Hydrocarbon Processing - April 2022 - GP-10

INDUSTRY FOCUS
all knowledgeable regarding the ETRM being implemented.
Expect the first months of post-implementation to require a tremendous
amount of dedicated support. Implementation teams
will never discover every nuance of data or business requirement
that will happen post go-live. In addition, expect continual
upgrades, improvements and enhancements.
Upgrades require re-implementation of any portions of the
capabilities that were not translated one-to-one into the newer
technology and require extensive testing of all custom interfaces
or extensions. An upgrade provides an excellent opportunity
to re-examine design or process decisions made during the
original implementation. Look for opportunities for improvement
that will enhance not just operations but business knowledge
and processes.
BY: The most important thing any company needs with a
software implementation is ownership and buy-in to the new or
upgraded system. In general, people do not like change; if they
are fighting change, it makes any implementation much more
difficult. When implementing a system, dedicate the best employees
to the project full-time. Most companies have key employees
they do not think they can operate without, but those
key employees could leave any day. Take the risk and put good
people on the project. This will help ensure the right decisions
are made during the implementation, and the best people are
the ones that should know the system and they will if they are
intimately involved in the system. When I say good people, this
does not only apply to the people in the business, but also the
information technology (IT) people who will be supporting
the system after go-live.
An ETRM implementation is an excellent opportunity to
clean up old reference data and to implement new processes.
Implementation is not just about the system-it is also about
the data they are starting with and the processes that can be a
big improvement. If you are implementing a new ETRM system,
be sure to select the right system for the business. The
petroleum industry is very transparent as to which system it is
using. Look around at your competitors and see what they are
using and if they are using it successfully.
GP: How should technology impact a company's
investment decision in ETRM systems?
TK: Performance is key to the successful use of an ETRM
solution. Newer technologies typically provide better performance,
freeing up the system and the people to go beyond
logging the transactions necessary for operations and move towards
using the data for analysis of a company's efficiencies and
financial risk. Older versions of an ETRM system usually require
older versions of all related supporting software. Upgrading
allows the company to take advantage of a suite of upgrades
across the database, server hardware and operating systems, and
even Microsoft Word or Excel.
As an example, many companies are sitting on an older version
of ION RightAngle. These older versions require outdated
technologies and two user interfaces to access the portions of
the software that have been ported. ION, like most major software
companies, will not provide updates or fixes to these older
versions. For many years, the releases were just ports of old
functionality to newer technologies without any enhancements
in capabilities. Without upgrading, companies cannot expect
10 MARCH/APRIL 2022 | GasProcessingNews.com
full support from the software vendor, and they will be unable
to take advantage of enhancements.
BY: The investment is worth the dollars put into a system.
Sometimes, it may bring efficiencies; however, the better way to
look at implementation is not to reduce the employee count but
to make the current people more efficient so they can provide
better information for better decision-making. As mentioned
earlier, a continuing investment will cost less in the long run
than putting off investing in systems in the short term.
GP: What kinds of things should IT teams know before
companies commit to upgrading ETRM systems in 2022?
TK: Design of the software delivery architecture is key to
success. The biggest complaint around large ETRM software
implementations is slow responsiveness. This slowness not
only frustrates or impedes the users, but it can also snowball
into software errors and issues in the background processors,
which can cause data and interface issues. Our organization
understands the importance of the correct server configuration
and has worked with multiple clients to design the delivery architecture
in a manner that will deliver the performance necessary
for both user experience and software viability.
BY: As far as RightAngle goes, the important part to know is
if they are in a version that is still partially in Powerbuilder; the
switch to .NET is a big plus. Future upgrades are much easier to
perform once the platform is all .NET. As with any initial implementation,
an upgrade is also an opportunity to look at current
processes and make some improvements. When any company
does an initial implementation, it is a huge change to the entire
organization. No matter how many training classes are given to
the users, they cannot learn the system until they have used it
for a while. Additional training during an upgrade gives the users
a chance to learn things they may not have been told originally
or were just too much to absorb.
Implementing or upgrading also allows a company to clean
up and validate its reference data. Additionally, it is a good
chance to make sure all inventory balances are correct.
GP: Why is quality control or developing
a risk-informed testing strategy important when
implementing or upgrading an ETRM system?
TK: Companies should maintain a set of well-documented
test cases with expected outcomes. This documentation should
continually be enhanced as processes change, interfaces are developed
or issues are discovered. High-risk areas of functionality
should have the most thorough testing requirements, with
the level of risk defined by the severity of the impact to the business
if a failure occurs or operations are interrupted. During an
implementation, all test cases should be performed and signed
off by business users. During an upgrade, more targeted testing
can be performed with a concentration on known changes and
high-risk components.
BY: Quality control is very important because if the outputs
from a system are not correct, bad decisions can be made
based on that data, which could be costly. Investment in a
new system can be expensive, but if the implementation is not
done well, the investment may be wasted. A quality implementation
can make all the difference in how well an ETRM
system works for an entity.
http://www.GasProcessingNews.com
Hydrocarbon Processing - April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hydrocarbon Processing - April 2022
