Assessment of E-services and their Systems

Modern economy is shifting from goods to services. Together with rapid expansion of the information economy and electronic networks it converges in the concept of e-service. Public administrations like any other organizations or individuals can provide electronic services using modern information and communication technologies. A primary goal for public sector organizations is not only to improve operation efficiency and organizational effectiveness to resolve significant, long-term challenges but they need to use existing resources more efficiently to provide public services, must improve the control of their budgets as such projects are mostly funded by tax payers. E-services are developed by applying new technologies, standards and learning from the best practices. We can define e-services as the result of automation, enhancement and integration of the business processes of the traditional services that are moving towards the e-services on demand. Due to their increasing complexity public services are typically not implemented by a single organization that provides the service. Instead, they are composed of independent services hosted by different data and service providers. The growing users' requirements stimulate the provided e-services to respond more effectively to their needs. E-services should be easily and simply accessed in some standard way using different access media and devices. The developments of e-service models were made for the purpose of contributing to a more qualitative and effective development of e-services. The varying complexity, different maturity and rapid growth of the number of new e-services promote the assessment and their comparison with each other. It is vital to discover procedures which can examine these e-services and their systems. The e-service models make it possible to measure e-services and their systems in different ways and dimensions. The periodic evaluation (or self-evaluation) of e-services is challenged in the need of assessment in what sophistication level the e-service is at the current moment. This paper presents the e-service evaluation model for the assessment and comparison of e-services in public sector and their systems. The e-service evaluation model will assist the authorities and other organizations to assess the maturity and complexity of the e-services provided, and the systems that support these services. It should be helpful in comparing of e-services with other e-services or the same e-services provided by other organizations in the country and/or with other countries. The e-service model is based on the Reference Model for Service Oriented Architecture. The hierarchical structure of evaluation criteria that is the basis of the e-service evaluation model is presented.