Hello Pascal. First of all, could you tell us a little about your background and your work at GENCI?
Hello. I'm originally a mechanical engineer with a computer science option; I was trained at UTC [Editor's note: the Compiègne University of Technology]. My first job was as a systems engineer in the LadHyX laboratory at Polytechnique. In 1994, I joined the CNRS, working for the Institut du développement et des ressources en informatique scientifique (IDRIS). User support has been at the heart of my activity ever since, up to the position of Deputy Manager of the "Assistance" team.
Building on this experience, I joined GENCI in 2020, in the "Operations" team. A whole part of my work today lies in mastering the issues linked to data and its management. Another part consists of implementing specific projects, including this certification process. This is a collective project. It has involved all the members of the "Operations" team, the management team and, more broadly, GENCI staff.
ISO 9001 certification: what's it all about?
La roue de Deming
To try and put it simply, ISO 9001 certification reflects our ambition for constant improvement. It's a way of improving and moving forward. It allows us to put aside the temptation of perfectionism, while maintaining a high standard of quality. In implementing ISO 9001 certification, the idea is to frame, quantify and objectify without weighing things down.
The scope of ISO 9001 certification covers the allocation of calculation resources. What does this mean?
The certification obtained by GENCI relates to the process of resource allocation (computing hours and storage) and strictly to this aspect of our activity alone. I would like to remind you here that the allocation of hours is a system that mobilizes human and digital resources within the framework of the "DARI" (Demande d'attribution de ressources informatiques). The www.edari.fr website provides a detailed understanding of what is involved; above all, it enables researchers to submit and track their application file and the subsequent use of their allocation.
To sum up, we could say that the allocation of hours consists of a procedure aimed at offering researchers who apply, after peer review, computing hours and storage on GENCI's machines, hosted and operated by the computing centers: the Joliot-Curie, Jean-Zay and tomorrow Adastra supercomputers.
However, the allocation system is broader and more complex. Indeed, the procedure involves upstream information on the resources requested, then an evaluation of the projects submitted by experts within the framework of "Thematic Committees" dedicated according to the research theme. Collectively, the allocation process mobilizes several stakeholders, including the chairmen of the thematic scientific committees, representatives of the computing centers and representatives of GENCI associates. Finally, allocation also involves monitoring the arbitrations carried out. In this respect, a whole area of relations with users needs to be taken into account.
ISO 9001 certification also guarantees the quality and objectivity of the work produced by all participants in the process of allocating computing resources. It is an additional indicator of confidence for the scientific community, both academic and industrial, wishing to use GENCI resources.
How does ISO 9001 certification work?
Certification does not give a blank check. It commits its holders to formalizing a system that is both objective and non-penalizing. This involves setting up a grid of activities to take stock of the current situation, with objectives allocated to GENCI's various departments and spread over time. The formalization of the "quality plan" is a pivotal stage: it leads to the implementation of concrete actions based on "process sheets" which have been drawn up with a manager or "pilot" for each process. These actions are themselves evaluated via "indicators" which enable them to be quantified.
A "certifying" person intervenes at the end to validate the suitability of the standard and verify the implementation of the actions decided upon. This first stage lasts about a year. However, it is preferable to consider a three-year period: in fact, "complementary" certification takes place every year for the following two financial years.
What are the advantages of ISO 9001 certification, and what are the prospects for GENCI?
Certification gives visibility, but above all it is a validation by an independent body of the quality of the process for allocating computing hours, in other words of a service provided to users of GENCI's national resources. It is a guarantee of confidence, attesting to the quality and objectivity of the work carried out by all stakeholders.
The ANR took this step in 2018. Other computing centers in Europe have also carried it out, but not necessarily on attribution. In the UK, obtaining ISO 9001 certification for the entire activity of a computing center can be an obligation.
For us, this ISO certification remains today the fruit of a voluntary approach. The ambition exists within GENCI to eventually broaden the scope of ISO certification, which could cover other aspects...