Towards an E-Government Enterprise Architecture Framework for Developing Economies

The growth and uptake of e-government in developing economies are still affected by the interoperability challenge, which can be perceived as an orchestration of several issues that imply the existence of gaps in methods used for e-government planning and implementation. To a great extent, various counterparts in developed economies have succeeded in addressing the method-related gaps by developing e-government enterprise architectures, as blueprints for guiding e-government initiatives in a holistic and manageable way. However, existing e-government enterprise architectures are country-specific to appropriately serve their intended purpose, while enterprise architecture frameworks or methods are generic to accommodate several enterprise contexts. The latter do not directly accommodate the unique peculiarities of e-government efforts. Thus, a detailed method is lacking that can be adapted by developing economies to develop e-government enterprise architectures that fit their contexts. To address the gap, this article presents research that adopted a Design Science approach to develop an e-Government Enterprise Architecture Framework (EGEAF), as an explicit method for guiding the design of e-government enterprise architectures in a developing economy. EGEAF was designed by extending the Architecture Development Method of The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF ADM) to address requirements for developing interoperable e-government solutions in a developing economy. EGEAF was evaluated using two scenarios in the Ugandan context, and findings indicate that it is feasible; its design is understandable to enable its adoption and extension to accommodate requirements for developing interoperable e-government solutions in other developing economies

Towards an e-government enterprise architecture framework for developing economies

The growth and uptake of e-government in developing economies is still affected by the interoperability challenge, which can be perceived as an orchestration of several issues that imply the existence of gaps in methods used for e-government planning and implementation. To a great extent, various counterparts in developed economies have succeeded in addressing the method-related gaps by developing e-government enterprise architectures, as blueprints for guiding e-government initiatives in a holistic and manageable way. However, existing e-government enterprise architectures are country-specific to appropriately serve their intended purpose, while enterprise architecture frameworks or methods are generic to accommodate several enterprise contexts. The latter do not directly accommodate the unique peculiarities of e-government efforts. Thus, a detailed method is lacking that can be adapted by developing economies to develop e-government enterprise architectures that fit their contexts. To address the gap, this article presents research that adopted a Design Science approach to develop an e-Government Enterprise Architecture Framework (EGEAF), as an explicit method for guiding the design of e-government enterprise architectures in a developing economy. EGEAF was designed by extending the Architecture Development Method of The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF ADM) to address requirements for developing interoperable e-government solutions in a developing economy. EGEAF was evaluated using two scenarios in the Ugandan context, and findings indicate that it is feasible; its design is understandable to enable its adoption and extension to accommodate requirements for developing interoperable e-government solutions in other developing economies

Digital technologies in resource constrained higher institutions of learning: a study on students’ acceptance and usability

Abstract Digital technologies offer opportunities that facilitate blended, on-line and mobile learning. However, little is known regarding their usability and acceptance in resource constrained higher institutions of learning. The purpose of this study therefore is to contribute to the growing evidence on the use and acceptance of digital technologies in a blended learning context. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is applied in this investigation. Results were obtained by descriptive, correlation and regression analysis, using data collected from a sample of 341 students doing their undergraduate programs. Findings confirm the original TAM’s constructs and embedded in the external constructs are; students’ access, students’ awareness, student capacity and lecturer characteristics. From this, a model is derived. Findings have led to relevant theoretical and practical implications

Static and Dynamic Aspects of Application Domains: An Inductively Defined Modeling Technique That Allows Decomposition

Modeling is one of the most important parts of requirements engineering. Most modeling techniques focus primarily on their pragmatics and pay less attention to their syntax and semantics. Different modeling techniques describe different aspects, for example, Object-Role Modeling (ORM) describes underlying concepts and their relations while System Dynamics (SD) focuses on the dynamic behavior of relevant objects in the underlying application domain. In this paper we provide an inductive definition for a generic modeling technique. Not only do we describe the underlying data structure, we also show how states can be introduced for relevant concepts and how their life cycles can be modeled in terms of System Dynamics. We also show how decomposition can be applied to master complex application domains. As a result we get an integrated modeling technique covering both static and dynamic aspects of application domains. The inductive definition of this integrated modeling technique will facilitate the implementation of supporting tools for practitioners

Enhancing the system dynamics modeling process with a domain modeling method

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Enterprise Modelling in the Age of Digital Transformation

Part 6: Experience ReportsInternational audienceThe digital transformation forces enterprises to change. In addition, the notion of economic exchange, core to the economy, has shifted from following a goods-dominant logic to a service-dominant logic, putting the focus on continuous value co-creation between providers and consumers. These trends drive enterprises to transform continuously.During enterprise transformations, coordination among the stakeholders involved is key. Shared understanding, agreement, and commitment, is needed on topics such as: the overall strategy of the enterprise, the current affairs of the enterprise and its context, as well as the ideal future affairs.Models, and ultimately enterprise modelling languages and frameworks, are generally seen as an effective way to enable such (informed) coordination. To this end, different languages and frameworks have been developed, including ArchiMate.ArchiMate, which has evolved to become a widely accepted industry standard, was developed at a time where the digital transformation was not yet that noticeable. At that the time, the focus was more on consolidation and optimisation. As such, it is logical to expect that the existing ArchiMate language may require some “updates” to be ready for digital transformations. The objective of this paper is therefore threefold: (1) posit, based on practical experiences and insights, key challenges which the digital transformation puts on enterprise (architecture) modelling languages, (2) assess to what extent ArchiMate meets these challenges, and (3) provide suggestions on how to possibly improve ArchiMate to better meet these challenges