Executive Summary

Project Title: 

«The use of Information and 

Communication Technologies 

in the Public Sector 

(eGovernment)» 

Deliverable D7: 

«Executive Summary»

Project Title: «The use of Information and Communication 

Technologies in the Public Sector (eGovernment)» 

Deliverable: «D7: Executive Summary» 

Prepared for: Observatory for the Greek Information 

Society 

Prepared by: TREK Consulting 

Version: 1.0 

Date: April 20, 2007 

Comments: Observatory for the Greek Information 

Society 

The Observatory for the Greek Information Society is 75 % cofunded 

by the European Regional Development Fund and 25% by 

national funds and operates within the framework of the Operational 

Programme "Information Society" (OPIS).

P7: Executive Summary 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................5 

2 Goals and Objectives of the Projects ...................................................................6 

3 Implementation Methodology ..............................................................................7 

4 Problems Occurred During the Implementation of the Project ..........................9 

5 Project Results “The use of Information and Communication Technologies in 

the Public Sector (eGovernment)” ........................................................................... 10 

5.1 Conclusions deriving from the Recording of the Existing Situation in 

Greece regarding the texts about Strategy and Relevant Studies........................ 10 

5.1.1 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 11 

5.1.2 Recommendations ................................................................................... 12 

5.2 Conclusions deriving from the Understanding of the Existing Situation in 

Greece regarding Back Office ........................................................................................ 13 

5.2.1 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 13 


5.3 Conclusions drawn from the recording of the Existing Situation in Europe 

and Internationally and recording of Best Practices................................................. 17 

5.3.1 Best Practices Transfer in Greece........................................................... 19 

5.4 Conclusions drawn from the research in the skills of Civil Servants in 

using ICT ............................................................................................................................ 23 

5.4.1 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 25 


5.5 Conclusions drawn from Indicators for the quantification of the Public 

Administration & eGovernment Secretariat General objectives with regard to 

eGovernment..................................................................................................................... 29 

5.5.1 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 30 


6 eGovernment Opportunities and Lessons Learned ........................................... 32 

6.1 SWOT Analysis...................................................................................................... 33 

6.2 Useful conclusions drawn from the implementation of complementary 

deliverables........................................................................................................................ 34 

6.3 Opinion Leaders views ........................................................................................ 35 

6.3.1 Different eState development speed...................................................... 35 

6.3.2 Interoperability: the key to success....................................................... 35 

6.3.3 Process Re-engineering: With the introduction of new eGovernment 

services work procedures change...................................................................... 35 

6.3.4 Motives: encourage all parties to take part in the effort ...................... 36 

6.3.5 High Level Position for IT Executives ..................................................... 36 

6.3.6 eSkills Development of Human Capital .................................................. 36 

7 Proposals – Next Steps for the development of eGovernment in Greece........ 37 

7.1 GROUP 1: Actions Concerning Strategic Convergence and Publicity........ 37 

7.1.1 Action 1: Enactment of Publicity Rules concerning eGovernment 

Projects ............................................................................................................... 37 

7.1.2 Action 2: Formation of Contracts and Studies Repositoty in all Public 

Sector Institutions. ............................................................................................. 38 

7.1.3 Action 3: Formation of Central Repository concerning eGovernment 

Studies ................................................................................................................ 39 

7.1.4 Action 4: Delimitation of Public Authority Model Guide......................... 39 

7.2 GROUP 2: Actions Concerning Human Resource Development................. 40 

7.2.1 Action 5: Motivation to Human Resources to develop skills for ICT 

usage 40 

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7.2.2 Action 6: Measurement of e-skills and creation of skills profile for 

Public Servants ................................................................................................... 41 

7.2.3 Action 7: Development of Skills (Training) of Human Resources ......... 41 

7.2.4 Action 8: Development of Professional Profile for Information 

Technology (IT) Departments ............................................................................ 42 

7.3 GROUP 3: Actions Concerning the Development of Infrastructure that 

Supports eGovernment ................................................................................................... 43 

7.3.1 Action 9: Five year Plan for the replacement of Proprietary Applications 

43 

7.3.2 Action 10: Digital Content Creation........................................................ 44 

7.3.3 Action 11: Enrichment of Back-office systems with additional modules 

44 

7.3.4 Action 12: Development of Human Resource Management Systems 

(HRMS)................................................................................................................ 45 

7.3.5 Action 13: Development of national user authentication system (eID)45 

7.3.6 Action 14: Development of eProcurement System for Local 

Governments....................................................................................................... 46 

7.4 GROUP 4: Horizontal (Parallel) Actions........................................................... 47 

7.4.1 Action 15: Measurement of the Initial Indicators Value of the 

Measurement Framework................................................................................... 47 

7.4.2 Action 16: Set of Target for the entire Public Sector – Roadmap to 

eGovernment ...................................................................................................... 48 

7.4.3 Action 17: Review of the initial Measurement framework (Version 2).49 

7.4.4 Action 18: Crisis Management and Disaster Recovery Plan.................. 50 

7.5 Hierarchy of Actions ............................................................................................ 51 

7.6 Proposal Framework Objectives........................................................................ 52 

7.6.1 Growth of Competitiveness in Greece .................................................... 52 

7.6.2 Growth of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ............................................. 53 

7.6.3 Improvement of the performance of Greece in international 

measurements .................................................................................................... 53 

7.6.4 Improvement of Administrative Capacity of Public Administration ...... 53 

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1 Introduction 

The present deliverable under the title “Executive Summary” is implemented in the 

framework project supported by the Observatory for the Greek Information Society with the 

title «The use of Information and Communication technologies in the Public Sector 

(eGovernment)». 

The objective of the present deliverable is the formation of a synopsis concerning the results 

of the study as an executive summary and the formation of proposed actions for the 

development of eGovernment in Greece. In the framework of the present deliverable, a 

creative synthesis and presentation of the most significant findings that arouse from the 

implementation of the previous stages – phases of the project are presented. 

In Section two (2) of the present deliverable its objectives and Purpose are described, while 

in Section three (3) the deliverable’s implementation methodology is described. 

In Section four (4), problems that encountered during implementation of the project are 

summarized. 

In section five (5) there is reference to the conclusions organized in each deliverable of the 

project. It includes a short description, conclusions and proposed actions for each deliverable. 

In section six (6) opportunities and lessons learned throughout the implementation of the 

project are presented. 

Finally, in section seven (7) proposed actions are represented for the implementation of 

actions with regard to the development of eGovernment in Greece. 

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2 Goals and Objectives of the Projects 

eGovernment is the means in order for Public Administration to become: 

• Extrovert and transparent, by encouraging the participation of all parties (citizens 

and businesses) to democratic procedures 

• More focused to services, by providing individualized and complete services to each 

citizen. 

• Productive, by distributing the maximum benefit from the contributions of tax payers 

The aim of the present project was to contribute creatively to the configuration of the 

development framework of eGovernment up to the level of Central Public Administration and 

contribution to the implementation of actions that promote the goals of the above axes. 

The objectives of the project are summarized in the following points: 

1. Complete presentation of the present status of Public Administration in Greece in Central 

level, in the strategic level as well as in the level of recording projects concerning the 

development of back-office systems 

2. Review of European and International environment concerning the progress indicated in 

eGovernment 

3. Collection of Best Practices and appointment of the main priority sectors internationally 

concerning eGovernment actions and at the same time comparison with the aims of 

eGovernment in Greece. 

4. Conduction of survey for the impression of e-skills of public servants in order to make 

known the areas where State actions have to be focused. These results will assist the 

procedure of staffing Public Sector with servants able to cope with Information Society 

demands and ready to function effectively in the upcoming digital environment. 

5. Configuration of complete, efficient and well-aimed measurement framework for the 

quantification of the national strategic objectives on eGovernment, as well as observation 

of the implications of eGovernment to the society and to economy. 

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3 Implementation Methodology 

The implementation of the present deliverable was achieved through the exploitation of 

the results of the overall work of deliverables and through the opinions and 

experience of opinion leaders in the ICT (Information and Communication 

Technology) Market, whose perception on matters regarding eGovernment is 

important. 

The main topic areas included in the implementation process of the executive summary are: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Deliverable Results Analysis 

Analysis of Best Practices and of the International Environment 

Interview Conduct with opinion leaders and results analysis 

Conclusion Shaping 

Organization of Actions and Proposals 

Interrelation of Action – taking with Best Practices and International Environment 

The above process is outlined in the following figure: 

Figure 1: Methodology of Deliverable Elaboration 

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In summary, the starting point of the works undertaken of results development as well as the 

proposal and action development in the aim of further development of eGovernment in 

Greece is the exploitation of the deliverables of the project. The successive steps taken are 

based on the analysis carried out with regards to the international environment, the best 

practices, the deliverables of the project and results coming from the collection 

and analysis of interviews and opinions from the part of opinion Leaders in the 

Greek ICT Market. 

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4 Problems Occurred During the Implementation of the Project 

Within the framework of the project implementation, a wealth of problems was dealt with, 

different ones in each phase of the project. More specifically, the following problems 

occurred: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Incapacity to find strategic text and study material which would be available either in 

a certain authority or in an internet site. Information is dispersed and this is why the 

general public has no easy access to it. 

Difficulty in finding the executives in charge, who would be ready to provide valid 

answers regarding matters which concerned the overall project (e.g. the availability 

of strategic text and study material, the main problems in Public Administration etc.). 

Mostly, the main problem was that the executives could not allocate the necessary 

time in order to make a thorough and meticulous appreciation of the issues dealt with 

within the project frame. 

Delayed response of officials with which the Contractor came in touch in order to 

receive the information required (e.g. texts- studies) 

Difficulty in applying a uniform process in the collection of data and information 

Lack of data and knowledge on behalf of the executives in charge of Authorities for 

the body of the applications / systems existing in their Authority. 

All the above mentioned points should be conceived as everyday problems in the Public 

Sector and as such it would be advisable that they be dealt with according to a total copingplan. 

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5 Project Results “The use of Information and Communication 

Technologies in the Public Sector (eGovernment)” 

5.1 Conclusions deriving from the Recording of the Existing Situation in Greece 

regarding the texts about Strategy and Relevant Studies 

In this unit, texts about strategies and relevant studies have been collected which were 

implemented and concern eGovernment as well as the modernization of Public 

Administration. 

