Standard Work Processes Research Articles

A Flexible “Well-Factory” Approach to Developing Unconventionals

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 175916, “The ‘Well-Factory’ Approach to Developing Unconventionals: A Case Study From the Permian Basin Wolfcamp Play,” by Jarrad Rexilius, Chevron, prepared for the 2015 SPE/CSUR Unconventional Resources Conference, Calgary, 20–22 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. In order for operators to grow production and maintain profit margins in unconventional-resource plays, a “well-factory” or “manufacturing-based” style of development is often used. This paper will analyze differing well-factory approaches to unconventional assets, with examples from the Wolfcamp unconventional oil play in the Permian Basin. An emphasis is placed on using a well-factory model that enables flexibility for project-execution teams to optimize, while maintaining the efficiency and execution speeds that a classical factory model provides. Introduction With the relatively recent boom in unconventional-resource plays, the concept of manufacturing has been widely proposed and applied to the upstream industry. Many companies across the globe have adopted well-factory models and a manufacturing-based approach in developing large-acreage positions in unconventional plays. A common theme across industry literature is the claim that a manufacturing approach to unconventional-resource development leads to greater efficiencies with regard to drill days and well costs. These improvements are largely attributed to supply-chain and contract optimization, logistical efficiencies, and materials management. A common theme in literature devoted to the well-factory approach, however, is the lack of discussion concerning well recoveries and maximizing reserves. By focusing only on costs and cycle times, decisions are quickly made that can affect the ultimate recovery of wells and therefore diminish overall economic return from the wells. A one-size-fits-all approach with standardized designs and strict work processes can lead to suboptimal economic development plans and erode the value of oil projects. Flexible and Adaptable Factory Model To date, the development philosophy of many operators in the unconventional space has been to drill as many identical wells as possible as quickly as possible. These metrics of speed and cost have had the desired result of enabling production growth for the development area. However, operators are noting that such a method often results in many underperforming wells and more surprises during the execution phase. Practitioners are finding that subsurface environments can change dramatically over hundreds of feet, and that simply drilling more of these wells in the same fashion will lead to value erosion and production inefficiencies. Another misconception with these resource plays is the notion that gathering of data—such as openhole logs—is not important. It is important that a factory model provide sufficient flexibility to enable operators to modify plans to prevent poor economic performance of investments. There is a balance to be made between use of this adaptive and flexible approach and maintenance of the efficiencies and economies of scale provided from a well-factory style of development.

Psycho-soziale Belastungen bei einfachen manuellen Tätigkeiten in ganzheitlichen Produktionssystemen im Spiegel arbeitswissenschaftlicher Ansätze / Psychosocial strains during simple manual assembling tasks in lean production systems, as reflected in various approaches of labour research

Abstract Restrukturierungen werden in ganzheitlichen Produktionssystemen eher kleinschrittig im Rahmen kontinuierlicher Verbesserung (Kaizen) vollzogen. Doch die Beschäftigten befinden sich dabei im Spannungsfeld zwischen Standardisierung und Innovativität. Auf der einen Seite werden monotone standardisierte Arbeitsabläufe verlangt, und auf der anderen Seite sind die Beschäftigten stets dazu aufgefordert, die Standardisierungen als Bestandteil eines kontinuierlichen Verbesserungsprozesses zu hinterfragen und zu optimieren. Oft werden in ganzheitlichen Produktionssystemen nur ergonomische Bedmgungen betrachtet. Psychische Belastung wird oft nicht ausreichend berücksichtigt. Der Artikel beleuchtet deswegen die psychischen Belastungsfaktoren, die solche permanenten Restrukturierungen verursachen und wie man diese mit arbeitswissenschaftlichen Ansätzen fassen kann, indem man bestehende Ansätze kombiniert.

Situated with Infrastructures: Interactivity and Entanglement in Sensor Data Interpretation

This paper elaborates on situatedness as an empirical phenomenon in computer-mediated settings. It is based on studies of petroleum engineers and how they work with digital sensor data. We show how their work practices are born out of a history of constitutive entanglement with specific types of sensors, the data they produce, and the information systems that process them. This entanglement arises from interaction between humans, technology, and the oil reservoir and is a fundamental aspect of the situations in which interpretative work occurs. We empirically show how different sensors in the petroleum production systems produce data in interaction with their surroundings, and that these data are creatively “stretched” to represent subsurface phenomena. When groups of engineers collaborate remotely with colleagues to make sense of problematic data, entanglement with specific II’s is an important aspect of situatedness. The situationally particular in these settings is not as much a matter of locations as of histories of interaction with specific technologies. The notion of situatedness has been pivotal in stressing the importance of the particular circumstances in which work is performed. It has throughout its history been a counterweight to rationalistic accounts of work and the focus on design of standardized work processes. Here we show that patterns of interaction with specific information infrastructures make up a crucial part of situated work and that these may have non-local dimensions.

