On-site workshop with software audit in the oil & gas company
Project overview
SubC Partner is a Danish company focused on offshore works in the oil and energy industry. This team had an internal project control system based on Microsoft Access and SQL. We organized a two-day on-site workshop with one core goal: identify how this system can be upgraded and improved.
Client information
SubC Partner is a global service and product provider for the offshore energy industry. It delivers cost-effective solutions to decrease the energy price, reduce weight and cost of systems, keeping their quality high. Products and services include engineering, manufacturing, construction, installation, repair, and maintenance of various oil & gas systems, vessels, rigs, etc.
Business challenge
The main goal of SubC Partner was to identify the best solution with all the required features, user-friendly interfaces, and high efficiency. Existing system required employees to handle many project management tasks manually. As a result, the processes were time-consuming and inefficient.
Technical challenges
The existing software version required optimization. It relied on the Microsoft Access-generated module that let users access the solution. However, this module didn’t provide the required functionality levels. Some documents were missing, as well. Hence, we had to analyze internal processes, check how employees work and how we can improve their experience.
Audit areas
Project Management
After discussions with two SubC Partner PMs, we found that the main tasks were focused on client management. They used several tools, including Outlook and local files for management. The general PM flow included many operations with PDF forms, Outlook folders, and Excel spreadsheets.
Engineering
To work with files and the related tech aspects, engineers utilized SQL Server Management Studio, C5, and Nova but not Excel. Core functional modules could be optimized via API settings. Time-tracking was done via the internal tool. We found that automation was one of potential improvement areas.
QA
QA engineers used all the mentioned tools in their workflows. The process divided into many manual steps, from log sheet creation to weld testing to Access database transferring. This department also controlled documentation management through the dedicated Outlook mailbox.
Project Controlling
Finally, invoicing and reporting processes could be optimized, too. Project controllers work with Microsoft Dynamics C5 and Excel files, mainly. All data transfers between these systems and specific changes required personal attention of employees, as well. On top of that, it was possible to add a few more general documents for better process understanding.
Audit results
After a preliminary agreement, we collaborated with our client to organize a two-day workshop in Denmark. During it, our team mapped the product features, identified business gaps, use cases, and priorities. We also documented the existing software and estimated further activities.
The most essential wishes were as follows, according to our investigation:
- Automation can help a lot. This feature and effective data processing were among the most valuable opportunities.
- Microsoft services and, specifically, Microsoft Azure Cloud security levels were highly desired for improvements.
- Project managers couldn’t work directly with Microsoft Dynamics C5. It was required to connect several modules to improve process flows.
- There was a room for production resource planning optimization. The previous software versions included this feature, and we could add it again.
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Value to our client
Our tech stack
SQL