Six texts on Strategy were collected, namely: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

The Operational Programme «POLITEIA» 

The Operational Programme «Information Society» 

The Operational Programme «Digital Convergence», Ministry of Economy and Finance 

The Operational Programme «Strengthening the Administrative Capacity of public 

Administration 2007-2013», Ministry of Interior, Public Administration and 

Decentralization 

o «Broadband Access to Information Society» (version 1) 

This text presents the network of the strategic choices of the country throughout the year 

and depicts the existing switch from the sterile and obsolete dedication to the use of 

Information and Communication Technology to the sphericity with which the issue of 

eGovernment is dealt with currently, taking into consideration not only the technological 

dimension of the issue but also the modernization – reengineering of the operational 

processes in the Public Administration. 

The above mentioned texts are analytically presented in Deliverable D1: “Report on the 

existing situation in Greece- Collection of strategic and relevant study texts” 

In the same deliverable, 22 studies were collected, a figure relatively small in relation to the 

research work produced in other European Union countries or compared to the number of 

studies carried out in Greece which concern in various ways eGovernment. This “basket” 

containing the 22 studies has the following characteristics: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

At a substantially important degree, the object of part of the studies is overlapped, 

without any connection made between these studies (updating, references to 

previous studies etc.) 

It is evident, from the mere evaluation of the studies, that there is no strategic 

targeting in their context. In other words, they were not conducted aiming at 

specialising towards strategic directions, nor their context is associated to strategic 

directions which should be posed and should form the basis for every study related to 

eGovernment. 

A big part of these studies has a recording character which means that the 

research conducted has not contributed satisfactorily to the forming of proposals, 

policies and strategies. 

There are studies concerning specific sectors of Public Administration (e.g. use of 

smart cards in the sector of Social Insurance), but at the same time there are not 

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such studies concerning Public Administration as a whole or at least the sectors in 

which the use of similar technologies would be possible. 

5.1.1 Conclusions 

In order to collect the material required for the studies (deliverable D1), despite the effort to 

apply a more structured and definitely organised methodological frame, it was required to 

deal with each Authority using a different approach, as a result of the different way of dealing 

with the “studies archive” in each one of them. Indeed, using the term “studies archive” is 

risky, since an overwhelming majority of these studies are dispersed in the records of 

different Organizational Units and sometimes even in the personal records of the Authority 

executives. 

In total, six strategic texts and twenty - two studies were collected. The studies involve the 

evolution of the sector ICT (1), Information Society (9), eGovernment (8), eBusiness (2), 

Systems Security (1) and Digital Health (1). 

Graph1. Distribution of Studies per Subject 

Digital Health: 1 

System Security: 1 Evolution of ICT 

Market: 1 

e-business: 2 

Information Socierty: 

9 

eGovernment: 8 

The majority of these studies were conducted during the year 2004, which means that there 

is substantial delay in current research work. 

Graph 2. Recording of Studies per year of implementation 

Year 2003: 4 

Year 2000: 1 

Year 2005: 4 

Year 2004: 13 

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Apart from the studies collected, the existence of an important number of studies (not 

widespread) was verifies (mainly application studies for small and medium eGovernment 

projects), whose tracking down was not particularly easy. Despite their low budget and the 

relatively limited publicity they have received, these studies consist of a research work which 

is retained as important/ crucial given the fact that they bear a direct relationship and effect 

to the quality and the characteristics of eGovernment in our country. This is due to the fact 

that these studies determine the requirements of eGovernment systems in Greece (e.g. 

studies concerning the planning of the projects mentioned in invitation 114 in the context of 

ACTION LINE 2.2: «eGovernment for Citizen services», Operational Programme «Information 

Society») which are developed or going to be developed in Greece over the next two (2) 

years. 

Despite the fact that the strategic direction for “openness” and “citizen information” 

concerns Public Administration and its activities as a whole, in many sectors the concept of 

“limited publicity” is permanent with regards to the research work conducted by them. The 

concept that any study conducted involves only the Authority the former derives from and 

that it is the Authority’s “property” which should not be publicised, is still present in the 

mind of many officials (at all grades of Managerial Hierarchy). Typical of this attitude is the 

fact that during the conduction of the present deliverable, the project team faced incidents 

where the officials were reluctant to give out the necessary data they were asked due to all 

the above mentioned reasons. 

As mentioned above, the studies described in the deliverable were not conducted in order to 

specialise strategic directions, their context is not associated to strategic directions, nor 

do they exploit the results of previous studies. These studies constitute ad hoc efforts of 

the Contractors. 

The corpus of these studies is neither updated nor repeated regularly, so after a certain 

period of time their context may not be exploitable. 

5.1.2 Recommendations 

it is essential to establish a Repository for texts and studies which concern eGovernment. 

Except for the collection of the existing studies, it is recommendable to oblige the Authorities 

to inform this Repository about the studies they conduct and their results as well as to 

publicize their deliverables. An example of a similar effort is the creation of a digital library by 

the Observatory for the Greek Information Society, a body that could perfectly constitute the 

previously mentioned reference point (Repository). Along with the Repository recommended, 

the foundation of decentralized repositories is evaluated, perhaps for every Authority, for the 

eGovernment studies and projects conducted or underway. 

Is should be noted and fully understood that an eGovernment project is not a process which 

involves solely the Contractor, but the whole Society and its citizens. Based on the experience 

acquired after the implementation of the project, it is recommended to conduct, legislate and 

comply with publicity guidelines (presentations, seminars etc.) for all eGovernment projects 

(be they studies or projects of systems development). 

Lastly, the enactment and planning of revision of certain important studies will back up 

among others the better exploitation of their results, the prevention of tendering similar 

projects – studies which may produce uncertain results and the updating of useful data which 

could be used for assessment over time. 

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5.2 Conclusions deriving from the Understanding of the Existing Situation in 

Greece regarding Back Office 

The tracing of the present situation regarding the Back Office systems involve systems which 

are in operation currently. 

More specifically, in deliverable D2: “Report on Back Office systems of Public Administration 

Authorities” 28 systems of public authorities are recorded which are in operation productively 

and there is reference to 18 management systems / applications. 

Graph 3. Systems and Application Concernng Organization , Operation and 

Communication 

Document Management 

Digital Register 

Total Number of Agencies 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 

In addition, reference is being made to the Legislative Framework which permeates 

important sectors of Information Society relevant to eGovernment. The presentation concerns 

the Greek Legislative and Institutional Framework as well as the relevant EU guidelines with 

which the Greek Legislation complies. 


The most widespread systems applied in the public sectors are the Office Automation 

Systems and e-mail clients which are used – where available – to cater for the basic needs 

of the authorities such as the drafting and format of documents, account sheets for financial 

reports, e-mail etc. 

At the same time, in several of the recorded authorities (over 50%), the registration system is 

digital, nonetheless, none of the authorities make use of the Document Management and 

Workflow Management systems – despite the fact that research pinpointed the existence of 

such installed commercial systems. 

The effort to communicate with the IT Managers involved in the task of registering was 

perhaps the most difficult part in the conduction of the corresponding deliverable. It was 

clear that the tracking down of the IT Managers (no matter which title they bore) is a timeconsuming 

procedure, of small validity percentage in the answers provided. It takes a lot of 

effort and constant communication by telephone in order to track down the executive who 

would provide valid answers. In many cases, (almost 1/3 of them), the manager did not 

respond either on the phone or by setting an appointment, which resulted in incapacity of 

registering the entity of the systems. 

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Graph 4. Communication with IT Managers 

Uncomplete 

communication: 12 

Communication 

completed: 28 

Graph 5. Completed Communication with IT Managers 

Telephone: 15 

Meeting: 13 

From the records it was evident that in many cases the IT Managers had no knowledge and 

no easy access to the contract data (of implementation or support) of the Information 

systems undertaken by the Authority they work for. Furthermore, it was not rare for the IT 

Managers not to have the knowledge required (not on an official basis at least) about the IT 

work carried out within their department. 

Taking one step further, due to the non- consistent and systematic development of the IT 

infrastructure of Public Sector, nowadays there are proprietary systems (especially in MS 

Access and MS Excel) which are ignored and not officially supported by the IT Department. 

There is also a great number of systems which have been internally developed, without 

fulfilling terms of interoperability, open architecture, scalability, demand recording, 

documentation, support, etc. 

A result of the unorganised and unstructured IT infrastructure development is the existence 

of a great number of systems in Access and Excel, developed by the employees themselves, 

which operate along with Back Office systems or in several cases substitute the functions 

which should normally be incorporated in them. 

Last but not least, the mentality of “working in the shadows” within the framework of a team 

or service is still evident and it has a negative impact on the operation of the Authority and in 

general of Public Administration. 

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Graph 6. Proprietary Applications 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Applications Developed in Access Applications Developed in Excel Applications Developed Applications in Developed Cobol in Cobol and they have 

The registration has shown that the systems are interconnected at a very low percentage. In 

each Authority there are few systems interconnected from the inside. Interconnection cases 

concern mainly portals which receive data from the Authority Information system. 

Interconnections with exterior systems are rare and mainly concern the interconnection of 

banking systems (e.g. DIAS). 

Graph 7. System Interoperability 

Internal 

communication with 

other systems: 13,03% 

Systems 

interconnected: 18,07% 

Stand Alone: 68,91% 

There is a great number of systems (this reference concerns systems developed by 

Contracting Companies) for which there are no valid support contracts. Additionally, the 

systems supported via SLAs (Service Level Agreement) are few and mainly systems 

developed over the last few years. It is evident that the implications either in the financial 

planning or the cost for the support of the system are quite important. 

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Graph 8. Systems Support 

Systems that are 

supported (contract 

exists): 20,59% 

SLAs: 1,68% 

Systems that are not 

supported (no 

contract): 77,73% 


The establishment of the Repository in every Authority which will include all the data 

involving information systems developed by the Authority, the relevant contracts of 

implementation and support and the support contracts seems to be required. The filling 

in of the most important data in an information system could prove to be particularly useful 

for the total control and planning of each Authority and the Public Administration in general. 

The information system with the contract data could be interconnected to similar applications 

of the e-Procurement project in course, providing cohesive information at a focal level. 

