Analytic hierarchy process for the success of e‐government

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to warrant the success of applying information and communications technology (ICT) in e‐government projects, particularly in developing countries, through risk management and modeling of multi‐decision situation. This analytical approach would lead to effective and efficient management of e‐government projects. Design/methodology/approach – Risk management showed that other than information security risk, failures are common in e‐Government projects due to other factors particularly in most parts of developing countries. The problem is a complex multidimensional situation, since project mangers are usually faced with critical diverse decisions and alternatives from which to choose. Employing the multivariate technique of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) allowed decision makers to implement the most important and efficient actions for successful e‐Government projects. Findings – The difficulty of e‐government projects is further complicated due to its compound multi‐attribute environment, considerable economic loss, and mal‐distribution of causes of failure. Using the AHP approach, e‐government case study revealed that – for e‐government success – the decision maker should tackle the highest influence of ICT skill issue because it is of more value than other alternatives: specifically twice, three times, and eight times more than, respectively, culture, leadership, and technology. Originality/value – This case study can provide an understanding into the risks and multi‐decision problem of e‐government projects success. Rather than disastrous subjective decisions, a systematic approach using AHP offered decision makers a rational answer to what are the highest priority obstacles to tackle to safe guard against failure of e‐government projects.