Implementing Toyota Production System Practices Improves Efficiency of Patient Care in an Academic Vascular Practice

Toyota Production System (TPS) methods have been advocated for use in medical settings. We sought to improve operational efficiency in the vascular clinic and vascular laboratory by instituting these lean management principles. To operationalize rapid change, the TPS principles were introduced and implemented with our management and entire clinic and lab staff. These principles included value stream mapping, 5-S, standard work, and continuous improvement processes. The desired changes were evaluated after 6 months using appointment availability, clinic and lab volumes, patient satisfaction and employee engagement metrics as the outcomes variables. Over the study period, clinic visits increased by 7% (383 to 410 visits per month), while new patient visits increased by 15% without increasing staff support. Improved efficiency resulted in an increase in available vascular lab appointments by 29% without extending work hours. Coordination with the clinic appointments also improved: total lead time for those with dual appointments decreased by 56% (126 minutes to 55 minutes), proportion of lab visit starting late decreased by 72%, and lab visits ending after scheduled start of clinic appointment decreased from 50% to 18%. Even with increased clinic volumes, employee job engagement improved (score 93 vs 55; P < .0001) and patient satisfaction was maintained (score 91.3 vs 93.1; P = .14). Adoption of TPS management strategies can rapidly improve patient care processes. Implementing programs that increase efficiency in delivering healthcare without increasing costs will become more paramount as health care dollars become more scarce.

Identifying, Communicating, and Responding to Project Value Interests

AbstractOne of the most challenging aspects of project development and execution is to identify and define project elements, components, or attributes that add value to owner organizations. In addition to typical delivery requirements such as cost and schedule, there are a number of other project-specific attributes that can increase project profitability and/or reduce risks. Often owner organizations are not fully aware of these attributes, or fail to properly communicate them to the contractors. As a result, the engineering and construction (E&C) community is unable to efficiently respond to the customer’s expectations. The E&C focus becomes a wide variety of perceived client’s value interests, instead of few important ones. Thus, a two-year study sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute was initiated to develop a standard work process and a tool that could assist in identifying owners’ project value interests, provide a standardized form for their communication, and aid in identifying an approp...

Understanding Microbialite Morphology Using a Comprehensive Suite of Three-Dimensional Analysis Tools

Microbialites can have complex morphologies that preserve clues to ancient microbial ecology. However, extracting and interpreting these clues is challenging due to both the complexity of microbial structures and the difficulties of connecting morphology to microbial processes. Fenestrate microbialites from the 2521±3 Ma Gamohaan Formation, South Africa, have intricate structures composed of three distinct microbial structures: steeply dipping supports (surfaces defined by organic inclusions), more shallowly dipping supports with diffuse organic inclusions below them, and draping laminae. In polished slabs, shallowly dipping supports with diffuse organic inclusions show apparent dips from 27° to 60°, and supports without associated zones of diffuse inclusions dip 75° to 88°, which suggests a distinction between support types based on orientation. However, dips exposed in polished slabs are apparent dips, and three-dimensional analysis is required for analysis of true dips. Through the Keck Center for Active Visualization in Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES), we used locally developed software that controls a three-dimensional environment with head and hand tracking (an "immersive environment") to visualize and interpret virtual microbialite data sets. Immersive environments have not penetrated into standard scientific work processes ("workflows") due to their high costs, steep learning curves, and low productivity for users. By contrast, our suite of software tools allowed us to develop a personalized scientific workflow that provides a complete path from initial ideas to characterization of fenestrate microbialites' features. Results of three-dimensional analysis of fenestrate microbialites show that supports with inclusions dip 65° to 75°, whereas supports without inclusions dip 85° to 90°. These results demonstrate that all supports have very steep dips, and a 10° dip gap exists between supports with and without inclusions, which suggests they grew in fundamentally different ways. Results also emphasize how valuable three-dimensional analysis is when combined with a comprehensive workflow for understanding intricate structures such as fenestrate microbialites.

