Application I of the Method – Version 4

Activity D is dedicated to the "Application of the Method" in the 2^nd Egypt Capacity Building Programme.

Unlike the previous occasion, this programme involved only people directly engaged in digital policies.

The programme was conducted in Guimarães, Portugal, in October 2021. According to the research design, it was considered a "suitable context" where "the artefact" was used. As explained in the previous chapter, the application in a capacity-building programme does not produce a real EGOV strategy. However, using the method by the participants to simulate the formulation of a strategy and roleplaying EGOV strategists produces outputs that feed the development process, although offering limits if compared to a real case scenario.

The researcher assumed the instructor role and taught a class of 27 participants from different government areas, 7 women and 20 men. Nine governmental institutions were represented. Examples were the Presidency, the Administrative Control Authority, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. The lecture was held on 21 October 2021, and this time was split into three modules: EGOV strategy lecture; EGOV Strategy Formulation Method, which used Version 4 of the method; and EGOV Strategy Case Studies, which also included the Brazilian case as a national strategy example, although it did not precisely follow the method. Since the instructor was part of the team that worked on the Brazilian EGOV strategy of 2016 and its revision in 2018, it was easy to link the case with the method stages and guidelines. The course also included the case of the state of South Australia to illustrate a subnational case to the participants. The presentation of the method was illustrated by the cases of São Tomé and Príncipe and Cabo Verde once the strategies of these two countries had been formulated using previous versions of the method. The participants performed a practical exercise dedicated to formulating an Egyptian EGOV Strategy. They use the Method – Version 4, its stages and guidelines, guided by the instructor, and teaching resources developed based on the method's guidelines, techniques, and correspondent instruments.

The lecture resources, including current country strategies, offered inputs for formulating the strategy content. Digital Egypt and referred strategies were a good source of information for developing an Egyptian EGOV Strategy during the training. As there was a very limited amount of time, most data and information were sourced by the instructor to be used as input for the Diagnosis and Context Analysis stage. It included the international ranking of UN/EGDI and Egypt-related data. Data from countries of reference was also provided.

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Participants were split into six groups of three to five people and were challenged to follow the Method – Version 4 stages and guidelines. The exercise included the proposition of Egyptian EGOV goals based on the screening of class material; the country's programs, plans and strategies, such as Digital Egypt; and the analysis of a SWOT table, previously built with the support of Egyptian public officials.

The participants were encouraged to formulate the strategy content formed by strategic objectives, a vision statement, and strategic principles. Afterwards, a set of intervention areas, strategic objectives, and respective enablers was also carried out. According to the teaching material used in the class, participants should follow the proposed strategy formulation process. FIGURE 49 show a slide used to support the participants, with the Method – Version 4 and its new strategy formulation process.

Figure 49: Slide used during the five stages of the Method - Version 4.

The use of international rankings dimensions and measurements has been detailed during all five stages according to the associated guidelines. Teaching resources were the same material used in the previous edition. Unlike the first edition in August 2021, directives of class exercises and respective time limits were explicit. Forms have been created to assure the coherence of the strategy content, stimulating participants to connect the inputs and outputs of each stage. The instructor provided most data and

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information for Stage 1 to improve the relationship between the available time and the exercise results.

FIGURE 50 illustrates part of this effort and the slides used during the training.

Figure 50: Slides used during the 2nd Egypt Capacity Building.

Only five groups presented exercise results because two of the six groups decided to join efforts. As a result of pre-defined forms, the strategy content produced by the participants was consistent and coherent. Egypt's ambitions in EGOV were associated with the EGOV purposes and documents used as sources of information, such as Egypt Vision 2030 and Egypt Digital Transformation Strategy 2021.

FIGURE 51 illustrates it.

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Figure 51: Partial results of the EGOV Strategy exercise, produced by Group 5.

General feedback from the participants was positive, confirming that the method is adequate to formulate an EGOV strategy. According to one of the participants, it can be adequate for the sub-national level, based on the case of the state of South Australia presented in class. During the exercise, participants mentioned that the method addresses the major components of the expected strategy content, including the use of international rankings, which was considered a great value.