N832 Managing Multidisciplinary Subsurface Teams

The course will examine and discuss the challenges and tensions faced by subsurface managers – how to create focused teams that deliver high business performance through quality and timely products under the umbrella of risk and uncertainty.

It will examine how to understand the business environment, corporate business drivers and priorities together with making decisions about the trade-offs inevitably required between costs, pace and value.

This will all be framed in creating an environment of safe and responsible operations and work practices.

Effective subsurface management varies not only with the person or group that is being influenced, but it also depends on the task, job or function that needs to be accomplished.

The course will examine the key subsurface activities, their focus and how they change across the E&P value chain from access and exploration through to development and production. It applies best practices within the specific context of the subsurface domain and will help participants grow their skills and competency in subsurface management across the value chain.

The course will:

• Examine the current, and relevant recent, business context and framework in which E&P companies operate
• Share insights into successful subsurface team leadership and management core skills and needs
• Describe the E&P business framework; how and where subsurface work fits and impacts an organisation’s objectives
• Discuss, using case studies and shared experience, key focus areas for team leaders:
  -Safety
  -People
  -Process
  -Technology
• Look at portfolio choices through the use of case studies and practical experience to understand business drivers
• Show how to characterise subsurface and business uncertainty to manage risk to drive performance
• Use material on slides, case studies, classroom exercises and discussion to illustrate E&P activity
  and planning cycles, whether annual or value chain based:
  - Core subsurface activities: Exploration, Reservoir management, Operational delivery, Production management
  - The depletion plan
  - Access and exploration
  - Appraisal and development
  - Production operations
• Provide guidance and shared experience of compliance and HSSE expectations, as well as the consequences of failure
• Use exercises and participants’ presentations in class to demonstrate effective communications, engagement and enrolment of other stakeholders – government/regulatory, senior management, other functions and Subsurface teams
• Explore and discuss views and studies of the expectations of subsurface team leaders
• Use a team exercise to introduce the concept of developing organisational capability within a subsurface setting, and explore the levers and tools available to the subsurface team leader
• Discuss opportunities and proven successful examples of working effectively and managing the supply chain and external groups to add value to the business
• Look at the typical annual cycle of the E&P business to help subsurface team leaders predict and plan the work demands required for smooth running in organisations
• Use basic project management techniques to improve the efficient planning and execution of subsurface projects and delivery