Importance of Risk Assessment Methods for the Saudi E-Government Project - Research Paper Example

The paper "Importance of Risk Assessment Methods for the Saudi E-Government Project" is an excellent example of a research paper on management. The term electronic government (e-government) denotes the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the access that citizens and non-government institutions have towards government’s information and services (Fang 1). E-government has been touted as a tool through which governments can develop more democratic processes and institutions. As such, a significant number of governments in both the developed and developing countries have embraced the concept, and Saudi Arabia is one such government. Saudi Arabia’s acceptance of e-government was especially based on the belief that if the Kingdom was to develop at a fast pace in the 21st century, then it needed a cost-effective, efficient and reliable way of providing government services to citizens and fostering better relationships with the citizenry (El-Sofany, Al-Toruki, Al-Howimel & Al-Sadoon 16). Saudi Arabia introduced e-government in public administration in 2005 and projected it for completion in 2010. Three years later (i.e. in 2013), Saudi Arabia has not attained its vision of completing the e-government program. Arguably, the timeline allocated for the project was too short (especially considering the e-government readiness of the Kingdom), thus indicating that the government probably did not fully understand the risks and opportunities involved in e-government projects. This research paper will establish the relationship between the initial lack of risk assessment by the Saudi Arabian government and the challenges that have been encountered in the use of e-government.

Based on the foregoing, the research paper will establish the importance that risk assessment methods had or would have had for the Saudi e-government project.

When implemented in developing countries, e-government strategies should first target operation and process improvements, and should also be targeted towards improving the government’s cooperation capacity (El-Sofany et al. 16). Conceptually, e-government links the government’s processes, strategy, technology, and organization in order to produce effective and timely procedures.