so obvious… of course we design for the user. We know what they want! Or do we?

User-centered design should be a foundational principle of your strategy, and from there flow into your User Requirement Specification. A URS is a document produced after research and consultation with real world users has taken place. This research can be a survey,  a test group or even a discussion panel.

The Business Requirement Specification:
If you work for a government entity you are in the business of public service. It would seem natural that all systems built revolve around a User Requirement Spec of some sort? Unfortunately this is not always the case, let me introduce you to the Nemesis of the soft and fluffy URS, the dreaded Business Requirement Spec.

You’d be shocked to know that I’ve debated the importance of a URS with a Business analyst recently only to find out that they will ask the successful vendor to draw up the URS. Wait… What?

Let me explain the steps this project will unfold in..
1. A Business analyst will draw up the Business Requirement Spec.
2. The BRS will be handed to the Department and used for the Request For Quotation where the solution is described.
3. A vendor is selected that will deliver the solution
4. The solution starts getting implemented and then the actual USERS and their needs are identified.
5. The solution is rolled out and a usability unit needs to find ways to make it more user friendly.
6. User sits with a crappy product
7. Business ticks a box

Why does this happen?
The URS and BRS would live in happy matrimony if it weren’t for the way the system is set up. Unfortunately, government departments seem to only care about ticking boxes and building things that address their needs. There is also the issue on project funding where government departments (perhaps personalities) need to know how THEY benefit. A BRS is the easiest way for a Business Analyst to show Departments the internal value for the money to be spent.

I’ll sketch a version of a more ideal Project plan in a future post.

-AL-

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Blogging. Non quite seen as journalistic by many but an awesome canvas for opinions. Perhaps a platform for those who have lots to say, or dont want their content to reside on a social network server somewhere?

One thing is for sure, and that is that time required to post content is the key differentiator between Blogging and the fast growing Micro-blogging.

-AL-

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About two years ago I launched my personal website, despite being involved in web projects before that. The thing about launching a personal website is that you are the subject matter, or sometimes your interests. At times this can be daunting, as you bounce between content you want to write and content you think possible readers would find interesting.

Add to that already tumultuous thought process the newly popular “blog”. Now you not only have to think about what you write, but how often as well! Aslamlevy.co.za was my first attempt at blogging, and if I’m honest with myself, I can now admit that I did it wrong. I got addicted to the traffic stats, and tried to write posts purely to hunt for more visitors. The website quickly lost focus, the blog posts dried up and it lay dormant…  awaiting a fresh breath of air.

So, here we are at the tail-end of 2011 with a new theme and a blank slate. In a upcoming post I’ll be writing about my content categories for the blog component and a little about the new portfolio section.

-AL-

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