E-government is about transforming the way government interacts with the governed. The process is neither quick nor simple. It requires a coherent strategy, beginning with an examination of the nation's political will, resources, regulatory environment, and ability of the population to make use of planned technologies.

The success of e-government requires fundamentally changing how government works and how people view the ways in which government helps them. There is no one size fits all strategy in implementing e-government, but we have identified five essential elements in the transformation process.

Some words of caution - the primary motivation for e-government reforms should not be focused on saving money or cutting staff. While those can often be valuable results, the savings incurred from e-government initiatives most often benefit businesses and citizens utilizing the improved system, and not necessarily the government agencies that invested in ICT.

In order to realize efficiencies, moreover, governments must develop a citizen-centric model that involves key stakeholders outside of government - businesses, trade associations, scientists, academics, and NGOs. Without their input, e-government projects are unlikely to succeed, because citizens will not use a system that does not respond to their needs. Once a consensus has been reached, leaders must fully communicate the vision to the public.