The interministerial digital directorate, DINUM, is rethinking its strategy and action. On March 9, it presented its new roadmap. In the spirit of “start-up nation” dear to President Macron, the roadmap is inspired by the codes of the start-up – and the private sector more broadly.
An example: co-construction, here with the public digital ecosystem. The new direction of DINUM is set by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Public Service, its supervisory authorities.
The State Startups approach as a model
In the light of the new five-year term, the latter “wished to give it a clear and ambitious course for public digital, so that it constitutes a powerful lever to make the State more efficient, simpler and more sovereign”.
These main principles have yet to be implemented operationally. For DINUM, its action will therefore revolve around four priorities. The first concerns the transformation of organizations and working methods.
For the conduct of State digital projects, the management intends in particular to draw inspiration from the State Startups approach of beta.gouv. The key is the adoption of a method favoring experimentation, iterations, then scaling up.
Considered effective, this approach “deserves to be implemented more widely by all administrations”. The composition of the project teams must evolve in parallel. DINUM intends to move away from annualized projects and operating in silos in favor of multidisciplinary teams and incremental developments.
A remedy for the excesses of major projects
It lays down another line of conduct with regard to the management of projects: “measurements of impact over time rather than a purely solutionist approach” will be required. How to mitigate or prevent the excesses specific to major IT projects? The previous measures taken in this area (articles 3 and 4 of the DINUM decree) had a “relative” impact.
For a significant part of the projects, including the most important, the initial framework is not respected, notes the DSI of the State. This results in an average delay of 26% and a budget overrun of 24%, on average.
“These drifts are on the increase with several projects of several tens of millions of euros in obvious difficulty”, she further specifies. It is therefore critical to act. The DSI will therefore go beyond its role as a trusted third party on major projects.
It now offers “punctual support by the digital intervention brigade”. This brigade, at the service of the ministries, is made up of multidisciplinary expertise, including agile coaches.
The DINUM HRD of the digital sector
Reducing abuses will also involve strengthening internal skills. In a February circular, the government urged administrations to reduce their consumption of external services and to develop their internal skills. This orientation is also included in the DINUM roadmap.
Its second priority is thus to “significantly strengthen digital skills within the State”. The transformation of the administration requires “having sufficient skills in quantity and quality”.
The challenge for the years to come will therefore be to attract, recruit and retain digital talent, which is a challenge in itself. The management nevertheless believes that the new methods of conducting projects will contribute to the attractiveness of the public. DINUM will also take on a new role, that of HRD for the digital sector.
Like private actors, the administration also insists on the need to better enhance its data assets. The “effective” use of data should allow for efficiency gains and greater simplicity for taxpayers and agents.
Finally, through the roadmap, the government reiterates its commitment to digital sovereignty. The objective here is to encourage the pooling of developments, in particular on an open source basis. This doctrine aims to “ensure the control, sustainability and independence of the State information system”.
To roll out its roadmap and take on its new responsibilities, DINUM needs additional resources. The recruitment of 40 agents in 2023 and 2024, in addition to the 180 employees currently, must participate in it, as will the increase in its credits (5.2 million euros this year).