Accelerating Technology Acceptance: Prioritization and Assessment of Technology (2005)

Prioritization and Assessment of Technology Steve Jacobs; Steve Jacobs RMI Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar William K. Dirks William K. Dirks Samson Canada Ltd. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, October 2005. Paper Number: SPE-98514-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/98514-MS Published: October 09 2005 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jacobs, Steve, and William K. Dirks. "Prioritization and Assessment of Technology." Paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, October 2005. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/98514-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractThis paper represents a summary of the discussion and findings from a breakout session held during the two-day SPE Applied Technology Workshop on Accelerating Technology Acceptance in the industry. Besides understanding current practices, the purpose of the session was to prioritize the steps that should be taken to achieve this goal, and to outline how best to assess the new technology needs of the industry. In addition to outlining the most salient points from the discussion on existing practices among oil companies and technology providers, also addressed are a series of recommendations for accelerating the acceptance of technology. The analysis includes a prioritization of the various suggestions given during this session, with a comparison made of the importance placed on each recommendation by operators versus technology providers. Some differences in opinion did exist. Based upon all information collected, it is clear that the road to accelerated technology acceptance involves commitment from leadership in both oil and technology provider companies, clear identification of the value propositions existing for new technology, and better communication between users and technology developers to insure that the appropriate R&D efforts are made to address the increasingly stringent exploration and production applications around the world. How SPE can assist in this important effort is also addressed.Session ObjectivesOne of the key breakout sessions in the two-day SPE Applied Technology Workshop on Accelerating Technology Acceptance was to evaluate the process by which prioritization and assessment of candidate technologies is performed for determining market potential and therefore which technologies should be developed. It was opinioned during the session that in some cases suppliers choose the wrong technology to develop, while in other situations the acceptance cycle of a viable new technology is painstakingly slow. At the initiation of the session, four specific objectives were identified for addressing issues related to prioritization and assessment:Determine how communication between the technology providers and end-users can be improved.Discuss ways in which the market potential for a candidate technology can be determined early using input from oil company personnel.Identify other practices that will increase the overall success and rate of acceptance for new technology introduced into the upstream sector.Develop a set of recommendations for optimizing the process of prioritization and assessment of new technology.Reasons for Slow Technology UptakeThe initial part of the session involved a detailed discussion of existing practices for the selection and development of new technology within the upstream petroleum industry. Significant identified obstacles included inadequate communication between oil company personnel responsible for the ultimate acceptance of the new technology and the technology providers charged with developing and introducing the new product or service. Another problem area was a disconnect in communication in the case of technology providers who are either too internally focused and therefore rarely ask for, or pay attention to, feedback from the oil companies. Yet another problem area was the utilization of informal or inadequate methods for realistically assessing the value proposition for the candidate technology. The end result of all these issues was well expressed by one participant: "We spend a good deal of money on things that no one asked for."It is no secret that the income contributions from technologies introduced during the last three to four years by medium and large oil service companies is inadequate at best when compared to income derived from "legacy" products and services. Keywords: recommendation, candidate technology, society of petroleum engineers, prioritization, upstream oil & gas, new technology, technology provider, specifier, acceptance, spe 98514 Subjects: Research and Development and Emerging Technology Programs This content is only available via PDF. 2005. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.