This work considers the value of applying design methods and other techniques in the implementation of electronic public services. This relates specifically to the use of Information Society Technology (IST) and related topics, for example systems analysis, change management and process reengineering specifically within the British local government sector. This is commonly referred to by the shorthand expression 'e-Government'.The paper examines the motivation behind methods - their design and application, a summary of their development over the past few decades, and an assessment of e-Government centric techniques. This involves a discussion of some of those techniques through a case study and fieldwork concerned with methods applied by a specific group of public agencies, the Metropolitan Borough Councils. E-government forms a complex and inter-organisational innovation, and the work develops an evaluation of its growth since the mid to late 1990's. There is an exploration of the experiences of a variety of methods and their application in light of new and divergent ways of working in the public sector. More recent techniques supportive of its diffusion are introduced, and the thesis takes into account institutional, technological and organisational factors within the public sector specifically and how the concept and practicality of methods are being applied. The future direction and nature of methods within this field are key considerations and form the core of the conclusions of the work.