Information management

Governments can be applauded for their efforts to digitalise their information, allowing citizens to get the information they need directly from official internet sites and in some cases initate a number of procedures through online channels.

The advantages of bringing information online are potentially great, although computerising information is not itself going to lighten bureaucracy. We all know the saying "information is power" and the process of introducing e-government can sometimes be seen as a challenge to those who previously managed many of these processes.

I've recently seen some research work that highlights a number of issues related to how e-government initiatives are measured. Significantly, the measures can in themselves act as a barrier to efficiency, as instead of rewarding the simplification of procedures that would lighten the administrative structure they focus on numeric measures such as page views and number of online processes.... in other words, the more the better. Not wanting to capitalise on the research of others, the key is that consultants and civil servants sometimes lose site of the real objective. Less, not more, might work better.

On a personal level I've recently experienced how information management is critical in the internet age. A New Zealander planning to spend 9 months studying in Spain was checking the requirements for her visa application. Accessing the website of the Spanish embassy in Australia, she proceeded to get the required documentation together, including a letter of invitation from her host (that's where I come into this) signed by a notary. This document is rather official (at least 8 pages) and comes at a cost of some 65 euros. I was able to get a notary to prepare the letter within the day (some offices I called said it would take a week) but meantime our future visitor contacted the embassy to check if I could send the letter directly to them (a time saving measure, given the time required to send documents from Spain to New Zealand and on to Australia). Low and behold the embassy advise her that the information in the website is out of date and this letter is no longer required for her visa application. Her call saved the 35 euro international postal express charge, but I wonder how many people have wasted time and money going through procedures that were no longer required.

It's possible that these embassy officials have never really considered the cost for other people of not keeping that information up to date. For me it is totally inexcuseable.

Wouldn't be great if the government had to refund citizens for the costs resulting from their own inefficiency.