Unlocking Value in Upstream Oil and Gas Operations: Leveraging Data Science and ERP for Enhanced Project Management

The business operation team is essentially a combination of industry experts in the upstream oil and gas sector, proficient in data science, and ERP development specialists, dedicated to creating value in key business operations.

The primary objective of this team is data-driven management of engineering and operational processes within the ERP framework. By adopting a data-driven approach to project management, the team not only expedites routine reporting but also enables advanced and comprehensive analyses across various domains, including operations, management, engineering, human resources, procurement, and more.

A significant outcome of effectively utilizing the analytical insights derived from this framework is the reduction of costs in future projects.

In simpler terms, our aim is to create specialized modules within the ERP system for each corporate key business. These modules effectively capture input data from the business and automatically generate the desired outputs for improved project management and strategic planning. This dynamic automation enables better project management and facilitates the strategic planning needs of senior managers. Additionally, it provides the capability to seamlessly integrate and manage data across the organization.

Up until now, two different modules have been developed for geophysics and drilling business, referred to as Geo Operation and Drilling Operation respectively. In the subsequent sections, a brief overview of these two modules is provided.

Geo Operation Module:

The geo operations module, designed specifically for geophysics business , functions as an ERP-based reporting platform for seismic projects.

This module covers daily in-house and client reports (in 12 geophysical disciplines including HSE, survey, LVL, UXO, Camp, Transportation, Road Clearance, QC, Project Control, Helicopter, Recording, Drilling), engineering data analysis, Lost time interpretation, and accurate project controlling/monitoring. It provides quality control for the seismic data entry to improve reporting accuracy and it also improves time-saving and reduces human error with faster and more accurate reporting. Additionally, it helps monitoring and controlling resources such as human resources, vehicles, fuel, and employee performance and helps managing subcontractor invoices and securing project incomes through daily client reports.

Drilling Operation Module:

One further achievement of the team is the drilling operations module. In order to expand accessibility to all essential data, we are now creating a user-friendly platform that makes it easier to enter daily data for drilling operations.

The data that was previously produced as reports (DDR, DGR, DMR, DMLR, etc.) by the field specialists at the top of the mast and provided to the headquarters and client is now integrated, transferred, transformed, and analyzed using the ERP software platform.

We wish to improve the precision and effectiveness of our analyses and enable data-driven decision making in critical situations by introducing integrated data management. This is significant since drilling projects are some of the most expensive upstream corporate endeavors. It is feasible to save a significant amount of money—possibly millions of dollars—and speed up technical work by eliminating waste by optimizing these operations.

Ramin Barzegar
Senior Upstream Data Analyst
Business Excellence