The strategic implications of non-technical stakeholder acceptance in high technology system design and implementation

The introduction of change is frequently met with resistance, especially if that change involves a re-engineering of basic work processes and the introduction of high technologies. This study examines the introduction of a complex software system to standard work processes within an organization staffed by a largely non-technical, professional workforce. A case study approach will be used to highlight high technology-driven change management and decision-making at the planning and early implementation stages.

Real-Time Drilling-Process Optimization

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 119650, "Real-Time Optimization of the Drilling Process - Challenges in Industrialization," by E. Cayeux, SPE, E.W. Dvergsnes, SPE, and F. Iversen, SPE, International Research Institute of Stavanger, originally prepared for the 2009 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, 17-19 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed. A new drilling-control system for real-time optimization and automation has been developed in an ongoing research project, which now will enter an industrialization phase. The system, which is based on application of advanced real-time process models for calculation of both hydraulic and mechanical forces, requires an extensive set of input data. Results from the calculation modules are applied directly in the drilling-control system, affecting parameters such as pipe acceleration, velocity and deceleration, and the pump-startup profile. Introduction During the last decade, computer-controlled machinery have made it possible to control the drawworks, the topdrive, mud pumps, and the iron roughneck or pipe-handling equipment from a drilling workstation by use of joysticks and keypads. Recent developments enable control of the machinery within safe-guard boundaries through application of model simulations, accounting for the effects of fluid and pipe movements in the wellbore. These new extended systems have the potential to reduce the risk of damaging the well and the downhole equipment and, subsequently, to reduce nonproductive time. For such extended systems to function properly, a more precise description of the drillstring components is required to calculate pressure losses, mechanical loads, and heat transfer. Furthermore, complete descriptions of the wellbore architecture, formation prognosis, trajectory, and drilling-fluid properties are needed for configuration of the applied models. Most of this information is not available in standard rig systems, and no standard work process has been established to make this information available before actual operations. For such systems to achieve their full potential, the necessary information must be quality controlled and made available at the right time, because an error in this information could lead to potentially serious incidents. In January 2008, a field test of a new system for automated control of the drilling process was performed on the Statfjord C platform in the North Sea. Because the system was developed through a research project, the focus up to now has been on robustness. The system now is entering the industrialization phase, with a stronger focus on system application, including the following.Sensor quality and reliability.Availability of wellbore description including information exchange between different systems.Work processes for updating well bore description and quality control of data.User friendliness.Personnel training.

Sharing practical knowledge in hostile environments: a case study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an empirical contribution towards the understanding of the process of sharing practical knowledge (PK) in a hostile work environment. The particular focus is an instance of the process of sharing PK between experienced and non‐experienced workers in a bio‐pharmaceutical industry.Design/methodology/approachAn interpretive perspective was applied in the inductive and qualitative empirical study. Case study methodology was applied in order to analyse the sharing of practical knowledge.FindingsResearch findings from this study have unravelled characteristics of this process that to date have not been discussed in the literature. First, Learning‐by‐observing has limitations in promoting PK sharing in hostile environments. Second, because there is a wide range of alternative solutions for performing a specific task, sharing PK lends itself to political uses. Third, socialisation is important in order to facilitate the sharing of PK, but it is not enough. Political issues surrounding PK sharing shape socialisation processes and therefore provide a better explanatory base for PK sharing. Fourth, the use of standard work processes to share PK is limited in complex tasks. Thus, it is argued that the main features of PK support high levels of uncertainty that in turn favours the use of political behaviour in the process of sharing PK.Originality/valueFocussing on sharing PK in hostile environments is important since the literature has mainly focussed on organisations in which consensus and participation were either implicitly or explicitly assumed.