The structured way of observing either the implementation of information technology 

projects or the Service Level Agreement (or SLAs) from the IT department constitutes an 

important feature of every Authority. The reengineering of the processes of an authority and 

the confrontation of the issue at a central – political – level is required. 

The improvement and development of the officials professional status is identified 

in the upgrading of their roles (described in the previous paragraph). The personnel 

qualification on issues of project management, knowledge management etc. as well as the 

legislation of IT departments will contribute towards the direction of improving and 

developing their professional profile, solving the same time problems presented in the present 

analysis. 

The substitution of proprietary systems developed by employees with modules of Back 

Office systems developed by each Authority, is demanded, if the target is to apply a strategic 

direction in the technological upgrading of the Authorities of Public Administration, 

organisational reengineering, interoperability and, finally, providing of complete 

eGovernment services to the citizens and businesses. 

The interconnection of the systems in the Authorities has to be studied upon and realized 

within the wider frame of interoperability and collaboration in Public Administration. For 

this reason, a total plan of system interoperability has to be developed, which will create the 

suitable conditions for the interconnection of the systems in a second phase. 

Finally, the implementation of a Guide for the exemplary Ministry – General Secretariat 

concerning IT infrastructure and organizational support systems could become a very useful 

tool for the implementation of the Strategic Planning of the Government 

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5.3 Conclusions drawn from the recording of the Existing Situation in Europe 

and Internationally and recording of Best Practices 

Deliverables D4: “Review of the International Environment” and D5: “Recording and 

Evaluation of Best Practices” include: 

o 

o 

A review of the international environment in the eGovernment sector aiming at 

collecting and assessing data which concern the strategy and business planning, the 

organisational structures and their results among E.U. countries. 

Recording and evaluation of the Best Practices in eGovernment sector in order to 

pinpoint the top developments at a European and International level, their critical 

assessment and the examination of the possibilities and the most fruitful method for 

their exploitation in our country. 

In total, 72 Best Practices were collected. In the following Graphs their allocation is 

presented in terms of topic unit and country of origin. 

Graph 9. Best Practices shorted per category 

eProcurement: 6 

Digital Documents/ 

Digital IDs: 14 

Services; 50 

Digital Democracy/ 

Digital Participation: 

2 

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Graph 10. Best Practices per Country of Origin 

Singapore 

Brazi 

Australia 

Finland 

Chech Republic 

Slovakia 

Poland 

Hungary 

Luxembourg 

Lithuania 

Cyprus 

Spain 

United Kingdom 

Greece 

Germany 

USA 

Canada 

Slovenia 

Holland 

Malta 

Latvia 

Ireland 

Esthonia 

Belgium 

Austria 

Korea 

Sweden 

Portugal 

Italy 

Danmark 

France 

0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3, 5 

From this study and the collection of data for the conduct of Deliverables D4 and D5 it was 

observed that there are some dominant tendencies regarding eGovernment in Europe, which 

are: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Interoperability: The interoperability of the systems is at the core of the countries’ 

interest as it is a basic requirement for the development of eGovernment. At a system 

level or at a level of interoperability model development, the interconnection and data 

exchange for the IT systems constitutes the main strategic goal at a European level. 

Security: the security of transactions is an issue that worries all the people involved 

in eGovernment. It goes without saying that as eGovernment service users increase 

so will the attacks at portals and IT systems, a fact that necessitates the application 

of high security systems. What’s more, is the focus on digital signature from the 

Public Sector. 

Infrastructure: Many countries, which do not have the infrastructure required in IT 

systems and telecommunications, undertake demanding projects, like the one 

undertaken by the National Network of Public Administration “SYZEFXIS” carried out 

in Greece. 

Change Management & Organizational Change: the Change Management is 

particularly considered which derives from the eGovernment entrance in the 

operation and organisation of the Public Authorities and in the adaptation of citizens 

to the new e-State and their familiarisation to the new technologies developed. Of 

course, this transition does not only remain at a technological level (substitution of 

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o 

o 

the physical presence of the citizen in the Public Department with an “electronic 

visit”- communication) but also creates chain-changes in either the organisation or 

the skills of civil servants. This is why there is particular interest in changes of 

organisational and operational levels in the Public Authorities as well as in 

cooperation issues and inter- service functions. 

Increase of the services provided by eGovernment: all over Europe and at an 

international level, eGovernment projects are developed and designed on a large 

scale, projects which involve either the provision of new services (of a greater digital 

integration degree- online sophistication) or surpass the limited borders of proprietary 

Authorities and concern Security, Interoperability, Model Creation etc. 

Support Structures: the study on Best Practices has shown that in almost every 

country, State Structures have been developed which are involved in eGovernment. 

These structures support eGovernment at a Strategic level, at an implementation 

level as well as at a level of support and security. 

We should note at this point that the complete study text is electronically available at: 

http://www.observatory.gr/page/default.asp?1a=1&id=22&pl=110&pk=292&ap=101. 

5.3.1 Best Practices Transfer in Greece 

Having located and enhanced the progress made in Europe and in developed countries 

around the world in the sector of eGovernment, one has the possibility to compare the 

progress made in these countries and the progress made in Greece and choose among 

Practices which could be adopted in Greece. These practices could function as models for the 

improvement of infrastructures and high impact services. 

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Taking into consideration all the data coming from Best Practices included in deliverable D5, 

eight (8) of them were chosen and are recommended, which could be incorporated in the 

Greek reality (with the implementation of similar action) and would create the necessary 

conditions for further development of eGovernment. These Best Practices are: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Best Practice for Infrastructure 

Development 

Personal ID (Belgium) 

Communication infrastructures for 

intergovernmental collaboration 

(Ireland) 

Permanent maintenance of electronic 

files (S. Korea) 

Governmental Site Builder (Germany) 

Best Practice for Service Development 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Electronic Invoicing System 

(Denmark) 

Business Link (United Kingdom) 

Retirement prediction in real time 

(United Kingdom) 

Work research services and 

personnel recruitment from the 

National Workmarket Council 

(Sweden) 

In the following extracts, apart from an overall reference to each of the Best Practice 

mentioned above, reference is being made to the objectives and benefits from their adoption 

in Greece. 

Personal ID (Belgium) 

The Personal ID is an electronic identity card which facilitates the 

Belgian citizens to access eGovernment services. 

The card has the size of an ordinary bank card and contains, among 

over identification data, a photo of the holder and his/her national 

register number. These data are printed on the card and 

incorporated in the form of an electronic chip in the inside. The chip 

contains two electronic key groups, which aid in the identification of 

the holder and the use of legally valid electronic signature. 

Respectively, the creation of a Greek e-card for electronic transactions would offer easy 

identification of the holder (one of the biggest problems which prevent the development of 

eGovernment services), it would prevent the use of various and diverse identification data in 

Public Services and it would function as an incentive for Public Authorities in order to develop 

services where the citizen will be able to use his/her card) and for the citizens who will realise 

that the use of eGovernment services in Greece is rapidly developing. The first attempt to 

create a National User Identification System (Subproject 9 concerning the realization of Public 

Key Infrastructure and electronic signatures from the National Network of Public 

Administration “SYZEFXIS”), has been designed and its realization is expected to start in the 

second semester of 2007. 

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Communication Infrastructures for intergovernmental collaboration (Ireland) 

Through the creation of an official authority for the 

improvement and the completion of services for 

clients/citizens of Public Sector services, Ireland 

developed the IAMS to support the electronic data 

exchange. The IAMS has originally allowed the 

electronic data exchange concerning citizens’ dates of 

birth, between the Registry Office (GRO) and the 

Ministry of Social Services and the Central Statistic 

Organisation (CSO). 

It is obvious that one of the most important points which is also a serious obstacle to the 

development of cohesive eGovernment services, is the inability of Public Services to 

collaborate and exchange data which are common. Indeed, different social services keep 

records with the same data, instead of collaborating and sharing them. Such an initiative 

would facilitate the creation of Databases, while at the same time it would reduce the bulk of 

data maintained and managed by each Authority, bringing substantial benefits in terms of 

productiveness and efficiency. 

Permanent Maintenance of Electronic Files (S. Korea) 

For the assurance of access, confidentiality and 

integrity of the electronic files (even after some 

decades), in any technology infrastructure 

environment (hardware & software), the Archives and 

Register National Service in Korea has promoted the 

development of permanent maintenance of electronic 

files, producing the adequate software. In this way 

various electronic files are permanently maintained 

without running the risk of being altered or changed in 

any way. 

With the creation (adoption) of similar technologies, access, confidentiality and integrity of 

electronic data throughout Public Administration will be ensured, as well as the use and 

exploitation of all the electronic files, even in case of transformation of information systems 

(and technologies). This could be a demand included in the design of the total of information 

systems which will be developed for Public Authorities. 

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Governmental Site Builder (Germany) 

The Governmental Site Builder (GSB) is a Content 

Management System (CMS) for the activities of the 

German Federal Government in the Internet, Intranet 

and Extranet. The GSB contains integral subsystem 

models for all the standard operations of a CMS. These 

subsystems can be adopted in their present form, be 

specially developed or supplement one of the already 

existent operations according to the needs of the service 

The adoption of such a software from the Greek Public Administration, will support in the best 

possible way the procedures of citizen service (creation of one-stop-shop in Public services, 

Citizen Service Centres etc.) while at the same time it will greatly contribute to the creation 

and provision of uniform eGovernment services. 

Electronic Invoicing System (Denmark) 

Since February 2005 all the public authorities in 

Denmark are obliged to receive providers’ invoices only 

in electronic form. In this way, all public sectors had to 

modify their systems and administrative procedures in 

order to make the transition from the handwritten to 

the digital management of invoices, credits and other 

similar transactions with the respective public 

providers. This specific change concerns in total 15 millions of invoices per year 

approximately and involves all the spectrum of public sector, from state ministries to 

kindergartens. 

The application- adoption of this system will save huge sums of money in the public sector, it 

will decrease the transaction time requires and will contribute in the simplification of internal 

procedures of the authorities, it will increase the digital content diminishing at the same time 

paper files. Its mandatory status guarantees the obligatory updating of public systems with 

the simultaneous reorganisation of administrative procedures. The adoption of this Best 

Practice can be associated to the realization framework set by the National System of 

Electronic Public Procurements. 

