Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) are converging as integration from the real-time to the enterprise gains ground across many industries. This paper focuses on accelerating the convergence of IT and OT to deliver increased safety, efficiency and productivity in the petroleum industry resulting from harmonizing processes, aligning technologies and enhancing governance. We start by contextually defining IT vs. OT to highlight key attributes of these capabilities as information technology vs. digital capability used in process operations. With this context and differentiating attributes of our industry, we discuss the need and present means to align business strategy, process capabilities, technical disciplines, work processes, and organizational models to achieve value in convergence – specifically, business and operational change management needed to realize better decision support through improved visibility, discovery, predictability and optimization. After presenting a structured approach to assess maturity and plan for convergance within the framework of existing and new digital oilfiled initiatives, we propose a way forward as a change management process. We conclude our discussion by presenting a recent example to highlight collaboration across the ecosystem to foster integration across disciplines, and enable utilization of internal and external expertise.

If a brand-new oilfield product or service becomes widely used in less than a decade, that's fast. The fact is that the petroleum industry is one of the most conservative when it comes to adopting new technology. This paper proposes and describes the use of a capability adoption index to benchmark and measure the development and adoption level of oilfield systems with real-time capability. The capability adoption index is a tool for measuring and managing the advance of real-time technology in the industry. The application tracks incremental change and provides a roadmap for technology development and adoption. There are three main reasons for deploying systems with real-time capability. First is the growing shortage of skilled professionals. Second is the need to operate in harsh or environmentally sensitive regions, where monitoring and controlling operations from a distance can improve safety and limit the environmental footprint. The third driver is that systems that feed back data in real time may increase production by allowing operators to respond quickly to changing conditions in the well. The 10-level index provides a bigger picture of the maturity of real-time technologies within the global market. The different levels of technology adoption are illustrated both for geographic areas and for different services. The roadmap towards autonomous automation provides more efficiency and profits for the operating company. For service companies, the ability to drill, test, operate, and control wells with real-time capability helps maintain the quality of service delivery. It creates more efficiency for people and systems. In the industry's journey toward autonomous automation, the significance of the index is a measurement allowing companies to look back at their progress, manage change, and plan the road ahead. Introduction In the conservative oil business, it often takes five years or more to adopt new technologies and services. The Capability Adoption Index is a management tool that measures the acceptance level of ten key capabilities that use what the industry loosely calls "real time" technology. Developed for internal use, the global capability adoption index for real-time systems could advance and help speed the deployment of oilfield technology worldwide and would be a valuable tool for our industry. Here we define real time capability is the adoption of digital technology for the rapid transfer of field data to individuals or control centers, and the ability of humans or control devices to respond with equal speed to the data they receive. The ultimate goal is an autonomously automated system that responds to changing conditions in a timely way. Drivers and approach for real time capability There are three main drivers for deploying systems with real time capability. First is the growing shortage of skilled professionals, fueled in part by the coming retirement of a large portion of the industry workforce. Real-time systems give one person or team the ability to increase efficiency. Second, there is a need for real time, remote control technology in harsh or remote environments. And third, real-time systems have the potential to increase production by responding faster to changing conditions in the well. Although many of the systems for managing oilfield operations in real time are available now, people and processes often lag behind. There are also gaps in the technology itself. Some tools enabled with real time are still being developed, both to meet existing needs and to create new capabilities.

In a competitive environment and uncertain economic conditions, running flawless operations is becoming an even more acute concern. This is true for any operator and for service companies providing production optimization services. To this end, a digital oilfield program was implemented across several assets as part of an operations excellence program. The operations excellence program was designed as a vehicle to maximize the performance of operations and implement a common culture in the assets. This comprehensive program covers all main operational processes of the asset. Each of the domains is addressed from the point of view of processes, people, and management systems, to implement best practices and achieve a common culture. A well-defined methodology enforces the change. The digital oilfield program was designed from the beginning as an essential element of the operations excellence program, one with impact on the work processes and value generated by the assets. It comprises a standard that defines the minimum requirements, an implementation methodology, a technical guidance, and audits. When combined, these programs provide efficient integrated management of the assets. If the digital oilfield is usually seen as a technical project focusing on infrastructure, its implementation as part of the operations excellence program enables achieving three major objectives: modifying operational practices to take the technology into account, framing the digital oilfield to optimize its value, and feeding operations excellence with reliable data to maximize decision quality.