ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY NEWS ASSURANCES (FRENCH): https://www.newsassurancespro.com/organiser-vos-projets-pour-favoriserlinnovation-placez-lamoa-au-coeur-du-dispositif/01691628934

Organize your projects to promote innovation: place AMOA at the heart of the system (translated)
Loic Banguillot, Sunlight Solutions Product Manager
Monday, December 2, 2024

In the field of IT projects, the traditional organization often tends to hinder innovation. This classic structure, although functional, is generally based on a model that gives a central role to the Project Management (PM) teams on the client side. However, this approach can prove limiting when it comes to integrating innovative processes or solutions.

It is common for MOA teams to be composed of business experts who have a perfect command of the issues and specificities of their field. They are often employees who have been with the company for a long time, with excellent knowledge of the systems in place. However, their long experience within the company and their expertise in current processes can paradoxically deprive them of the perspective needed to consider alternative solutions. These solutions, which could be more modern and better adapted to recent technological developments, are struggling to emerge in this context.

Existing systems are sometimes based on old technologies, which were developed to overcome certain technical constraints of the time. Today, technological progress often makes it possible to approach these same needs from a radically different angle, with more efficient, more flexible and more innovative solutions. It is therefore quite possible that with today’s tools, another response will be provided to similar problems.

This situation is not the result of a lack of skills of the MOA teams. On the contrary, it is completely understandable and logical: by being immersed in a specific environment for years, these teams are naturally oriented towards solutions that they know well and that have proven themselves in the existing framework. They are above all focused on mastering the business, and this is their main role. But this mastery sometimes prevents them from considering other approaches that could offer more innovation and added value.

To get out of this dynamic and encourage innovation, it is becoming crucial to rethink the organization of projects. It is proposed to place the Project Management Assistance (PMA) at the center of the strategic and business decisions of the project. The PMA, thanks to its position as an intermediary between the technical and business teams, has a broader view and can provide more global and cross-functional thinking. The choice of profiles within this team is crucial. It is important to select employees who are able to take a step back, question existing processes and bring new ideas. These profiles can come from service companies with diverse experience on similar projects, or even from members of the MOA who have worked on different systems during their career.

With an organization centered around AMOA, the proposed solutions will be challenged more rigorously, and the needs defined more precisely. This will avoid the frequent bias of: “It works like this today, so it must work the same way in the new system”. This static approach can then be replaced by a more open reflection: “Why does it work this way today? Does this configuration really meet the initial need, or is it the result of outdated constraints? Is there a more innovative, more suitable and more efficient solution to meet this same need?”

By adopting this approach, IT projects will be able to free themselves from habits inherited from the past and turn to truly innovative solutions. It is about not simply reproducing existing patterns, but rethinking each process, each functionality, taking into account the opportunities offered by the most recent technologies. Thanks to this new organization, this new balance can be found, making it possible to successfully carry out projects that are both ambitious, innovative and perfectly adapted to the current needs of the company.

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