The Balance Between Lowering Cost and Increasing Capability

Moore’s law (an exponential growth in the number of transistors per integrated circuit) simultaneously delivers both reduced cost and improved capabilities, but most managers focus more aggressively on cost reduction than on capability improvement—and understandably so, as costs continue to drop dramatically for products used in established work processes. This approach leverages Moore’s law to do today—at a lower cost—what your business could do yesterday, and has been doing for 20 years. But inevitably, technology innovators develop and deliver breakthroughs that can fundamentally change the economics of companies dependent upon information technology (IT) to drive their business and profitability. So at some point every industry needs to step back from the focus on reducing cost to ask the question: Can I do things differently in my business today that will substantially improve performance, and materially improve it much more aggressively, than I could ever achieve by saving another 10% on a cheaper personal computer? By grasping new technologies, often at the same or reduced cost compared to legacy systems, the industry can reap both financial savings and vastly increased computational capabilities. Energy companies that have decided to take advantage of both curves of Moore’s law are enjoying increased efficiency, production, and profits. Improving Performance In the mid-1980s, the geophysical work process changed from working with paper sections and maps to interpreting seismic data and automatically creating the resultant maps on computers. Although the movement to computers was a significant breakthrough because it allowed data to be viewed and understood much more quickly, the memory capacity of those early computers was so limited that the industry went from using multiple seismic attributes in the interpretation to only one: amplitude. The task of loading a second attribute to the process was difficult and time-consuming, and there was no effective way of simultaneously viewing multiple attributes. So additional attributes often were not incorporated. Fast forward 20 years, and there is an established standard work process in which seismic interpreters, having entered the workplace after the transition to computers, work predominantly with only a single attribute. The computing capabilities of 2005, in contrast to 20 years ago, can take us back to where we were before the ubiquitous introduction of work stations, where multiple simultaneous attributes can be used in the standard work process but are now visualized and analyzed together in a common volumetric digital image. For example, last year, SGI and Landmark Graphics conducted a technology breakthrough using a data set loaned by Marathon Oil. Using Landmark’s Geoprobe interpretation software running on an SGI visualization system, the team successfully demonstrated how a 400 gigabyte volume could be visualized and analyzed in real time. This was a multiattribute volume that allowed the interpreter to look at the amplitude volume corendered with a continuity volume, pro-viding a high-resolution view of key faults and stratigraphic discontinuities in the volume.

A Study on the Development of Classification Schemes for NGO Records

This study aims to identify the developing process of classification shemes for NGO records. And it chooses the KFEM(Korea Federation for Environmental Movenment) for case study, which is a representative NGO of Korea. This study proposes the classification principles in the form that the function classification and subject classification are combined. The development model of function classification schemes on the KFEM records is based on the Australian Standard Work Process Analysis for Recordkeeping(AS 5090) and the DIRKS (Designing and Implementing Recordkeeping Systems) methodology. Literature review, interviews, work process analysis, and questionnaire surveys have been employed as research methodology.

Knowledge Management in UK Construction: Strategies, Resources and Barriers

Knowledge management (KM) has received considerable attention in recent years. Some consider knowledge the most strategically important resource, and learning the most strategically important capability for business organizations. Major UK construction organizations have recognized the benefits that KM can offer and have thus invested in KM. This paper reports on a survey of these companies. The purpose of the survey was: (1) to examine the importance of KM to UK construction organizations; (2) to investigate the resources used to implement KM strategies; and (3) to identify the main barriers to implementing KM strategies. The survey found that the main reasons for implementing a KM strategy was the need to share the tacit knowledge of key employees and to disseminate best practice. Also, significant resources in terms of staff time and money were being invested in KM, but the main barrier to implementing a KM strategy was the lack of standard work processes.

Value of the ERGOS work simulator as a component of functional capacity assessment in disability evaluation

The use of assessment instruments in evaluating functional capacity is an important element in the process of social-medical judgement of whether a person will likely be able to reintegrate into working life. Standardized work processes are used in simulating occupational reality over several hours, with all the requirements involved, and the performance found is contrasted with the requirements to be expected at a workplace. Time-tested in the U.S. for more than 20 years and applied throughout Germany for some two years now, the ERGOS work simulation system is presented in the article, using a case example for more detailed description. Using five different work stations, performance data are collected for job tasks such as carrying, working in kneeling position or overhead, and subjected to computer-based comparison with the job requirements information contained in relevant databases. This enables computerized identification of excessive demands, and hence may point to a need for further rehabilitative action. An important feature is objective assessment, as subjective information on the basis of observation or reports of painfulness are raised separately, hence do not influence the findings of the work simulation performed.

