The introduction of new completion technologies in Saudi Aramco has historically undertaken a lengthy manual process for approval of use in Saudi Aramco wells. During this process, Petroleum Engineers develop and support production technologies based on analysis of lab and field studies. When the technology is deemed fit for purpose and beneficial to Saudi Aramco, the analysis is formalized and processed through management. Specialist engineers steward these assessment studies through multiple parties for their input. Because the process is manual and inconsistent, process and technology reliability — along with project time duration — cannot be easily estimated and quality assured. The solution is to automate, simplify and optimize the technology piloting process, by introducing a standardized 5-Stage Gate process, and implementing it through an electronic workflow system. The new solution will improve process transparency, tracking and monitoring. It also strengthens the organization's commitment in ensuring transparency and accountability; thus enabling a fair competitive market for technology introduction.

The rapidly evolving tablet and mobile devices have proven their overwhelming popularity, not just as entertainment devices but as valuable productivity tools for enterprises and professionals. Furthermore, mobile computing is becoming an integral player in the Information Technology industry, thereby influencing the design of software applications required by oil and gas organizations. The new generation of tablets and smartphones can be effectively utilized for real time data monitoring and reporting. This can be achieved through the deployment of Upstream software solutions, such as GIS supported reservoir performance monitoring applications, management reporting dashboards, and engineering analytical tools. This paper provides an overview of an assessment project initiated by Saudi Aramco to evaluate the development and deployment of oil and gas Upstream software solutions on mobile devices. The assessment focused on capitalizing on the capabilities of these devices for adding business value and building in-house expertise in the area of mobile application development. The paper will summarize the assessment findings and recommendations for the future direction of applications development methodology and requirements.