Data Centric Verification to Streamline Project Planning and Execution
Authors: Michele Reed 
Published: August 2021

There have been numerous calls for O&G companies to rethink the way they carry out capital projects. Various studies have highlighted that opportunities to enhance productivity exist from early development through to construction and handover to operations. Companies that are can realize these opportunities can complete projects safer and faster, reduce costs and quality issues, and improve schedule predictability.

This paper presents data centric verification as a key enabler for such change, as it focusses on delivery of desired outcomes – the key to successful projects. This paper presents the rapid benefits that can be harvested, if the effort to put data centric verification in place is made. The following aspects are detailed to illustrate the benefits that are achievable:

The wide variety of checking and confirmation activities on projects that frequently overlap, happen too late or don't focus on the correct aspects can be streamlined through a unified verification approach. Using a data centric approach to the set up and tracking of verification activities can support analytics to enable better planning and early identification of issues. Traceability in the data centric approach will enable quicker identification of root causes and remediations. Handover to operations moves from a document accumulation exercise to a data custody transfer.

A typical O&G project is executed by a consortium of companies from owner/operators, engineering, procurement and construction companies, various suppliers and equipment manufacturers, etc. Data centric verification, if achieved, can only be through collaboration on a commonly agreed approach.

Objectives/Scope

Using data centric verification as an enabler to enhance project productivity from early development through handover.

Methods, Procedures, Process

This paper presents data centric verification as a key enabler for such change, as it focusses on delivery of desired outcomes – the key to successful projects. This paper presents the rapid benefits that can be harvested, if the effort to put data centric verification in place is made. The following aspects are detailed to illustrate the benefits that are achievable:

The wide variety of checking and confirmation activities on projects that frequently overlap, happen too late or don't focus on the correct aspects can be streamlined through a unified verification approach. Using a data centric approach to the set up and tracking of verification activities can support analytics to enable better planning and early identification of issues. Traceability in the data centric approach will enable quicker identification of root causes and remediations. Handover to operations moves from a document accumulation exercise to a data custody transfer.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

The paper demonstrates the resulting requirements management and verification data models that can be established to enable the efficiency gains during project execution. Several example implementations of this data centric approach will be shared to validate the observed improvements.

Novel/Additive Information

Data centric verification is new to the Oil and Gas Industry. These Shell example projects are the first to implement this new approach within our supply chain.