Improving Asset Performance Through Application of a Structured Decision Process

This paper (SPE 60852) was revised for publication from paper 56579, originally presented at the 1999 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, 3–6 October. Original manuscript received 17 June 1999. This paper has not been peer reviewed. Summary Company experience, external benchmarking, and application of best practices all contribute to improved capital efficiency and reduced cycle time. Combining these practices with a value-driven decision structure yields a powerful method to advance a business opportunity from inception through completion. Many upstream petroleum companies are using, or developing, this type of method to improve reservoir characterization and development practices. Through direct experience in a variety of operational situations in the Gulf of Mexico, a five-step generic decision model evolved that is straightforward, intuitive, and scalable. The initial definitions of the opportunity, assessment of value, decision-makers, deliverables, and assignment of accountability to advance the opportunity to the next decision point are core to the project. The result is a customized road map from opportunity identification to post-implementation evaluation of results. Any business-process change within an active production operation is likely to meet organizational resistance. Unlike previous initiatives, however, this process has been well-received, primarily because it establishes a usable plan developed by the individuals directly responsible for advancing the business opportunity. We have been directly involved in a variety of applications, including complicated infrastructure retrofit projects, pipeline riser repairs, owner- and non owner-operated development projects, well planning, and operation-support activities. The majority of applications are tangible, real-world situations that all operators routinely face. Each application contributed to the evolution of the model. Lessons learned are presented, including cases that illustrate and reinforce essential principles of the process. Conclusions, in the form of quantified financial and technical results, are also presented. Background During the 1990&amp;apos;s, a number of processes and practices to improve asset-management and decision-making performance were developed or applied in the petroleum industry (e.g., decision and risk analysis, value engineering).Within Conoco Inc., initial efforts to improve asset-management performance generated detailed process maps for E&amp;P assets. To improve performance in reservoir characterization, a full-asset life-cycle map was developed that covers the geoscience, reservoir engineering, and management-approval steps from acquisition through production and disposal. A companywide education program was used to familiarize personnel on best practices and the reservoir characterization process. Subsequently, this map was expanded to include additional steps covering project-development and operations functions. Additional practices, processes, and principles derived from participation in external-benchmarking, industry, and internal experiences were combined with the more-inclusive process map under and effort named for one of the principles, front-end loading (FEL). Numerous attempts to apply the complex process to improve asset performance were met with limited success and revealed flaws in a complex, fixed process. First, each application had unique attributes and constraints that required departure from or modification to the standard work process. Additionally, workshops and techniques to apply the process were time-consuming and often did not produce near-term improvements that demonstrated the benefit of following a process. Resistance to applying the process was encountered for numerous reasons, including limited time to learn, adapt, and apply a new process; lack of confidence in a process that could not accommodate the unique aspects confronting the asset team; and concerns about stifling creativity. The move toward a simplified process began in late 1997 and early 1998. The process now being used evolved largely through a focused effort to apply a simplified process with two asset teams in Conoco&amp;apos;s Gulf Region business unit(GRBU). Focusing the effort on application in one location accelerated the rate at which the simplified process evolved and allowed tailoring of the process and methods to ones that would be accepted and used. The GRBU application pilot could then be taken and used elsewhere in the organization through the central process group (FEL organization). Process Description The basic tenet for the generic process is that all projects follow a distinct sequence (Fig. 1). The initial phase is identification of a business opportunity. The boundaries of the opportunity, high-level assessment of how value could be realized, and assessment of whether the opportunity merits resources to pursue are the main elements of this initial phase.Table 1 gives the phases that follow this initial phase in generic and asset-management terms. Between each phase is a key decision or decision gate. At each decision, the opportunity can be approved to proceed to the next phase, shelved, postponed, or recycled for additional work. Several important principles apply at the decision gates.

System ergonomic analysis of the morning ward round in an intensive care unit.

Our objective was to find out what is discussed during a bedside morning ward round (MWR), whether there are any weak points, and if a standard work process structure can be recommended. An intensive care unit (ICU) consultant recorded in a predefined form the topics that were discussed in 225 bedside discussions. The median length of discussions was 5 min. In more than 60% of the discussions, items were considered related to the respiratory, neurological, and cardiovascular systems, as well as to surgical and nursing problems. Specific variables relating to organ system conditions were seldom used (e.g., inspired O2 concentration, 35%; temperature, 28%; ventilation mode, 25%). We recorded two interruptions per MWR; only 17% of them were related to urgent decisions. Information that could not be found in the patient's file usually concerned microbiology findings (10%) or surgical procedures (6%). We recommend the following structure: (1) Addressing the patient by saying "hello"; (2) presentation of information related to case history, acute status (findings and strategy) (including the function of the main organ systems), infection status, and nursing problems; (3) patient-related discussion; and (4) discussion of general treatment rules, triggered by individual patient condition.

Selling EAPs Using Total Quality Management Initiatives

Qualify Management is striving to perform to standard work processes that will achieve the results customers are seeking. EAPs do just that by focusing their performance early in the healthcare delivery process to help insure a healthy and productive workforce. Selling Quality is educating employers, who are wrestling to maintain employee benefits at reasonable costs, to the fact that Quality Management of behavioral healthcare works. Promoting health and wellness at the workplace, intervening early and professionally, and managing care to healthy outcomes is what EAPs and managed care programs are doing today, and convincing employers through their performance that Quality Management works.