Financial authority apparently remained informed about the affairs of SAAQclic, a previous system administrator.
Rewritten Article:
The Automobile Insurance Corporation (AIC) found itself in a labor crunch, forcing Indian personnel to operate its technological shift, according to a former high-ranking official. This high-level AIC board member, involved in the SAAQclic project, claimed the project was riddled with issues.
From François Geoffrion's perspective, AIC leadership was informed of the project's direction, but mistakes were made. According to him, the AIC simply messed up twice: underestimating their needs and mismanaging the reopening of their offices during the launch of their digital platform.
The first mistake led to a substantial 2020 cost revaluation, necessitating the Ministry of Finance's attention, as per Mr. Geoffrion's testimony before the commission of inquiry. The second mistake engendered significant lines outside AIC offices at the beginning of 2023, making it necessary to temporarily pause operations, about three weeks before the launch of SAAQclic. As expected, elected officials were alerted, according to Mr. Geoffrion.
He stated that it's customary to "flash" before turning things on, yet it seemed the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, might have been taken aback.
"The CEO 'didn't see it coming'"
The AIC's launch strategy, involving the closure of branches, sparked curiosity as to whether warning signs were evident. Mr. Geoffrion responded promptly, sharing his foresight about the potential influx of users that could overwhelm the system.
Anticipating problems, Mr. Geoffrion emphasized the importance of planning to handle increased traffic during a November 2022 meeting with the CEO, Denis Marsolais, and other key personnel. However, Mr. Marsolais still approved the launch of SAAQclic a month later, despite these concerns. Mr. Geoffrion expressed sympathy for the CEO, stating that he probably wasn't aware of the impending issues. Mr. Marsolais had been at the helm for a year when the SAAQclic platform was launched.
Mr. Geoffrion additionally suggested that Jean-Philippe McKenzie, in charge of the project's "registration" aspect, should have intervened. "It's his territory, his counters. He should have warned that he'd be dealing with a high volume of people," he remembered. However, Mr. McKenzie was new to the team.
#### Employees Oversight According to Mr. Geoffrion, the AIC's digital shift was plagued by inconsistency in leadership. "During the race, we changed jockeys, so we lost the depth and history," he noted.
Interestingly, "most of the people working on the 'registration' aspect were in India. Phase 2, the 'human resources' part, was in the red and yellow," he stated, using colloquial terms to describe the project as a catastrophe on two separate occasions.
"We never managed to have the desired number of people on the floor during phase 2," he conceded, attributing this to a lack of technological maturity within the government and in North America. Phase 2, the heart of SAAQ's digital shift, saw costs skyrocket from 638 million to 946 million, according to Quebec's auditor general.
Mr. Geoffrion recalled the moment when the board was informed of the increased costs in September 2020. "We were caught off guard. It was a lot. There were plenty of questions," he said. The increase stemmed from a renegotiation led by the SAAQ's then-head, Nathalie Tremblay, with the highest-ranking official of IBM in Canada, according to Mr. Geoffrion's understanding. To secure funding, "you have to speak to the Ministry of Finance because you'll need to borrow more than planned," he added.
#### Financial Oversight Informed of the budget increase, the administrator believed it was better to pay the higher price for a working system rather than be stuck with outdated, subpar systems at the SAAQ. Changing providers is costly and unnecessary, so Mr. Geoffrion urged sticking with the current provider and swallowing the pill.
As reported by Our site, Minister of Transport François Bonnardel was made aware of the cost overruns in September 2021. In contrast, Mr. Geoffrion maintained that senior AIC management kept the board informed of regular meetings with the responsible ministers. He declined to provide further details.
Mr. Geoffrion was surprised by the magnitude of the cost explosion, not by the overrun itself. "A project like this never ends on time and on budget due to its size and duration," he noted. In 2022, the board permitted the SAAQ to continue its digital shift, despite the allocated budget being depleted. "Don't stop working just because the money problem hasn't been resolved," the witness summarized.
Like the former board president, Guy Morneau, who testified before the Gallant commission, he downplayed the financial implications of the amounts involved. "Address all the little problems, and you'll find yourselves in roughly the same financial position, because that's what this venture costs," he said. "Yes, it's unfortunate that such a mistake was made, but in the end, when the dust settles, we’ll have a system that works. We have a system that works. And it's capable of lasting 20 years."
Potential Implications: - Offshore or outsourced workforces may face communication and coordination challenges in large-scale technology projects, leading to delays or quality concerns. - Project management oversight is crucial in these scenarios to mitigate risks. - The focus should be on finding and retaining local talent with the necessary technological expertise, even if it may slightly increase costs.
The political implications of the SAAQclic project reveal the importance of effective project management. Miscommunications with offshore workers in India during the technical shift led to delays and a substantial increase in costs, which required the attention of the Ministry of Finance.
Moreover, the mismanagement of financial resources, such as underestimating needs and misjudging project timelines, demonstrates the need for political leadership to be well-informed about technological advancements in government financial affairs.
