Production Engineering Manpower Development: A Revised Approach
Authors: Campbell J.M. 
Published: December 2007

Campbell Sr., J.M., retired

SPE Member

Financial problems in the past few years have tended to obscure a number of basic changes that have occurred in the petroleum industry. These will require different strategies and philosophies if we are to prosper in the future. Whether or not the current adversity represents a positive opportunity depends to a large degree on whether or not professionals and their employers recognize the modified needs and take appropriate action. This paper discusses only one facet of the challenge - petroleum manpower development. How did we arrive at the current situation and what should we do about it? For the sake of brevity the discussion focuses on production engineering. But, the basic need is industrywide.

Introduction

The petroleum industry always has been a labor and capital intensive business. An adequate quantity and quality of human reserves has always been a key management concern. The current situation is a replay of past down history. As in the past, innovative use of old technology and development of new technology will play a key role. However, there are factors now present which will require a modified strategy from that used heretofore. The industry has matured and some of the traditional driving forces are diminished. Political and international trade factors limit the strategic options available. We also are faced with a re-development of human resources in a manner outside our traditional experience.

All of this adversity creates an opportunity for those who are willing to discard some comfortable, traditional practices. One key element will be to revise and extend the skills and competencies of our human resources.

This must include a re-assessment of how we use technology in the new era being entered. Our preoccupation with the analytical side of technology has produced some outstanding results, but the time has come to modify priorities. In spite of the fact that the intellectual quality of engineers is probably the best it's ever been - and the quantity of technology is almost overwhelming - the recent quality of petroleum decisions and operations has been rather mediocre. Why? I do not believe it was due to the basic quality of people or their competence. Many potential culprits can be nominated. But, I believe that we simple played the game badly because we failed to recognize that some of the familiar rules no longer applied.

This paper will deal only with the human-technology interaction, although there are a lot of other things that we must address.

WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY

Technology long has been a "buzz word" in our vocabulary. The fear of technical obsolescence has been a prime motivator for training programs. An overwhelming percentage of engineers in operations consider keeping up with the technology one of their major frustrations. Transfer of technology is a major priority of professional and trade organizations.

We use the word "technology" very glibly, but most have difficult defining it when asked to do so. May be the best of the simple definitions is, "Technology is everything one needs to know to do the job properly.." This may be O.K. but it is not definitive enough for our purposes.