Risks

There are a number of risks associated with having, or not having, an architecture. The key risks of having an architecture are:

• potential for constraining thought and limiting the development of solutions - according to Gartner "architectural choices and guidelines, imposed on all government agencies to conform to a single "portal house style," may constrain innovation by the most advanced agencies" [ A. Di Maio (2001), E-Government in Europe: An Unlikely Gold Rush, SPA-14-6518];

• falling into the trap of "one-size-fits-all" approach; and

• the need for an architecture is misinterpreted and is perceived as a threat by some agencies, and they act against it.

The key risks of not having an architecture are:

• development of government's service delivery infrastructure is haphazard, lacks consistency and cannot be leveraged at a cluster or all of government level.

• leads to poor planning, such as:

• wrong dependencies and wrong initiatives with no link to required outcomes;

• resources are wasted through duplication of effort and resource; and

• time is waste and lost.

• government is unable to leverage the overall investment.