Επιχειρησιακός Σύνδεσμος (Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο) 

The Business Link provides small companies with full 

access services to the public authorities. The main goals 

of this link are: 1) to provide a collective source of 

practical advice and information for businesses 

(especially mass media), 2)to provide a central match 

point between mass media and government services. 

The creation of a kind of “digital citizen service centre” 

for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) will aid the 

development of entrepreneurship; will reduce the cost and time of transactions between the 

SMEs and the Public Services, boosting business competitiveness. 

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It is worth mentioning that CSCs already offer certain eServices to businesses, which are 

limited, however, in informative capacity. 

Retirement Prediction in Real Time (United Kingdom) 

By using this electronic service, the British citizens, after 

adequate identification, can come in touch with the 

Pension Department of the Ministry of Labour & Pensions, 

and electronically submit their application for IPF in case of 

premature retirement and receive an electronic reply of the 

real-time calculation. 

The calculation of retirement allows the citizen to reflect 

upon and decide the precise retirement time. It gives 

everyone the opportunity to have access to the same piece of information, it reduces the 

number of citizens who resort to public services, it increases service levels and allows the 

future pensioner to prepare a complete file with all the necessary data required for his 

retirement. In this way, mistakes made during the procedure of the issuing of the pension are 

eliminated. 

Work research services and personnel recruitment from the National 

Workmarket Council (Sweden) 

The «Job vacancy Bank» is a site through which all the vacancies 

which exist in the Offices of Occupational Information in Sweden, 

are published on the Internet. The publication of vacancies is 

accompanied by a series of extra interactive electronic services 

which concern either unemployed people or those who wish to 

change their career. 

The creation of a personnel research service via Internet gives the 

chance to all the interested parties (employers, employees, 

unemployed etc.) to communicate. The goal of this service is to reduce bureaucracy and to 

promote equality among the interested parties. 

5.4 Conclusions drawn from the research in the skills of Civil Servants in using 

ICT 

Deliverable D3: “Research in the skills of civil servants in the use of ICT” refers to the 

conclusions from the research done to define the level of skills of the human capital that 

works for Public Administration (PA) regarding ICT skills. 

The aim of this research was to shed light on the existing readiness of the human capital in 

PA in terms of ICT skills, in order to determine the number of individuals that have to be 

trained, the sectors in which their training should focus on, as well as the training pace 

required in order for the existing and new public systems to be promptly and sufficiently 

supported. 

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The research on the ICT skills of civil servants took place between December 2006 and 

March 2007, after a pilot study in 80 employees, 15 Information Technology 

Executives and 5 Managers between 08/11 and 27/11/06. 

The data collection procedure was carried out using the “drop & collect” method which 

involves: 

o 

o 

o 

Telephone communication with the sample group in order to meet one specific 

person from the sample group 

Visit of the researcher to the Service in order to hand out the questionnaires to fill 

in and to arrange the date of submission 

Second visit of the researcher to the Service for the collection of the answered 

questionnaires 

The research was divided into three sub studies which referred to a different sample frame 

and the number of filled-in questionnaires is presented in the table that follows. 

Study 1 

Study 2 

Study 3 

Categories 

General Managers 

(Ministries and General 

Secretariats) 

It Executives 

(Tax Offices, Urban Planning 

Offices, Ministries and General 

Secretariats) 

Servants 

(Tax Offices, Urban Planning 

Offices, Ministries and General 

Secretariats) 

Number of 

Answered 

Questionnaires 

43 

215 

1919 

With regards to the Research carried out among the employees, the distribution pattern of 

the participants in the different services is the one shown in the graph that follows. 

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77% of the sample comes from the Attica region while 23% from the rest of Greece, with 

Central Macedonia participating in 7% of the sample. 57% of the sample was women, 91% 

of whom were between 25 and 54 years old. The academic level of the sample, as shown in 

the following diagram, was mainly of Higher Education. 


Despite the fact that infrastructures in information technology are at a satisfactory level, they 

are not extensively used by the employees. The use of such technologies is basically limited 

to the use of computers, necessary for the conduction of their duties. The study has proved 

that, (with the exception of the employees working for the Services of Tax Offices who resort 

to the software of the department rather than the overall facilities provided by information 

technologies), the use of computers is not required for the great majority of employees. 

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At this point, we should refer to the imminent distribution of 50.000 digital certificates 

(signatures) by the Ministry of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization (MIPAD) 

over the next few months, which may change the ways of operation and communication of 

Public Services. In order to realise this venture successfully, there should be a substantial 

number of employees with special skills in ICT, something which is quite difficult for the time 

being. 

More specifically, the study has shown that there is a certain sufficiency regarding the 

employees’ skills in the basic usage of a computer, of course there is a margin of 

improvement especially about the skills of level II (text copy, use of Word Processor for text 

format and writing, Internet Navigation and searching for information, sending and receiving 

e-mails, save – retrieve – copy and moving around files) (the median arises from a five-levels 

scale where 1 = «bad» and 5 = «excellent». 

Users e-skills per level 

Median Range 

Skills Level Ι 4.28 0.66 

Skills Level ΙΙ 3.99 1.61 

Skills Level ΙΙΙ 2.63 1.59 

Skills Level ΙV 2.29 1.62 

Σύνολο 3.30 1.02 

Moreover, the study has shown that there is an important deficiency in the level of Public 

Sector employees’ education. Several users- employees have never been taught how to use 

a computer, while for many of them the most significant form of education is the organisation 

of seminars by their service, the quality of which is doubtful. 

The study shows that employees are trained in order to acquire skills, without these 

programs to aim to a specific objective and without being part of any Strategic direction of 

Public Sector employees’ training effort. 

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An important finding of the research is the diffusion of ICT within the Public Sector, which is 

associated with two motives, a positive and a negative one. The positive motivation is a 

combination of the employees’ skills in the usage of computers as the well as of the frequency 

they use them. On the contrary, the negative motivation is a combination of the existing 

bureaucracy within the Public Sector, which reinforces mistrust towards organisational 

changes. This mistrust is a counter- motive in the ICT skill development, as the employees 

regard these skills as possible threats. It should be highlighted that any of the skills 

employees have remain unexploited within the general negative attitude towards ICTs. 

At IT Department Executives, a crucial percentage has been noted that states that: 

o 

o 

They do not know/have not been taught how to use computers 

They do not use a computer when performing their tasks 

IT Department Executives have a higher skill level than the other users, but they seem to be 

unable to provide sufficient technical support to the users and information systems, to connect 

a computer to a network as well as take some basic action such as form a presentation, use 

Excel sheets, etc. Furthermore, according to the study evidence, one out of two IT executives 

has not updated his skills in 2006 because of lack of time. Behind this answer we can realize 

that executives deny to leave their the everyday work for seminars that they do not 

appreciate. 

This image is not particularly representative as it depicts an important obstacle in the effort of 

expanding the diffusion degrr of ICTs in Public Administration. More specifically, a current 

information official is to operate simultaneously as: 

o 

o 

Information Intermediate Knot for the services similar to the one he works for. 

This means that any problems faced by the users within a service department, but 

especially the way of solving these problems, is to be communicated to the users of 

other corresponding services, through IT Executives, so that the Public Sector is not 

obliged to “reinvent itself” and 

Information Transmitter to the headquarters which have the comprehensive duty 

of maintenance and desigh of systems and applications, in order to facilitate the 

effort to develop user- friendly and efficient systems and applications. 

However, without the necessary skills, many IT Executives do not contribute to but prevent 

the ICT diffusion process, which- it goes without saying- has multiple consequences. 

Lastly, regarding the General Managers, probably the most important conclusion that can be 

drawn is that the skills they have in information technologies compared to the ones of simple 

users at all levels are somewhat inferior. The study has shown that the General Managers’ 

skills in ICT have not been certified. This is somewhat expected since General Managers are 

usually older than the average age of Public Sector employees (over 50 years of age 71% of 

them). (We have to state here that the small number of remarks we collected might not give 

us a representative picture). 

In addition, despite the fact they acknowledge how important computers are in everyday work, 

and they urge their subordinates to use computers, they do not assess highly the importance 

of computer skills for their career. We must state here that a big number of General Managers 

consider that their Service is focused towards citizens, assist in complains and problems 

solving and believe that his Service is positive toward organizational and administrative 

changes. 

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According to the conclusions of the study the formation of adequate conditions which will 

favour the adoption of ICTs by the employees is totally required. 

This can be achieved firstly, with the prompt participation of information official in the design 

of new and exploitation of the existing systems. At a second level, it is essential to involve civil 

employees in the benefits that can be obtained by the extensive use of information 

technologies and how the latter can contribute to attaining the aims of their country’s Digital 

Convergence. 

However, in the effort of diffusing ICTs a number of issues comes up which have to be dealt 

with seriously, even if they have a higher degree of difficulty. 

The first priority in this particular measure group has to be the cultural re- orientation, a quite 

difficult task for any organisation, much more for the Public Sector. An overwhelming majority 

of contemporary studies in business administration conclude that an efficient organisation has 

to have strong traits from all sectors of business culture. Greek Public Sector, seems to miss 

business culture as an organization and is propose to be developed elements of: 

o 

o 

The Bureaucratic culture – that is the existence of named procedures of action 

taking and design to face unexpected/ unpredicted events through a complete 

operational plan- the so- called “operations blueprinting” and 

The efficiency culture – evaluation of efficiency through standard productivity, 

efficiency targets and the assumption of repair measures in cases of target deviation. 

The second direction towards which the Public Sector is recommended to move is the 

assurance of the appropriate training of its employees. Even if the selection should be made 

among people who are familiar with ICTs and have the necessary skills, these employees 

should be regularly trained as required by the continuous updates in ICTs. 

Finally, an important decision, that should be made on political level, is the selection and 

training of those employees which are going to cover executive positions in the IT Sector of 

Public Administration. This selection should be make thoughout people who have knowledge 

of ICT and have all the necessary qualifications in order to deserve these positions. 

Furthermore, these people have to be trained systematically since the constant changes in 

ICT demand continuous refreshment of knowledge. 

It would be advisable to include fragments of the above recommendations (which couldbbe a 

project for developing a management system of the training process and of the training 

material, targeting the upgrade of Public Administration through the support of training 

programs implemented by the “National Centre of Public Administration and Local 

Governments” in the framework of a blended learning model) of for specialized training 

programs, in order to achieve the best possible result. 

