Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) Implementation in a Developing World Context

This chapter presents a case study of back-end information system implementation geared towards encouraging e-Government development in Botswana. The case is an in depth analysis of the implementation of the Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). The focus of this chapter is two-fold: 1) it highlights the factors that influence the adoption and usage of EDRMS by Action Officers and Records Officers at MTI and correspondingly outline EDRMS' facilitatation of information access in the realm of e-Government; and 2) aims to understand the initiatives that have been implemented to facilitate robust e-Government development in the public sector of Botswana. This chapter culminates from a pilot that was done prior to an on-going study hinged on unison objectives. The indicative list of factors explaining the adoption of EDRMS might explain the global perception of ICTs in the public sector in Botswana. The limitation of the study is that its sample space may not be representative of the actual situation in Botswana's public sector given the heterogeneity in different line ministries and departments. Therefore, the results from this study might not guarantee statistical generalizations. The chapter is hinged on extensive literature reviews compounded by anecdotal evidence. This focus is novel because it aims to understand adoption and usage of ICT platforms by employees. Other research endeavours have probed citizens' and businesses' adoption of ICTs before considering institutional and employees' readiness hence investigating macro factors influencing technology adoption.