Paris, April 10th 2008 – MEGA International has been selected by the Malakoff Group to establish its contribution to the French Pension Information System in an IT convergence programme for the various social welfare groups (GPS: Groupes de Protection Sociale) in the supplemental pension field (Agirc and Arrco).
An approach which establishes IS convergence in the social welfare system
The Malakoff Group is involved in an IT convergence programme - an ambitious and innovative operation for Agirc and Arrco federations and organisations. It is ambitious because a shared system will be created within four years to modernise the entire French Pension Information System.
Launched in 2004, the programme enables the convergence of information systems for the various social welfare groups (GPS: Groupes de Protection Sociale) in the supplemental pension field (Agirc and Arrco). This involves:
● Consolidating computing platforms and streamlining information systems;
● Launching a programme to be coordinated and managed by the GPS organisations;
● Setting up and deploying a new information system within the various GPSs.
“This is one of the most complex IT projects in the local business community,” emphasises Jean-Luc Peisner, programmes manager at The Malakoff Group. The system is split into subsets or “application components” for better control of the turnaround times, and costs and risks associated with complex IT projects. Each social welfare group builds its own component and delivers it to the group responsible for integration.
The stakes of the project for the Malakoff Group
The Malakoff Group’s significant involvement in the project is exemplified by the fact that it is responsible for setting up the Fees component. This module, which is installed at the heart of the system, is divided into four quadrants (inputting fees, communicating with the localisation base, transferring and coordinating the inverse SPP [supplemental pension platform], and balancing dues/points).
Here’s what’s at stake for The Malakoff Group:
● A stronger strategic position within organisations and vis-à-vis other entities, especially in terms of programme concentration
● Heavy involvement in the project by taking charge of the Fees component setup
● The ability to manage larger projects
In addition, GIE SI2M is the IT team responsible for developing and producing the Fees component within the Pension Factory project framework.
"In order to begin implementation during the specification phase, one of the crucial steps was to proceed immediately in the right direction, because this phase was only six months long,” notes Jean-Luc Peisner.
Selecting MEGA
To handle these structuring choices, the Malakoff Group decided to rely on the MEGA Modelling tool and the latter’s consultancy expertise for establishing methodological guidelines at the start of the project.
It deployed a dedicated team consisting of four MEGA users to manage the project and one MEGA consultant to help with the implementation methodology, as well as workshops for gathering information and modelling the installation.
The benefits of using MEGA when approaching a project are as follows:
● Consistently modelled information among the various procedures to be specified;
● A common methodology employed throughout the project;
● A common language for all users of the system.
● Formalized information regarding the current (2006), the 2008 target (Fees component) and the 2012 target (entire Pension Factory).
How MEGA consultants helped with the client’s project
From the customer’s point of view, the MEGA consultants enhanced the value of the project itself. According to Jean-Luc Peisner, Programs Manager of Malakoff group, “the methodology used for specifying the functional needs was greatly beneficial for us. It allowed us to structure the project and to free up time from the day-to-day management of the project. In addition, the training of the group provided a great asset to each individual. The workshops on modelling procedures provided by the consultants exceeded the original expectations of the project group."
“In the end, both the functional and the organisational knowledge of the MEGA consultants helped save time and resources in the implementation of a complex project,” he said.
The Malakoff Group is comprised of:
- pension institution Agirc
- pension institution Arrco
- supplemental pension
- six assistance organizations.
Key Figures
● 6.9 billion euros in annual benefits
● 3.8 million guaranteed employees and pensioners
● 6.18 billion euros in retirement benefits
The Malakoff Group’s record of success:
● More than 100,000 customers with pension and assistance programmes
● 1.44 million dues-paying members and 1.59 million retirement pension beneficiaries
● 81,500 dues-paying member-companies
● More than 2,100 employees
● 25 regional installations.