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Open-File Report 2004–1359

In cooperation with the Performance Institute

Becoming a Citizen-Centered Government Through Best Practices in Web Management

By H. Kit Fuller

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (993 KB)Introduction

Born in 1991 with the public launch of easy-to-use browser software, the World Wide Web has grown significantly in size, capability, utility, and stature. It has become a pervasive and essential information tool in both the public and private sector. The Web is a medium through which organizations now provide self-service access to essential services, information, and opportunities to millions of customers every day: wherever they are; whenever they need it. But a Web presence does not just happen. Content must be created, tested, approved, formatted, loaded onto servers, and managed for years throughout the life cycle of the information. Computer hardware and telecommunication networks are needed to provide access. Also, designers and programmers are needed to create and maintain interactive applications that provide online services. All of this takes dollars and people and policies and procedures, all of which are incorporated in the notion of Web management. Someone must coordinate all the various tasks, handle the daily surprises and dramas, oversee planning, budgeting, and reporting to senior executives. The larger the organization, the more geographically distributed, and the more internally diverse (in terms of mission), the more complex the challenge of managing Web activities becomes. Research has found that governance is critical in ensuring that IT-related decisions align with organizational objectives. “Companies with better than average IT governance earn at least 20 percent higher return on assets than organizations with weaker governance.” (Ross and Weill, 2004)

First posted 2004

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Suggested citation:

Fuller, H.K., 2004, Becoming a citizen-centered government through best practices in Web management: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004–1359, 103 p., available only online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1359/.


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