Abstract
In the late 1980's BP EXPLORATION acquired controlling interest in Britoil and Standard Oil. The resultant company inherited a range of approaches to petrotechnical systems. and a complex portfolio of systems which did not fit easily together and were often duplicated, in some cases as many as six separate systems performing the same functions.
The management of systems development and procurement was diverse. Each geographical operating unit and the two technology centres in London and Houston had systems development and support groups and their own budget and views on direction.
The resultant expenditure on Information Technology was very large, equivalent to approximately 11% of the expenditure on exploration and field development in 1989.
In 1989 a study was conducted which reviewed the petrotechnical component of systems expenditure and identified the key elements of a strategy which would deliver material benefits to the company. This paper describes these key elements and progress to date.
