Abstract
Digital Oilfield (DOF) initiatives seek to improve the way we work, enabling more safe, efficient operation whilst maximising hydrocarbon recovery. These goals are in everyone’s interests, yet delivering change across an organisation remains challenging. Pilot projects have not always delivered the expected benefits and widespread adoption has proven difficult.
Success will require an integrated approach to People, Process, Technology and Organisation (PPTO). In this paper, we discuss a new approach to Front End Loading for change management and capability delivery called "Visualisation and Experimentation" (V&E). Over the past decade, V&E has been used extensively in Defence, Aerospace and The Emergency Services.
V&E uses realistic mock ups of proposed capabilities to allow user centred design and assessment of potential changes. V&E scenarios combine real PPTO components with simulations of those that don’t yet exist, allowing testing of different combinations of technologies, processes and organisational models. V&E delivers significant benefits: -
Informed investment decisions. User in the loop assessment allows benefits and impacts to be understood before committing to a pilot.
Increased benefits and improved take up of new ways of working. End users from multiple assets can test, improve and then approve a potential change in multiple scenarios.
Save time and money. Fewer unsuccessful investments are made.
De-risk change programmes. Integrate PPTO before a pilot is run. Test key decisions and processes, ensuring that the final product works as required.
Examples will show how V&E would be applied to DOF problems varying in maturity: -
Understanding a new concept better ("DOF for the Environment").
Try before you buy for a range of potential solutions (Remote Monitoring).
The paper concludes by answering the question "Can V&E be employed in Oil & Gas".
