Improving Drilling Performance through Deployment of 12-Project Management Critical Success Factors: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Oil and gas drilling projects are the primary means by which oil companies recover large volumes of commercially available hydrocarbons from deep reservoirs. These types of projects are complex in nature, involving management of multiple stakeholder interfaces, multidisciplinary personnel, complex contractor relationships, and turbulent environmental and market conditions, necessitating the application of proven project management best practices and critical success factors (CSFs) to achieve success. Whereas there is a CSF approach to managing complex projects in construction, manufacturing, and even R&D, there is no empirically verified project management CSF approach to implementing (complex) oil and gas drilling projects. Additionally, the literature has reported alarming rates of oil and gas drilling project failure, which is attributable not to technical factors but to failure of project management. The aim of this two-part quantitative correlational study therefore, was to discover an empirically verified list of project management CSFs, which consistent application leads to successful implementation of drilling projects. The study collected survey data online, from two randomly derived samples of oil and gas drilling personnel: Members of LinkedIn's online community "Drilling Supervisors, Managers, and Engineers".

The influence of factors on project management: a qualitative approach

“…Not knowing the effects that certain factors can have during deployment of a project is undoubtedly a genuine problem. Factors, if not managed, can lead projects to failure, as already described by authors, such as Alagba (2014), Alias et al (2014), Belout & Gauvreau (2004), Berssaneti & Carvalho (2015), Cooke-Davies (2002), Dvir & Lechler (2004), Hung et al (2014), Ihuah et al (2014), Kuo & Kuo (2010), Müller (2016), Nguyen et al (2019), Qi et al (2014), and Young & Poon (2013). The evidence often occurs after project deployment, regarding differences between planning and execution.…”