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5.5 Conclusions drawn from Indicators for the quantification of the Public 

Administration & eGovernment Secretariat General objectives with regard to 

eGovernment 

The aim of deliverable D6 : “Indicators for the quantification of the Public Administration 

& eGovernment Secretariat General Objectives with regard to eGovernment” was the 

formation of a measurement framework for the quantification of the national strategic 

objectives, as they are defined in Operation Programme “Strengthening the Administrative 

Capacity of public Administration 2007-2013” for the 4th Programme Period. The ulterior 

aim was that the proposed measurement framework to constitute an official measurement 

and evaluation tool of these strategic objectives, seen within the framework of eGovernment 

as a basic pattern for the modernization of Public Administration. 

The proposed measurement framework is relevant to the measurement framework included 

in “Digital Strategy 2006 – 2013”, the indicators analyzed in “i2010 eGovernment Action 

Plan: Accelerating eGovernment in Europe for the Benefit of All” as well as with the 

proposed indicators of the project evaluating impact of eGovernment “eGovernment 

Economics Project “ (eGEP). 

the measurement framework is innovative because: 

A. a person in charge for observing each indicator is designated 

B. Indicators measure impacts and benefits (and not input / output that the vast 

majority was measuring till todat) 

C. The Measurement Framework includes Indicators focused on citizens and 

businesses. 

The Measurement Framework was drawn, on the basis of six (6) axes, which on one side 

create the outline of Public Sector’s ‘Administrative Capacity’ and on the other side describe 

the basic framework of the State’s modernization. These six (6) axes are: 

1. Openness 

2. Services to Citizens 

3. Services to Businesses 

4. Services for Public Administration 

5. Human Capital 

6. Improvement of Organizational and Technological Architectures 

For the creation of the measurement framework for quantification of the GSPA objectives 

with regard to eGovernment, principal and secondary indicators were set. In particular, 

indicators of A, B and C levels were set: 

o 

o 

o 

Α’ Level Indicators: These are complex indicators, few in their numbers and they 

usually demonstrate impact/ benefit. For their estimation, B’ level indicators 

estimation is required. The A’ level indicators have great significance mainly at 

strategic level and have particular ‘political significance’ since their measurement 

concerns the general political planning of Public Administration. 

Β’ Level Indicators: These indicators are complex in their majority and come from 

the estimation of C’ level indicators. Most of them express % and the outcome of 

their measurement is particularly useful in the design of Governmental policies. 

C’ Level Indicators: These are simple indicators that come directly from the 

analysis of primary researches’ results. Most of them express quantity and the 

outcome of their measurement is used for the estimation of B’ Level Indicators. On 

their own, they are not of strategic importance, therefore for most of them the place 

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of value-objective is meaningless, but they are the necessary structural elements of 

A’ and B’ level indicators. 

Η ποσοτικοποίηση των εθνικών στρατηγικών στόχων αναφορικά με το eGovernment και η 

μέτρησή τους (μέσω του συστήματος δεικτών) συμβάλει στην ανάπτυξη και παρακολούθηση 

της εξέλιξης της Ηλεκτρονικής Διακυβέρνησης στην Ελλάδα, καθώς: 

The quantification of the National Strategic Objectives with regard to eGovernment (via the 

measurement framework) contributes to the development and observation of eGovernment 

evolution in Greece, as: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

It enhances the deficiency areas in Public Administration and contributes to action 

design for the acceleration in the development of eGovernment in Greece. 

It informs in a overall, cohesive and coherent way all the interested parties- 

Authorities 

It allows comparisons on eGovernement development issues between Greece and 

the other European Countries 

It measures the national strategy concerning eGovernment producing results which 

are visible in the measurement framework. 

The progress of Public Administration is monitored in the sectors related to 

eGovernment and its performance is then compared in relation to the financing it 

receives for similar actions. 


The Measurement Framework which is recommended is actually the first structured attempt 

to measure eGovernment Strategic Objectives in Greece. The exigencies of this system for 

data concerning the whole of Public Administration are such that require the realisation of 

adequate action for their fulfilment. Given the fact that, Public Administration does not dispose 

of data collection mechanisms or most of the data available are not updated regularly, action 

taking is required in this sector. 

Till today, there was no clear view of the development of eGovernment in Greece, the user 

acceptance, its effectiveness and quality. The Measurement Framework, besides the 

quantification of the Ministry of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization 

strategic objectives, covers the absence of a monitoring system observing eGovernment 

progress in Greece. It is a systematic effort to create a clear picture regarding eGovernment, 

the use of eGovernment services from citizens and businesses, eGovernment contribution to 

Governmental policies concerning quality of life, improvement of productivity and 

competitiveness of businesses, development of Public Administrations’ Human Resources etc. 


For the measurement of indicators, a collection of data is needed, data that today 

does not exist (at least as complete as it is required by a measurement framework). This 

implies that for the finding of the base values and the monitoring of indicators, in time, at 

least the following actions have to be taken: 

o 

o 

o 

Measurement of the transaction time and cost between citizens/businesses and Public 

Administration, as well as between public Agencies. 

Update of Public Administration’s quantified data 

Update of Human Resource’s Data 

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The proposed processes are shown and analysed in chapter 7 of the correspondent 

deliverable. 

Setting as a Secretariat General Objective the reinforcement of transparency and without 

ignoring the effort made in this sector, the certified publication on the Internet of the complete 

organizational chart of all Authorities defining duties and communication details for each 

public servant is absolutely required (there is a relevant Indicator for the quantification of the 

Public Administration & eGovernment Secretariat General Objectives with regard to 

eGovernment). Taking a step further, the creation of a personnel catalogue in every Public 

Authority is important, defining the employee’s position and a brief duty description. 

Lastly, due to the extent of the system, it is recommended its pilot operation in a Sector if 

Public Administration 

where a) there is a bulk of crucial data available and b) in short time 

small- scale actions will be implemented from which data will be collected not available 

presently. 

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6 eGovernment Opportunities and Lessons Learned 

The Project ”The use of Information and Communication Technologies in the Public 

Sector (eGovernment)” tries to chart a quite significant part of infrastructures for 

eGovernment development in Greece, which include Back office systems, human capital e- 

skills in the Public Sector, availability of Strategic Design. At the same time, it is innovative as 

for the first time: 

o 

o 

o 

A study is carried out for skill measurement in information technology within public 

sector employees (in depth and precision) 

A cohesive and coherent measurement framework system is designed for the 

quantification of national secretariat general objectives regarding eGovernment 

An attempt to depict the current situation is made concerning the systems and the 

applications of Back office in a subgroup of Public Sector Authorities 

In order to express the recommendations and the steps to be taken so as to develop 

eGovernment in Greece, it is advisable to collect more data, apart from the deliverables 

conclusions. Specifically in the next paragraphs, evidence concerning eGovernment 

dynamics in Greece are presented according to the SWOT analysis method: strong points are 

highlighted, weak points are spotted so as to be improved, opportunities and threats are 

assessed. 

In conclusion, the recommendations concerning eGovernment in Greece are made after 

careful consideration of the data collected during the implementation of the deliverables as 

well as the examination of Opinion Leaders views. 

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6.1 SWOT Analysis 

In this paragraph, we try to analyse eGovernment impact in Greece by using the SWOT 

analysis method (Analysis of Strong points, Weak points, Opportunities and Threats). 

o 

o 

Strong points 

Management of the Public Sector ICT 

Projects by the same Contracting 

Authority 

Active participation of “Observatory 

for Information Society in Greece” in 

the Strategy development regarding 

eGovernment 

o Existence of Public Sector 

executiveswith e-skills and sufficiency 

in design and development 

eGovernment in Greece 

o Political will for eGovernment 

development in Greece 

Opportunities 

o Exploitation of international 

experience- there is no need to 

reinvent the wheel 

o 

Exploitation of European Financing in 

eGovernment development 

o Exploitation of technologically 

advanced systems for development 

of eGovernment applications 

o 

o 

o 

Weak points 

Legislative Framework that has not 

been adopted to eGovernment needs 

Lack of coordination between Public 

Sector Authorities for the 

implementation of projects which 

follow common strategy 

Design of Project not concerning the 

Public Administration routine 

o Receptive culture to adopt 

eGovernment in the Public Sector 

o 

The necessary skills are not available 

among public sector employees 

regarding ICT use 

Threats 

o Long timeplans of eGovernment 

projects 

o 

o 

Resistance of the existing system to 

the changes brought upon with 

eGovernment 

development 

(Resistance to change) 

Implementation of projects based on 

pompous plans which do no keep 

pace with the existing resources in 

skills and infrastructures as well as 

with the general culture of Public 

Sector Authorities 

SWOT Analysis Table 

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6.2 Useful conclusions drawn from the implementation of complementary 

deliverables 

Apart from the conclusions and the data occurring after the implementation and conduction 

of deliverables, some “lessons learned” derive from them concerning issues not exclusively 

related to the core of the project, but to its environment (such as culture, authorities 

organization etc.). This information has been fragmentally noted down and is presented in 

this unit. It has been proved that: 

► The country’s policies have not yet reached the public employees level 

One of the basic parameters for successful administration in any kind of Institution (Private of 

Public) is objectives diffusion, strategic choices and the Authority’s targeting to the personnel 

working within it. They should be aware of the objectives and the common vision. In fact, the 

objectives and strategic choices of an Authority or a business involve all the people working 

for them and not only Executives. If the personnel within an Authority is not aware of all the 

above, then they work in a sterile environment, they do not take part in the effort and a 

negative attitude is developed towards any change attempt. 

One of the main points observed was the fact that public employees are not aware of their 

country’s strategy and the way in which they can take part in its implementation. Specifically, 

it was noted that they were ignorant of the “The Operational Programme «Strengthening the 

Administrative Capacity of public Administration 2007-2013”, one of the most important texts 

of Public Sector strategy. This means, that those that have to work and contribute to the 

implementation of the specific Operational Programme have no idea about its content. 

► There is no organized records about Back Office systems in Public 

Authority Authorities 

During the implementation of the project the recording of the progress achieved regarding the 

modernization of Public Administration was attempted, in relation to Back Office systems and 

applications. 

