2. Construction phase

Building a strong foundation

In designing and constructing a solution for the client’s initial unconventional asset, our team needed to balance specific local requirements with the broader goal of establishing a strong foundation that could be scaled and adopted more widely in the future. While focusing on the initial asset deployment, our team engaged with other regional assets, gathering requirements to inform design decisions for a scalable company-wide solution.

While the Dynamics 365 Field Service app can be used to connect and automate a wide range of activities, our team began by focusing on the most common recurring tasks at a single unconventional asset, such as routine inspections. The new configuration would allow field service workers to log onto the system to find their daily routes for recurring tasks across multiple locations; record their activities; and report leaks, malfunctions, or other relevant information.

Because recurring tasks tend to be numerous, frequently executed, and relevant to other activities, establishing strong performance on this function was a critical first step in our initial deployment. After that, our teams worked with IT managers in the client’s Houston offices and on-site personnel in the field office to design other key functions, such as routine maintenance, alarm responses, and ad hoc responses to problems found during inspections. The data gathered through these activities would also help on-site managers to anticipate possible problems or performance issues—such as lower-than-expected oil or gas flows—before they become serious enough to produce an alarm or cause a downtime event.

Combining the industry knowledge of the KPMG Energy, Natural Resources & Chemicals practice with the Dynamics 365 experience of our software platforms and implementation specialists let us create a solution that was tailored to the initial asset, but only lightly customized, and thus scalable to other locations.

4. Evolution phase

Ready for the next stage?

The successful redeployment at the initial unconventional asset has established a strong basis for developing a wider “Connected Field Worker” cloud-based platform across the client’s entire range of assets. KPMG continues to work with the client on related IT projects, but the decision to move forward with such a major enterprise-wide transformation may require greater support from senior management and other stakeholders. 

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