iMSA
iMSA: transformation centred on Lean Portfolio Management
iMSA, the IT department of the Mutualité Sociale Agricole (MSA), designs and operates the MSA information system to ensure social protection coverage for the agricultural population and their dependants.
After deploying an agile operational organisation based on the SAFe framework, iMSA chose to adopt Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) with the support of SQLI. The objectives were to align investment decisions with the IT strategy, shift from a resource-based approach to a results-driven one, and establish governance focused on products and value streams.
2025
Steering investments for impact: iMSA’s strategic choice
In 2017, iMSA initiated an agile transformation at the operational team level. However, a persistent gap remained between these teams and the strategic bodies responsible for budgets and priorities. As a result, difficulties increased when arbitrating investments in a constrained budgetary context, along with an inability to regulate the flow of projects.
To address these challenges, iMSA decided to go further by adopting Lean Portfolio Management in order to:
- Move from a resource-based logic to a results-driven approach
- Align investments with strategic objectives
- Introduce governance focused on products and value streams
Implementing Lean Portfolio Management is particularly complex, as it directly impacts strategic, budgetary and financial aspects — sensitive and critical topics. A transformation of this depth remains rare within large organisations and in the social sector. Even institutions that adopted agility well before iMSA have not yet taken this step. This highlights both iMSA’s courage and the critical importance of our support in securing this trajectory.
Our mission: supporting change
To succeed in this transition towards Lean Portfolio Management, SQLI mobilised its expertise in large-scale agile transformation and IT governance. The support provided was structured around several key areas:
- Strategic alignment and framing: ensuring that the construction of the IT Master Plan 2026–2030 is consistent with the LPM target, by structuring work around value streams and IT solutions
- Definition of visions and resources: co-constructing objectives and key results (OKRs) at all levels, from the Executive Committee to operational teams
- Governance and steering: designing a clear governance framework, including roles, responsibilities and decision-making bodies, as well as the lifecycle of strategic initiatives (Epics)
- Awareness and training: raising awareness and supporting more than 300 IT and business stakeholders to understand and adopt the LPM approach
- Support to executive bodies: assisting the Executive Committee in defining strategic themes and OKRs, and setting up a Value Management Office (VMO) to sustain the approach
- Collaborative facilitation: organising and facilitating key events such as participatory budgeting, to initiate a culture of prioritisation and strategic alignment
Through a contextualised, pragmatic and educational approach, SQLI enabled iMSA to complete the essential steps required to establish the foundations of results-oriented governance and a value-centred organisation. Beyond the simple application of a framework, SQLI’s support ensured a deep understanding of the underlying challenges and adaptation to iMSA’s specific context.
We quickly realised that operational transformation brought productivity and time-to-market gains, but that it was not sufficient. Without the LPM layer, it is impossible to move towards strategic decision-making. Thanks to SQLI’s support, we were able to make difficult decisions, such as completing ongoing projects before launching new initiatives. Establishing clear governance and tools for prioritisation through renunciation represents a real cultural shift. Trust was built step by step, and today we know we are on the right path.
Key milestones achieved
This transformation has resulted in major advances and laid the foundations for strategic and operational steering aligned with Lean Portfolio Management:
- An IT Master Plan aligned with the LPM target: structured around value streams with clear objectives and measurable results
- Easier budgetary arbitration thanks to a results-oriented approach
- Clarified governance appreciated by supervisory authorities, business teams and the IT department, providing greater clarity of responsibilities
- Initial tangible successes: creation of a Value Management Office (VMO) in May 2024, organisation of a participatory budget, and team acculturation to the OKR approach
The work carried out with the Executive Committee in summer 2024 represented a key milestone. Defining the strategic orientations for 2025 together enabled us to refocus our objectives and initiate the shift towards strategic and operational alignment. The participatory budget was another major step: for the first time, business teams pitched their Epics while integrating strategic challenges. We feel that the seeds we have sown are beginning to grow.
Next steps to deploy the transformation
Laurent Cluzel, Director of IT Strategy, SDSI Management and Partnerships at iMSA, concludes:
The transformation is underway: we have defined our target vision and put the prerequisites in place. What remains is to define how we will operate. The first real test will be the next participatory budget: will we fully enter a logic where the Executive Committee’s strategy guides investment decisions? Will we be able to regulate the flow of initiatives launched? The initial results are encouraging, but we must continue to fuel the engine.