Smart Project Management System (SPMS) - An Integrated and Predictive Solution for Proactively Managing Oil & Gas client Projects
Authors: Mohammed Azharuddin , Al Busaeedi Nasser , Mohamed Anwar Ali , Saud Shah 
Published: October 2022

The major challenge Project Management Teams (PMT) currently face is the isolated functionality of diverse support disciplines and their tools, leading to delayed and reactive approaches to the project issues. To become more proactive, enhance efficiency, and improve the productivity of current Project Management practices, ADNOC Gas Processing developed a Smart Project Management System (SPMS) that will:

Collate and integrate, real-time project data from various software platforms currently in use. Prepare, monitor, and control all project parameters impacting the successful completion of projects. Predictive project analytics by generating automated proactive alerts with recommendations. Provide one unified interface for dashboard, reports, and predictive project management.

SPMS is a technology that can add real value and drive positive change in project management and business transformations. SPMS will automate all existing processes and make available all information with drill-down dashboards for Project Planning, Scheduling, Progress Measurement, Safety, Quality, Cost and Budget and lessons learned, Change Orders, Risk Management, Document and Transmittal Management. SPMS also will provide features such as lessons learned to generate alert recommendations, Chat-BOT, and an assistant BOT technology to search the Scope of work, Contract, DGS documents…etc.

To achieve our objective, the framework adapted is to include integration, automation, chat-bot, and machine learning attributes in the SPMS software solution. As part of data collection brainstorming, sessions and extensive workshops were conducted with all the project stakeholders such as Consultants, Contractors, PMC, TPI, and PMT in developing a state-of-art project management tool. Desktop reviews and interviews were conducted with product teams to evaluate various solutions such as SAP, ORACLE, ACONEX, ASSAI, WRENCH, and PM-Web as part of the feasibility study and selected a framework to develop a single software platform and to carry out a Pilot study. SPMS was implemented and the validation was carried out on two (2 No's) case study projects.

The outcome of the research is that SPMS will support the Project Management team (PMT) to better focus on priority issues and maximize their productivity. A time-consuming activity i.e., Report generation of each project too will be automated with real-time, linked data to reduce man-hours. Furthermore, SPMS will provide the senior management with complete access to real-time project data through I-phones and dashboards. In addition, SPMS gives an early insight of project deviations and issues with help of cognitive intelligent solutions provided by machine learning algorithms hence, proactively enabling a project manager to act timely to deliver a project successfully.

This paper covers the overview of existing and enhanced project management practices in the Oil and Gas Industry using SPMS, encountered issues, conclusions drawn and appropriate recommendations.