An Innovative Global Information Management Solution for Exploration Unlocking the Value of Unstructured Data in Oil & Gas 1
Executive Summary The exploration function of a global Integrated Oil and Gas company had difficulty finding and trusting their unstructured information (information not stored in relational database). The information was scattered across the entire organization in thousands of folders on shared storage drives and with many different versions of the same document. Locating information was described as finding a needle in a haystack. Documents retrieved by explorers could not always be trusted to represent the most recent version. It was significantly limiting the ability to identify new plays and prospects, and was impacting the organization s Resource Replacement Ratio (RRR). In addition, the latecareer professionals were leaving the organization. They were effectively not only taking their technical knowledge with them, but also their knowledge on how documents and data were stored. In response, a robust and scalable architecture was developed and deployed across the global exploration community in alignment with core business processes. The foundation of the solution was built on three integrated Systems of Record structured, unstructured, and geospatial systems to ensure that all data could be Trusted. The solution fully integrated a core set of knowledge management tools directly into the explorers workflows, avoiding navigation to other systems. Everything was made accessible through one single click. Now discussion forums and the archived conversations live on the same page as the critical accompanying documents, and all other required information is displayed in one environment. To demonstrate user adoption of this solution and deliver real business value, the project team developed novel approaches to measure adoption results and identify gaps. A strong focus on proactive change management and changing behaviors played a major role in driving acceptance and adoption. 2
The Problem The exploration business function had recognized that they hit the wall. They had an expansive repository of secure, unstructured data that was housed in distributed storage across the globe but it was increasingly difficult to fully leverage the current and historical data generated by the business. This translated into missed opportunities and impacted decision quality within the business. Historical documents (studies, reports, and data) have significant value both today and in the future. Analog information allows the explorers to extrapolate and validate information, which improves decision making and the ability to identify and advance new prospects. Additionally, new technology opens up opportunities in previously analyzed plays that were once seen as not economically viable. The combination of these factors defined the importance of harvesting and benefiting from historical data. Adding to exploration s challenge, the business was losing its most experienced and seasoned geologists to retirement (the great crew change as outlined in Figure 1). As the latecareer, experienced professionals were reaching retirement age, a talent gap was widening that needed to be filled with less experienced professionals and new recruits. The existing midlevel career professionals become the conduit between the late and early career professionals. They must accumulate the collective experience that is leaving the organization while sharing and mentoring the earlycareer professionals. In addition to people development programs such as mentoring and job rotations, the organization needed a platform to manage knowledge across the upstream organization. To ensure success, the platform needed to meet the needs of a diverse audience with varying levels of computer literacy and varying degrees of experience. Figure 1 3
The Solution The business recognized that they needed to make an investment to aggressively move up the Knowledge Management Growth Curve (see Figure 2). The company set forth an objective to move from the Data Stage to the Information Stage and the Knowledge Management Stage. This decision required rethinking how data is managed in order to generate incremental value. Figure 2 Boxley Group and Genesis RTS worked together to develop an innovative, userfriendly solution to solve this business challenge. The solution is built on trusted, governed data sources Oracle, ESRI, and SharePoint. The three main elements support structured, unstructured, and geospatial information aligned around a common core (see Figure 2). It is aligned and integrated with exploration business processes. Searching and accessing data through a geospatial interface, the explorers now find documentation associated with a discovery, or conduct a thorough analysis on prospects and well data by a few clicks. Figure 3 4
To address the knowledge drain with the retirement of experienced explorers, a holistic approach to knowledge management was infused into the solution (see Figure 4). New capabilities such as social collaboration, communities of practice, and contextually relevant search results, were integrated with existing enterprise platforms to capture and share knowledge. This knowledgefocused information management foundation facilitates technical project decisions, task management and Figure 4 knowledge access across the globe with its initial support for cross platform mobility. By embedding these new capabilities directly into the exploration team s business workflow, the solution adoption rates were accelerated and global communities developed by using of the solution. Having a stateoftheart technical design will not add value unless properly deployed and implemented. A robust deployment methodology, with an embedded change management component, enables swift deployment and adoption rates. The value of the solution can be determined through statistical measurements and analytics such as number of site visits, the size of the data storage, conversations, forum participation, and through questionnaires and surveys. For example, the team is able to quantify hours saved, leadership support and overall value of the solution. By connecting the adoption rate with a savings amount in dollars, the exploration teams are provided clear and measurable targets. Figure 5 5
The Value (Predicted): During the project planning stages, a thorough value analysis was conducted as part of the project business case. Three key value drivers were identified: New exploration projects: reduced time spent by explorers looking for and compiling relevant data for new project initiatives. Ongoing project activities: reduced time spent by explorer and other personnel on support activities critical to ongoing projects. Onboarding savings: reduced time required for onboarding new resources. In addition to the measurable benefits above, the project team identified several intangible benefits: improved safety reduction of information loss improved decision quality improved team collaboration growth in functional and project communities providing greater access to corporate resources The actual value is tracked, published and regularly reviewed with the leadership teams (see Figure 6). The visibility of the solution is critical to its governance and sustainability, ensuring its viability into the future. Figure 6 6
Information Management (IM) initiatives frequently focus on the technology alone and not the underlying behaviors. At Boxley Group, we believe end users cannot outsource the ownership of information and they have the responsibility to be good information stewards. Our IM solutions have been delivered working directly for the Oil & Gas Upstream Business functions including Reservoir Management, Drilling & Completions, and Exploration as well as support functions such as Supply Chain and Legal. Boxley Group consultants help to bridge the gaps that tend to exist between the four cornerstones of a business: Strategy, Operations, Commercial and Technology, helping each to work better together in alignment rather than in isolation. We add value by offering seasoned energy industry consultants that work closely with clients to understand their needs, identify opportunities, and deliver innovative sustainable results. Genesis RTS represents a disciplined partnership of highly skilled subject matter experts, in the drilling operations and completions environments, knowledge management professionals, and proven realtime NASA trained systems engineers whose track record is unsurpassed. This exclusive collection of talent allows us to provide clients unique successbased, opportunities to optimize their upstream operations while significantly reducing lost and unproductive time, increasing safety for personnel and driving the overall value of the well or field. Genesis RTS helps our partners empower their greatest asset: people. Our integrated team approach with industry subject matter experts and knowledge management professionals specializes in architecting knowledge management frameworks that drive business value. By leveraging a company s existing resources and integrating the right mix of people, process and tools we facilitate workgroups overcoming the barriers to effective communications and decision making. These culture and technology driven frameworks connect our client s workforce s daily rituals, enabling them to efficiently find and use critical information while seamlessly communicating across multiple platforms and work environments. 7