It was noted that there was no systematic and organised recording of the data concerning 

Back Office Systems. The recording of data is mainly based on experience and general 

knowledge of some executives. In some cases, there were maintenance contracts, system 

contracts and application description contracts. Even in these cases, the recording was 

neither complete nor updated. 

► Each Authority is advancing autonomously 

During the implementation of the project it was noticed that every Authority of the Public 

Sector constitutes an “islet” of autonomous development in infrastructures and human 

resources without a central design and planning 

This observation derives from the fact that both Back Office applications and personnel 

eSkills vary significantly in terms of quality and completion from one Public Sector Authority to 

the other. In no case was there an Authority to submit a plan on which to base its course of 

action for development of Back Office systems and training. Consequently, this is the main 

reason why authorities are not controlled as to whether or not it has achieved the goals set. 

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► Lack of communication for the acquisition of data from public sector 

executives 

Lastly, during the implementation of the project, the Contractor came in touch with a number 

of executives, for back office recording reasons or the conduction of the study for public 

employees’ eSkills. The fact that, in order to arrange an appointment so as to ask for some 

information, the communication attempts were more than six, while in most cases 

communication was not possible, is typical of the situation. 

6.3 Opinion Leaders views 

Within the process of recommendation planning for eGovernment Development in Greece, we 

came in touch with a series of public and private senior executives who are prominent in the 

field of production and implementation of strategic targeting concerning eGovernment 

Development in Greece. 

Their views are incorporated in the content of the next chapter. In the following paragraphs 

there is extensive reference to the general guidelines considered to be the most important 

ones in order to achieve the modernization of the Public Sector. 

6.3.1 Different eState development speed 

Electronic services in Greece are developed at a frantic pace, depending on the executives’ 

skills in each Authority, their Administration will and in general their environment. 

o 

o 

Initiative assumption regarding the convergence of the realised projects is 

required aiming to the systematic development of eGovernment services in relation 

to infrastructures development. 

Careful steps must be made, even if their results are not spectacular, which will 

contribute greatly to eGovernment Development in Greece. 

6.3.2 Interoperability: the key to success 

The main factor of all efforts in eGovernment Development is interoperability of systems and 

applications. The development of interoperability level is the milestone for eGovernment. The 

system interaction and data exchange, the creation of common databases and in general the 

initiatives taken on the interoperability of the systems is the key to the development of 

eGovernment services. 

6.3.3 Process Re-engineering: With the introduction of new eGovernment 

services work procedures change 

Systems and application development and services supply is the first of eGovernment 

Development features. The second is the change of the traditional work model and its 

adaptation to the new demands created by the new attitude in the workplace through the 

implementation of eGovernment Services. So, the main prerequisite for the systems to 

function after their development is to produce the expected benefits, is to redesign the 

procedures and not to attempt to adapt the already existent to a technological environment. 

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6.3.4 Motives: encourage all parties to take part in the effort 

Motivation should be given to all interested parties (employees, citizens, businesses) to 

assume an active role in the effort to develop eGovernment and not to remain passive 

receivers of what is happening. 

Such incentives could be: the financing of computer acquisition by the citizens, the disposal of 

e-mail accounts, awards to the most friendly-user public services, reduction of the 

transactions cost when conducted via eGovernment Services. 

6.3.5 High Level Position for IT Executives 

Hierarchy in Public Administration suffers the lack of IT Executives in high level positions. The 

creation of such positions will attribute a special dynamic in the effort to develop 

eGovernment, since in this way political will is going to be supported by technological means. 

In parallel, knowledge Kernels could be established in every Authority in order to admit ICT in 

Public Sector. A position of a Managing Information Director to every authority, as well as 

selective position which will come under the Minister is an example of the drastic changes 

that must be made in Public Administration. 

6.3.6 eSkills Development of Human Capital 

The development of eSkills within the human capital is the single way towards eGovernment 

Development in Greece. The combination of motivation, training and the association of 

promotion with knowledge will improve Human Capital Skills, which is one of the main factors 

of eGovernment development, given the fact that people are the users of the systems and 

they can provide citizen and business services. 

Private Sector Participation 

The incapacity of Public Sector to function in a direct, flexible and prompt way, for the reasons 

previously mentioned, poses a number of obstacles in eGovernment Development in Greece. 

For this reason, cooperation with private authorities is recommended (in the form of Public- 

Private Partnership) for eGovernment Projects implementation. Such projects may concern 

the support of data centres which are required for the creation and management of digital 

data, the development, management and maintenance of portals etc. 

Private Participation will act in the interest of everybody since in this way Public 

Administration: 

o 

o 

Takes advantage of the accumulated knowledge and the advanced skills available in 

the private sector, without having to “reinvent the wheel” 

Does not invest in infrastructures, but makes use of infrastructures and means 

available in the private sector (and thus avoids maintenance and replacement costs 

etc.) 

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7 Proposals – Next Steps for the development of eGovernment in 

Greece 

Based on the conclusions and proposals of the above paragraphs, an “action map” is shaped 

and proposed, related to the development of eGovernment in Greece. This map includes 

actions grouped in four categories: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Group 1: Actions Concerning Strategic Convergence and Publicity 

Group 2: Actions Concerning Human Resource Development 

Group 3: Actions Concerning the Development of Infrastructure that Supports 

eGovernment 

Group 4: Horizontal (Parallel) Actions 

7.1 GROUP 1: Actions Concerning Strategic Convergence and Publicity 

The Strategic Convergence of eGovernment actions is a fundamental component of the 

development of eGovernment in national level. It is time that actions concerning 

eGovernment should follow the National Strategy and not isolated / fragmentary development 

choices of eGovernment services by each Body. These actions will empower: 

o 

o 

o 

The diffusions of knowledge, originated by the studies implemented for Public Sector 

Τη διαμόρφωση πλαισίου ευθυγράμμισης με την εθνική στρατηγική για την 

Ηλεκτρονική Διακυβέρνηση 

The introduction of a framework of alignment with the National Strategy about 

eGovernment 

The actions which are included in Group 1, are analyzed in the following paragraphs. 

7.1.1 Action 1: Enactment of Publicity Rules concerning eGovernment Projects 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 

Financing Source: 

Summary: 

Enactment of Publicity Rules concerning eGovernment 

Projects 

Enforcement of transparency and reporting of Public 


IT Executives working in Public Sector 

Ministry of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization 

(MIPAD), General Secretariats 

Operational Programme «Strengthening the Administrative 

Capacity of public Administration 2007-2013» 

MIPAD (through the new Operational Program which as been form respectively to the 4 th 

Programme Period) sets as a main objective the advancement of Openess through the 

reinforcement of transparency and reporting within the actions of public authorities, the 

promotion of the active participation of citizens and social agreement on the decision of 

Public Administration Bodies concerning public interest, on ensuring a fair and equal 

treatment of citizen and business from the Public Administration in its range. 

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eGovernment project that are implemented, contributing to the objective of openness. 

The results of these project do not concern only the Public Authority that implemented 

the project, but the whole community including citizens and its businesses. In order to 

succeed on active participation from citizens, it is proposed to introduce and maintain 

publicity rules for all eGovernment project (studies or Information Systems development). 

Activities that should be included in this action are: 

o 

o 

Decision of the Government and notification to the interested Institutions 

Introduction and standardization of publicity rules (depending on the type of 

project, the budget, breadth of final beneficiaries etc). Appointment of the 

Institution (Depository) that will be in charge for the observation of publicity 

rules. The Observatory for Information Society is an Organization which 

could undertake this role. 

7.1.2 Action 2: Formation of Contracts and Studies Repositoty in all Public Sector 

Institutions. 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Formation of Contracts and Studies Repository in all 

Public Sector Institutions 








In the effort for increase of transparency but also communication of knowledge that is 

accumulated in each Institution of Public Sector, the formation of a Repository in each 

Institution is proposed, where all eGovernment studies will be gathered, the deliverables 

of all projects, as well as the contracts for implementation and support of all Information 

Technology (IT) systems. 

The repository can be formed without demanding large amount of revenues of Human 

Resource (HR) effort. Indicative, it is mentioned that a small amount of time (about 20% 

of the working day) of one servant and the usage of a respective application for the 

management 

of the repository is enough. 

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7.1.3 Action 3: Formation of Central Repository concerning eGovernment Studies 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Formation of Central Repository concerning 

eGovernment Studies 








Additionally to the previous action, is also proposed the formation of a Central 

Repository of Studies which are implemented on behalf of Public Sector Bodies. The 

action will include: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

The selection of the Institution that will function as Central Repository 

Design of processes that are followed between the various 

Administration and the Repository 

The design of infrastructure needed (Hardware, Software, etc) 

The outline of qualifications of executives that will staff the Repository 

Bodies of Public 

The Observatory for Information Society is an organization which could undertake 

the role of Central Repository 

7.1.4 Action 4: Delimitation of Public Authority Model Guide 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Delimitation of Public Authority Model Guide 

Re-engineering and modernization of Public Administration 

Executives of General Secretariats 





As mentioned in paragraph 6.2, every Ministry is operates and developes autonomously. 

This has as a result that we are driven to a Central Public Administration where 

Institutions functions with “different speeds”. Apart from the need of harmonization of 

IT systems between the Ministries, is also required the adoption of common directions 

in various subjects, which are called to face a lot of Institutions simultaneously. 

The creation of a Guide about the “Exemplary Ministry” in organizational, operational and 

technological 

level, will offer a very important tool to Public Administration which will be 

used on order to re-organize and modernize Public Sector Institutions. Such a Guide 

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April 2007 39


sho uld include among other: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

basic principle for structuring and the degree of analysis of the flow chart of a 

Ministry 

Process Description 

Job Descriptions 

The minimum requirements for ICT infrastructure together with the basic back – 

office systems that are required 

Topics concerning the way of providing services citizens and businesses 

For the creation of the Guide, it is required to exploit the European and International 

experience, regarding structures, organization, the degree of process standardization etc. 

A similar Guide would have been helpful to be created for other Institutions for example 

Hospitals, schools etc. 

7.2 GROUP 2: Actions Concerning Human Resource Development 

7.2.1 Action 5: Motivation to Human Resources to develop skills for ICT usage 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Motivation to Human Resources to develop skills for ICT 

usage 

Increase of the percentage of the personnel that uses ICT. 

