Overview
Background
The Queensland Government recognises the need to present a customer-focused view of information to help customers access the online services they want without needing to understand the complexities of government.
As a result, in October 2001 Cabinet endorsed a strategy for the progression of agency websites to become part of a collaborative and integrated system of service provision, which maintains agency responsibility for content management, but provides standard user experiences regardless of individual agency structures.
In order to achieve this, the Gateway Redevelopment Project was tasked with the initial development and agreement on the implementation of whole-of-government standards for the presentation, storage and exchange of information.
The initial rationale for this development was presented in the IBM Global Services Report (
- 284kb) It states in part:
"If each agency site looks and feels different from every other one and is organised uniquely, the customer faces a confusing and frustrating hunt for information. No matter how good any individual site may be, if there is no consistency or coherence among the multitude of sites the customer must search, the overall effect is one of complexity and confusion.
To hide the complexity of government structure from the customer is therefore not simply a matter of placing a gateway on top of existing websites. It requires all agency websites to become part of a coherent and co-ordinated system of service provision. Each agency therefore will have a responsibility for integration with the gateway and all other agencies within the standards and overall structure established."
The proposed standards will facilitate the provision of a positive and consistent customer experience, as well as allow for flexibility in the presentation of information within the scope of these whole-of-government standards.
It is acknowledged that financial implications for agencies may occur in relation to the implementation of agreed whole-of-government standards. However, where possible, implementation of standards will be aligned with individual agency plans for investing in their existing Internet sites in order to minimise the cost implications.