The Development of a B2G Online Authentication Standard: a design perspective of the policy consultation process

The primary focus in design science research is the development of innovative and useful system artifacts. Apart from IT-centric artifacts such as software and hardware, design research outputs can also include constructs, models, methods and better theories. However, there is very little published research concerned with these alternative artifact genres. The research reported in this paper focuses on one of these alternative design outputs that are of particular interest to information systems; the development of innovative technology standards. In this paper it is argued that much can be learnt from using a design science approach to analyze these types of information systems artifacts. A design science theory of punctuated action is presented and used to briefly explore the public consultation process in the development of a B2G online authentication standard for the Australian Federal Government.