The Field of the Future Business Process Transformation: Insights and Challenges

Abstract

BP's FIELD OF THE FUTURE concept makes use of sensors, automation, and computer networks to move real time operations data to remote sites for analysis, enabling informed and fast intervention decisions. Realizing the value from BP's FIELD OF THE FUTURE technology investments requires an integrated design and change implementation approach to business processes, information flows, and people's roles: excellent implementation of the enabling technologies alone rarely solves business problems. Since most oil companies have access to similar base technologies, how we approach process, people, and change management is a strategic differentiator in digital oilfields. Within BP, we now have more than two years of experience in holistically approaching the issues of business strategy, process, people, and technology in E&P operating assets. Some key insights include:Transforming the business starts with process: teams often don't have a holistic view of how they work today, so it is difficult for them to assess the impact of real time information and continuous optimization. Understanding work processes, and their assigned roles, is the logical starting point for this analysis.Building an integrated view of asset activities requires people with systems thinking skills: comparatively few people have the high level view of operating asset integration and information flow to facilitate the development of a current or future work design. The challenges that remain include:Communicating and positioning the transformation offeringEducating implementation project managers about the benefits of including process and people tasks in their plansEstablishing reasonable expectations on the engagement and time commitment needed in redesigning and implementing new processesKnowing the right level of analysis: not confusing process with procedureRecognizing the special challenges of greenfield startups: how to start-up a new asset with new processes from day one. BP's FIELD OF THE FUTURE The FIELD OF THE FUTURE project was established in 2003. In terms of technology, it uses sensors, automation, and computer networks to move real time subsurface and facilities data to remote sites for analysis, enabling informed and fast intervention decisions to be made and executed. The same basic concepts of automation, remote information access, and remote performance management are being applied to both existing and new field developments. We have already seen the impact of intelligent wells, control systems, and real time remote analysis tools on speeding up the pace of interdisciplinary operations support and optimization activities. Similarly, we expect the use and interpretation of near real time, remotely sensed information will transform how development and production geoscience, and reservoir and production engineering is performed. At the same time as near real time information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week globally, demographic challenges will limit the number of people available to interpret and act on the associated rapidly increasing data volumes. New classes of tools, like intelligent agents and optimizers, will allow automation of routine data preparation and monitoring allowing some work to move from white collar workers to computers: ultimately delivering the vision of better decisions, faster.

Antipatterns: A Tool for Continuous Improvement

“…Good background references on antipatterns include Brown, et al (1999), Laplante, et al (2007), Pettit (2007), and Wikipedia. For a number of understandable reasons, examples exist of decisions that do not necessarily lead to the best way to organize and conduct project tasks.…”