American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2020 - 60

SpecialReport: Geophysics & Computing

Back-Office Software Simplifies Tasks
By Colter Cookson
Automating producing wells and remotely monitoring equipment in the field
have long been considered operational
best practices. However, the economic
shutdown in response to COVID-19 has
renewed the industry's focus on the value
of implementing technologies than can
cost-effectively automate routine daily
tasks and digitize paper-based processes.
"Given how much uncertainty we face,
automating is becoming a top priority
for many operators," says Brent Rhymes,
chief executive officer of WolfePak Software. "It can reduce operating expenses
by allowing each person to monitor more
assets and increase income by giving
people the real-time information they
need to make better decisions."
These benefits no longer need to be restricted to companies with the funds and
expertise to deploy complex supervisory
control and data acquisition systems,
Rhymes argues. "Gone are the days when
a company needs to be one of the top 50
producers to leverage automation," he says.
"Smart phones, Internet-connected sensors
and cloud technology have significantly
reduced the infrastructure needed to get
data from the field to the back office."
According to Rhymes, there is a vast
universe of companies that can benefit from
greater automation. "In mid-April, WolfePak
surveyed 236 upstream, midstream and
service companies about the challenges associated with remote work," he relates.
"Seventy-seven percent identified accessing
paper documents such as job tickets and
invoices as their biggest challenge."
Paper-based documents are often rekeyed into the company's enterprise re-

Daily Run Sheet

Daily Entry
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60 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

source planning or accounting systems,
a process Rhymes warns can be timeconsuming and error-prone.
Mobile Power
To collect production data more quickly
and reliably, Rhymes suggests equipping
pumpers and production managers with
apps that allow them to record data using
smart phones or tablets. There are several
options available for this task, including
a new app WolfePak commercialized in
May.
"Mobile data entry apps can generate
a significant positive return," he says.
"For one client, switching to an app cut
three steps from the data collection process.
Instead of waiting to get a ticket from
the field, typing it into a spreadsheet template and importing that spreadsheet into
the enterprise resource planning system,
the company has almost instant access to
the data in its ERP system."
WolfePak's app can compare pumpers'
readings with those of purchasers to identify
discrepancies and catch possible mistakes,
Rhymes notes. He adds that it can generate
automatic schedules based on the operator's
service guidelines.
"To ensure quick adoption, look for
an app that runs natively on both Android
and iOS devices, integrates easily with
back-office systems, and has an intuitive
interface for both pumpers and backoffice workers," Rhymes suggests.
"Security also is important," he advises.
"In addition to using strong data encryption, the app should allow producers to
limit what data each user can see. It
should also support two-factor authentication so an unauthorized user who guesses
a user's password has another hurdle to

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SAVE

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User-friendly mobile
apps offer a fast and
affordable way for producers that previously
had pumpers fill out
paper forms to get
data from the field to
the back office more
quickly, WolfePak reports. The company
adds that eliminating
the need to re-type
paper forms improves
data accuracy.

clear before accessing that information."
Rhymes also encourages companies
to teach employees security best practices.
"The more employees are aware of the
potential for security threats, the less
likely they are to click on a link that
installs malware or gives an outsider access," he explains.
Adoption Drivers
Organic growth or acquisitions often
prompt oil and gas companies that have
long managed wells with spreadsheets to
look for software that can help them capture daily operational and production data
from the field more quickly, says Rick
Hornock at PRAMS Plus LLC.
"For most companies, spreadsheets become too cumbersome to keep using when
the well count reaches somewhere between
50 and 80," Hornock relates. "However,
we occasionally see companies get to 200
or 300 wells with spreadsheets, especially
if they have Excel™ wizards on staff
who are comfortable writing macros and
scripts to automate common procedures."
If companies try production software
but the implementation goes poorly, employees will be reluctant to use the
software and even may revert back to
spreadsheet-based processes, warns Reagan Duecker, PRAMS' business development director. "Software adoption is
something companies need to get right
the first time, because it becomes increasingly difficult to change once processes are in place," he stresses.
To ensure the field adopts the change,
Hornock recommends looking for a
provider with a simple interface and accessible customer support. "At PRAMS,
we decided to model the pumpers' interface after the 30-day gauge sheets they
have been using for decades," he says.
"It usually only takes minutes of training
before the pumpers say, 'I get it. Thanks.'"
After pumpers enter data, it is synced
with the back office once an Internet
connection becomes available, Hornock
describes. Because accurate data is paramount, the daily data goes through edits
at the time of entry and back on the
server. The operations analyst/tech generally takes a final look in the morning
before the daily or weekly reports go out
to management or partners. Hornock adds
that the daily production data seamlessly
feeds the monthly reporting trued up to

American Oil and Gas Reporter - July 2020

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