Executives of General Secretariats, Ministry of Interior, Public 

Administration and Decentralization (MIPAD) 


(MIPAD), National Center for Public Administration and Local 

Government 



Motivation of Human Resources to develop skills for ICT usage does not stop to the 

designing and implementation of training programs. It would be positive if the public 

servants would be motivated in order to start using Information Technology (IT) and they 

would realize the importance of IT role today, so they would change their attitude 

towards IT and use IT in their duties extensively. 

In this way they will realize, they will develop and they will maintain the skills that they 

have already acquire. Indicative, is proposed the use of official e-mail in their every day 

flow of duties for all public servants in Public Sector (for getting 

updates, announcements, 

requesting days off etc) which will constitute a motive for the use of ICT. In this way 

public servants will become “participants” of digital society. 

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7.2.2 Action 6: Measurement of e-skills and creation of skills profile for Public 

Servants 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Measurement of e-skills and creation of skills profile for 

Public Servants 

Connection of skills and job needs. 





Government 



The creation of profiles concerning skills means that every servant, depending on his 

job and his duties, must have a minimum of certified skills in ICT usage (e-skills). For this 

purpose, it is proposed to create profiles, which in conjunction with the survey for the 

measurement of servants’ current skills, will bring out the necessary elements for the 

design of actions concerning training programs. 

It is also mentioned here that e-skills measurement will give data for the corresponding 

indicators which are included in the proposed measurement framework (Deliverable P6). 

7.2.3 Action 7: Development of Skills (Training) of Human Resources 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Development of Skills (Training) of Human Resources 

The continues development of ICT skills of Human Resources 





Government, General Secretariats 



The development of Public Servants skills through the design and implementation of 

appropriate training programs is an important parameter for eGovernment development 

in Greece. Training programmas have to be designed in such a way that will cover 

completely the needs for skills in the next 3 years. In combination with action 6 

(Measurement of e-skills and creation of skills profile for Public Servants) the right 

training programs have to be designed the objective of which will be the acquirement of 

the right skills from Public Servants in relation with their professional profile. Te above, 

have to be implemented is collaboration with the “National Center for Public 

Administration and Local Government”, which implements projects that are related with 

the actions described in this paragraph. 

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7.2.4 Action 8: Development of Professional Profile for Information Technology 

(IT) Departments 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Development of Professional Profile for Information 

Technology (IT) Departments 

The continuous development of ICT skills of IT Departments 

executives 

IT Executives of Ministries and General Secretariats 



Government, General Secretariats 



The development of professional profile of IT departments, is identified with the upgrade 

of their role. Training of the personnel, in Project Management, Information Management 

etc, as well as the upgrade of the role of IT Departments will contribute to the 

improvement and development of their professional profile. 

For this purpose interventions are required in legislation, structures and processes of 

Public Sector Bodies, as well as the implementation of training programs which can be 

placed between the training programs that will be implemented in the framework of 

Action 9. 

The executives of the Superior structures of Public Sector Bodies, with IT executives is 

essential. The enactment of IT executive positions in the superior hierarchy (e.g. 

positions directly under the Minister) and the corresponding development of structures in 

the hierarchy, will allow to the Political Authority (which is willing to proceed with the 

development of eGovernment) to talk in a formal way with Policy Makers which are able 

to support eGovernment development. 

The enactment of positions which will be staffed by executives of IT Department (e.g. 

Chief Information Officer and General IT Manager) will cover the organizational gap that 

exist today (participation of executives that have the responsibility to develop IT 

infrastructure of Public Sector Bodies) and will assist the development of “digital culture”, 

the design and programming of IT projects etc. 

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7.3 GROUP 3: Actions Concerning the Development of Infrastructure that 

Supports eGovernment 

7.3.1 Action 9: Five year Plan for the replacement of Proprietary Applications 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Five year Plan for the replacement of Proprietary 

Applications 

Modernization of Information Systems (IS) 





Operational Programme «Digital Convergence» 

The development of eGovernment systems demands a cohesive and modern 

technological background in all Bodies where systems will interconnect, not only between 

them, but also with other external systems. It is well known that the re-engineering of 

back-office systems is extremely important not only internaly to Public Sector 

Organization (reduction of cost, increase of productivity and flexibility, simplification of 

organizational structures, increase of interoperability, improvement of working conditions 

in Public Sector) but also in communication with users (decrease of actual presence of 

citizens, faster, cheaper and easy to access services, decrease of the number of errors, 

increase of transparence and Public Sector openness, increase of development 

opportunities). The proposed actions (Action 4: “Delimitation of Public Authority Model 

Guide” and Action 11 “Enrichment of Back-office systems with additional modules”) shows 

the importance of Information system usage in organizational support of Public Sector 

Bodies. 

In this action, because of the large number of proprietary applications that still operate 

and cover a variety of need in Public Sector Institutions, a number of replacement 

activities are proposed in order these applications to be incorporated in Back-office 

systems. 

In particular, it is proposed that each Body (and especially Ministries) must be obliged to 

elaborate a five year plan for the replacement of all proprietary applications. 

This action, includes among other: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

complete and analytical recording of all systems operating in each Public Sector 

Body 

The configuration of alternative proposals for the replacement and incorporation 

of proprietary application in back-office systems 

The cost and time of replacement 

Replacement Actionsof proprietary application 

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7.3.2 Action 10: Digital Content Creation 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Digital Content Creation 

Improvement of services provided from Public Administrations’ 

Portals 






One of the most important problems that Bodies face when they attempt to provide 

eGovernment services is the limited amount of digital content which is also of pure 

quality. The development of eGovernment demands the existence of digital content which 

today does not exist, or it is very limited. 

The content of this action is the creation of multilingual content. It is assumed that 

content in Greek and English must be published in portals and the translation in other 

languages given the special peculiarities of services. 

The content which will be created must be also available through the special pages which 

are addressed to people with special needs and they are compatible with W3C standard. 

The content of Portals is created, is revised and evaluated constantly. All portals should 

evaluated in annual basis about their content (is it updated? Is it exhaustive?) 

7.3.3 Action 11: Enrichment of Back-office systems with additional modules 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Enrichment of Back-office systems with additional 

modules 

Modernization of Information Systems 






Back office systems that are operating today, concern mainly the financial management 

of the Institutions, since the specialized applications concern the integration of the day to 

day work of public servants. Given the above as a fact, the development of additional 

modules supporting eGovernment services. These systems are CRM Systems (Citizen 

Relationship Management), HRMS (Human Resource Managmenet) Systems, Workflow 

Management (WMS) Systems, Document Management (DMS) Systems etc 

The use of CRM Systems allows Public Administration to provide urgent and reliable 

services to citizens and businesses, since public servants can use all the relative 

information that is needed in order to deal with requests. 

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The use of HRMS systems allows Public Administration Bodies to manage all information 

concerning their Human Resources (like compensation, training, promotions etc) 

Finally, the use of WMS and DMS Systems, allows the organized, methodological and 

efficient search, gathering and distribution of the digital content of the organization. 

The action includes the study of the necessity of the development of Back office systems 

and the design of the associated projects. 

7.3.4 Action 12: Development of Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Development of Human Resource Management Systems 

(HRMS) 

Modernization of Information Systems 






The development and installation of HRMS systems, offers an important tool for the 

development and management of Human Resources in Public Sector. HRMS Systems, 

beside the management capabilities of the daily routine of Human Resource 

(compensation, access control etc) comprises an important tool concerning the 

management of development and training of Human Resources (see also actions 5 and 

7). The operation of HRMS systems will create the basis for better management of 

training programs of public servants, management of skills profiles, objectives etc 

7.3.5 Action 13: Development of national user authentication system (eID) 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Development of national user authentication system 

(eID) 

Improvement of Citizens and Businesses Accessibility to 

eGovernment 


(MIPAD), Citizens, Businesses 


(MIPAD) 


Today, in the framework of eGovernment empowerment, a national user authentication 

system is developed The systems will allow the State from the one side and citizens and 

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businesses from the other to carry out transactions within a secure user authentication 

environment. 

The development of this system, is not a guarantee for the success of this attempt. The 

authentication system is something new in the everyday reconciliation of citizens and 

businesses with the State. It demands the creation of a positive climate in order citizens, 

businesses and public servants to adopt it. 

The promotion of the system (advertisements, training of public servants etc), the 

establishment of conditions that promote the usage of the system (e.g. compulsory usage 

of the system for transactions between Public Administration Bodies) and also the 

continuous support and upgrating of the service will comprise the basic supporting and 

adopting pylons. 

7.3.6 Action 14: Development of eProcurement System for Local Governments 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Development of eProcurement System for Local 

Governments 

The reinforcement of transparency in Public Administration 


(MIPAD), Local Governments 


(MIPAD) 


The implementation of the project “Development of the Nationals eProcurement Systems” 

bring to completion one of the most important eGovernment projects in Greece. The 

implementation of this projects changes “everything” in a very important sector of Public 


After the implementation of this system, the development of a corresponding system for 

Local Governments considered advisable. In this way we will have: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

IT support of the tendering procedures for Local Government targeting to speedup 

and simplify the whole procedure. 

Support for new practices in Public Sector Procurement (framework agreements, 

e-auctions). 

The improvement of IT infrastructure of Local Authorities and the adoption of 

new technologies and practices. 

The creation of an “open” procurement system, accessible from all participants in 

the procurement process 

The improvement of communication between Local Authorities and suppliers 

concerning public procurements. 

