A Web-Based Integrated Project-Management System Supporting Teamworking and Decision Making on Field-Development Projects

Abstract

Summary Following the re-engineering of the Eni Development Management System (DMS), which occurred in early 2004, Eni developed an information technology (IT) integrated Project Management System (PMS) to support field-development projects. The DMS promotes a stage-and-gate approach to the development of a field, starting from assessment of the value of the field, identification of the viable development scenarios, definition of the selected development strategy, and execution of the project (including the construction of the facilities and the handover to operations). At the end of each stage, a predefined set of data and documents are prepared by the project team to be submitted to a decision gate to support an informed decision by Eni's executives and authorize the start of the next phase. The IT system was developed with a Web Portal technology and it assists in the following:The multidisciplinary team involved in the project (geologists, reservoir and drilling engineers, facility and construction specialists, and HSE consultants) on a daily basis. In fact, it provides web-based tools to share and verify project documents; develop and control the schedule baseline of the project; automatically track cost expenditures against budget values; document and review risks and lessons learned; and manage milestones, issues, and project changes.The executives involved in decision making. In fact, it provides a high-level dashboard with an integrated visualization of the last updated schedule and cost figures for the project, as well as direct access to the main project documents relevant for the decision gate of the current project phase. The system integrates the document-management capabilities of Lotus Domino, extends the planning and control functions of MS Project, automatically imports the budget/actual expenditures from the SAP R3 Enterprise Resource Planning system, and authorizes and profiles users according to their role. It has been used to support 116 project phases across 82 projects. Introduction The Eni E&P Div. recently performed a re-engineering of its own DMS. The DMS covers the entire development process, starting with the identification of an opportunity and its evaluation (e.g., from the first discovery of a hydrocarbon reservoir with an exploration well). It includes the selection, definition, and execution of a project and ends shortly after the production startup (typically after 6 to 24 months). Within the DMS, a development project life cycle consists of five different phases (Fig. 1):Evaluation: The project team assesses the value of the opportunity and the alignment with business strategy based on preliminary reservoir scenarios and development concepts.Concept Selection: The project team generates concept alternatives and selects and optimizes the preferred concept based on technical, economic, and risk evaluation.Concept Definition: The project team refines selected concept, completes tendering, and produces a project execution plan that allows project sanction.Execution: The project team executes the project to achieve a fully operating system meeting cost, time, and quality targets.Production and Closeout: The project team starts up, operates, and evaluates the asset to maintain performance and maximum return to shareholders.