d-Government management — The use of limited resources

The South African government has actively been using digital government (d-government) as a means to become more effective and efficient. However, within an environment of shrinking and limited resources, d-government initiatives face several challenges. The purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding of some of the issues the affect d-government resource management within the South African government. This is important because there are increasing calls by citizens and NGO's that government must manage state resources more efficiently. This study is qualitative in nature and primary data in the form of interviews were collected from 36 South African senior civil servants in national government, these civil servants are key stakeholders to the successful implementation and use of d-government systems. The interview data was analyzed using principles of content and interpretive analysis. The analysis provided a deeper understanding of some of the issues that affect d-Government initiatives and resulted in the development of a theoretical conjecture. These issues relate to challenges regarding budget restrictions; problems regarding resource constraints and problems regarding the role of research and development. The practical implications of this research are that d-Government champions develop a better understanding of the types of issues that affect resource management in d-Government initiatives.