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7.4 GROUP 4: Horizontal (Parallel) Actions 

7.4.1 Action 15: Measurement of the Initial Indicators Value of the Measurement 

Framework 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Measurement of the Initial Indicators Value of the 

Measurement Framework 

Reinforcement of the effectiveness of Public Administration 

throughout the adoption of a Measurement Framework 


(MIPAD) 


(MIPAD) 



Calculation of Transaction Time (G2C, G2B, G2G) 

This action includes the calculation of transaction time between citizens, businesses Public 

Administration Bodies, with other Public Administration Bodies. Ti project will be 

implemented for a number of critical transaction which concern services provided to 

citizens and businesses and are provided both the electronic and classic way. This action 

includes: 

o 

o 

o 

Mapping of transactions which will are included in calculations 

Calculation of transaction time the service is provided using the classic way 

Calculation of transaction time the service is provided using electronic means 

Measurement of Quantitative Data concerning Public Administration 

This action concerns the recording of quantitative elements which are included in the 

measurement framework for the measurement of the national strategic objectives 

concerning eGovernment. These elements are: 

o 

Total value of procurements that are entirely carried out online concerning the entire 

Public Sector (Ministries, General Secretariats, Regions, First and Second level of 

Local Authorities etc) 

o Total Number of Public Administration’s Processes and Number of Public 

Administration’s Processes that are fully traceable on the web 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Number of policy drafts and Number of policy drafts online for consultation 

Number of Governmental websites providing platform for digital interaction and 

consultation (online forum, e-petitioning etc) 

Number of public agencies publishing online full organizational chart with indication of 

responsibility and contact information for each public servant 

Number of Law available online 

Number of citizens’ recorded complaints 

Total number of 

Public Sector’s services for citizens and number of Services which 

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April 2007 47


o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

available online 

Number of Public Administration web sites which are compliant with W3C 

standard 

Number of businesses that use the internet for complete online transactions with 

Public Afministration hence saving time 

Number of PCs that Public Sector’s Agencies obtained during the last year 

Total Number of PCs in Public Sector’s Agencies 

Number of Bodies that support the use of Electronic Identification (eID) 

Measurement of Human Resource Data 

The project concerns the recording of human resource elements which are included in the 

measurement framework for the measurement of the national strategic objectives 

concerning eGovernment. These elements are: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Total number of public servants 

Management Executives/ IT Managers’/ Employees average level of IT skills (See 

also action 9) 

Number of employees that are trained 

Number of Public Servants with access to a personal computer 

Number of Public Servants with internet access 

Number of Public Servants with a personal electronic mail account (e-mail) from 

their Service 

7.4.2 

Action 16: Set of Target for the entire Public Sector – Roadmap to 

eGovernment 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Set of Target for the entire Public Sector – Roadmap to 

eGovernment 

Support of eGovernment development in Greece 




(MIPAD) 



Η δράση αυτή αφορά στη θέση στόχων, προτεραιοτήτων και σχεδιασμό των διαδικασιών 

μέσω των οποίων θα υλοποιηθεί η στρατηγική της χώρας για το eGovernment. Στο 

σχεδιασμό του Οδικού Χάρτη για το eGovernment συμμετέχουν Ο Λ Ο Ι οι εταίροι 

(Δημόσιος Τομέας, αγορ ά πληροφορικής, πολίτες, επιχειρήσεις). Στόχο ς είναι ο 

σχεδιασμός των διαδικασιών, η θέση στόχων και η παρακολούθηση της πορεία ανάπτυξης 

του eGovernment στην Ελλάδα με κοινή δέσμευση και προσπάθεια. Η δράση 

περιλαμβάνει: 

First Version 

April 2007 48


This action is about setting objectives and priorities, and designing of processes 

throughout which the national strategy for eGovernment will be implemented. In the 

process of designing the Roadmap for eGovernment, A L L partners participate (Public 

Sector, IT market, citizens, businesses). The aim is to design processes, to set objectives 

for following the development process of eGovernment in Greece with mutual agreement 

and effort. This action includes: 

o 

o 

o 

Organization of design process of the Roadmap 

Roadmap creation 

Calculation of Roadmap progress (connection with measurement framework) 

7.4.3 Action 17: Review of the initial Measurement framework (Version 2) 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Review of the initial Measurement framework (Version 

2) 

Improvement of measurement methodology of administrative 

capacity of public administration and adjustment of the 

measurement framework to the constantly changing demands 


(MIPAD) 


(MIPAD) 



The measurement framework for the quantification of national strategic objective 

concerning eGovernment is the first attempt to design a complete measurement 

framework about eGovernment in Greece. 

Besides the fact that the system is complete, it is certain that after the implementation of 

the measurement framework, the necessity for revision will appear both for making 

corrective actions and to be adjust to the latest developments in Greek and International 

environment (progress of eGovernment Roadmap). The action incorporates: 

o Revision of the measurement framework 

o Introduction of weights in the measurement process 

o Adaption to the demands of following the “eGovernment Roadmap” 

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7.4.4 Action 18: Crisis Management and Disaster Recovery Plan 

Action Title: 

Objective: 

Receivers: 

Suggested 

Implementaton 

Bodies: 



Crisis Management and Disaster Recovery Plan 

Modernization of IT infrastructure 


(MIPAD) 


(MIPAD) 



Crisis Management is a relatively new sector of Management. Deals with forcasting 

possible crisis (e.g. Hacking on the Information System of a Public Administration Agency) 

and the designing of actions to deal with them These action are not limited to the 

technical and organizational action plans, but also facing subjects like communication and 

public relations. 

Respectively, the Disaster Recovery Plan is a complex process which involve all sectors of 

Public Administration. Important part is playing the recording of present situation, but 

more important is the maintenance of these plans as well as the readiness at any time. 

The cost of such a plan is significant, since it includes backup systems, personnel, 

telecommunications and inspections in daily basis. 

It is obvious that in order someone to claim that Public Administration in Greece offers 

eGovernment services of the same level with the services provided by the advanced 

countries in eGovernment, must deal seriously with crisis management as well as with the 

des ign of disaster recovery of the Public Administrations’ systems. It is desirable that 

Public Administration will compose and maintain 

o 

o 

Disaster Rocovery plan (which 

will include the study, the implementation of 

backup systems, the design of processes etc) 

A Crisis Management Guide 

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7.5 Hierarchy of Actions 

In the graph that follows, the proposed actions which are describes in paragraph 7.2 are 

presented in relation with the maturity level and the priorities in implementation. 

Figure 2: Hierarchy of Actions 

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7.6 Proposal Framework Objectives 

The efficient operation of Public Sector and the improvement of financial dimensions which 

are secured through the offering and usage of eGovernment, reduces inefficiency of Public 

Administration and create the right conditions for development and competitiveness growth. 

The speed-up of the development of eGovernment, will correspond to a number of challenges 

and claims: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

modernize and establish effective public services 

provide better and more secure services to citizens 

cover demands from businesses that would like to find less bureaucracy and more 

efficiency in Public Sectors’ Agencies 

To ensure international continuity of public services, which is necessary in order to 

support mobility around Europe 

The proposed framework corresponds to the challenges and contributes to the improvement 

of sectors like the growth of competitiveness, the increase of GDP, the improvement of the 

performance of Greece in international measurements for the improvement of Administrative 

Capacity of Public Administration. 

7.6.1 Growth of Competitiveness in Greece 

Since the Lisbon Strategy set out to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic 

economy in the world, competitiveness has become one of the political priorities of the 

European Union. National industry needs to be competitive if it is to achieve its economic, 

social and environmental goals and thus ensure an improving quality of life for citizens. In its 

efforts to promote competitiveness, Greece also seeks to adapt the economy to structural 

change, relocation of industrial activity to emerging economies, redeployment of jobs and 

resources to new industrial sectors and the risk of a process of deindustrialisation. 

National competitiveness is determined by productivity growth and thus depends on the 

performance and the future of Greek industry, an especially on its capacity for structural 

adjustment. To be competitive, Greece must outperform in terms of research and innovation, 

information and communication technologies, entrepreneurship, competition, education and 

training. 

In order competitiveness to grow, it is essential Greek industry to show demands of the 

sector they operate in and the State to reduce the cost and time of time-consuming and 

bureaucratic processes. 

The development of eGovernment services originate the appropriate environment where 

businesses can invest time, cost and resources concerning their core activities, having as a 

fact the low cost and the prompt transaction with Public Administration. It is obvious, that the 

growth in competitiveness does not require action from the side of businesses only, but also 

from the Public Administration which as to become more flexible, has to adopt the legislation 

and processes, has to put out obstacles which are placed by bureaucratic processes and also 

to provide a clear framework of rules and regulations for the operation of businesses and 

finally quality services. 

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7.6.2 Growth of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) 

The growth of GDP is achieved directly and indirectly, through the development of 

eGovernment for the provision of services to citizens and businesses. 

The direct repercussion that eGovernment development has is the growth of GDP which 

comes from the increase in investments, the increase in spending for Information Technology 

and Communications (ICT), as well as investments in research and development. 

The growth of GDP, is achieved through the development of eGovernment. The improvement 

of productivity in Public Sector, but also in businesses that deal with Public Administration, 

has as a result the growth of GDO (better services, expenditure catbacks etc). The reduction 

of administrative obstacles and the provision of better services (basic parameters for the 

increase of GDP) are achieved through the increase of productivity, which is feasible through 

the re-engineering of Public Administration processes, training and introduction of ICT, which 

actually means the development of eGovernment. 

7.6.3 Improvement of the performance of Greece in international measurements 

The improvement of the performance of Greece in international measurements, is linked with 

the development of eGovernment services. Holding NRI as an example, we ding out that 

most of the lower level indicators which are uses for the measurement of NRI are affected by 

eGovernment progress. 

More analytically, NRI indicator is affective (positive or negative) from: 

State readiness in ICT. This indicator measures the priority that the State give to the 

development of IT for the future, together with digital participation and digital readiness of 

the state. 

The usage of ICT from the State. This indicator measures the penetration of ICT in Public 

Sector through specific parameters (operation of ePtocurement system, deposit of tax etc) 

Political and Legislative Framework. This indicator measures the existence of laws which 

promote and support ICT (laws concerning e-business, digital signature etc). 

It is obvious that the development of eGovernment will improve the impression about Greece 

abroad, since as it appears from the above paragraphs, international organization lay weight 

to the measurement of progess in the introduction of eGovernment. 

7.6.4 Improvement of Administrative Capacity of Public Administration 

The development of eGovernment services contribute to the improvement of Administrative 

Capacity of Public Administration. According to the results of eGovernment Economics Project 

(eGep), eGovenment development leads to the improvement of productivity consequently 

contributes to a number of results, one of which is the Improvement of Administrative 

Capacity of Public Administration 

Besides, it is obvious, tha the introduction of information and communication technologies 

improves Administrative Capacity of Public Administration. The access to databases, the 

communication through the usage of e-mail, the exchange of documents in the digital way, 

the simplification of processes, the increase of transparency in the transactions between 

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Public Administration and Citizens and businesses are a few examples though which the 

above are validated. 

First Version 

April 2007 54

Executive Summary

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