Standardizing Technical Computing for ExxonMobil Upstream

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Standardizing Technical Computing for ExxonMobil
Upstream

• April, 2003

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Technical Computing is
TC

• In ExxonMobil, the Upstream Technical Computing
  organization was formed to deliver and support
  Upstreams technology on our standard Upstream
  Technical Computing System, UTCS.
• Our emphasis is on the T in Technical
  Computing, not on the C.

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A Standard Technical Computing System

• BOON?
• Lower, more visible cost
• Clear vision, goals, objectives
• Higher productivity for most users
• Anyone can work at any location, or remotely
• Defined target for development and integration
• Common organizational roles
• Common system delivery and support processes
• Easier to control, to manage change
• Easier to take next step of making what we have
  work better.

• BANE?
• Computing looks expensive
• One size does not fit all
• More controls to meet standards
• Less flexibility to meet unique needs
• Slower pace of change, inflexible
• More effort to align business needs and technical
  system

Tastes Great
Less Filling
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Technical Computing is Different

• Upstream Technical
• UNIX desktops for Geoscientists
• Higher Security Model
• Many highend desktops
• Large data volumes/capita
• Network performance
• Total business process cost model
• Rotate technical staff to business

• Corporate
• UNIX BackOffice
• Standard Security Model
• Few highend desktops
• Large total data volumes
• Network cost
• Economies of scale
• Unit cost of computing

Upstream technical computing is driven primarily
by functionality performance and secondarily by
unit cost economies of scale.
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Upstream Technical Computing (UTC)

• In ExxonMobil, UTC was formed
• to provide a seamless, integrated, standardized
  technical computing environment for all Upstream
  Professionals
• to enable Upstream staff able to work on projects
  anywhere around the globe without physically
  relocating.

• UTC provides UTCS to all Upstream companies
• system design
• standard delivery and support processes
• organizational units to deliver and support UTCS,
  its data and its technical applications

UTC has many geoscientists and engineers as well
as systems technologists.
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Day One Challenges

• Keeping the business running
• Widespread re-organization, many people in new
  jobs
• Thousands of relocations
• Corporate Deadlines
• Multiple computing systems
• Redundancy / overlap of technical applications
  and technical data
• Balancing needs for standard system and
  delivering new technical capabilities
• Maintaining contractual compliance

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Standardization BIG PICTURE

• What? Global Standards
• Deliver uniform computing systems to all
  geoscientists and engineers.

Exxon
UNIX
UTCS(G)
Mobil

• Why? Business Driven
• To realize the full synergies / benefits of the
  merger through usage of a common technical
  computing system
• ie, to get more productivity for less cost

Exxon
Horizon
PC - NT
Mobil
UTCS(E)
SME

• How Overarching Principles
• Get Common Before We Get Best.quickly, at
  lowest possible cost

Standardize
Move
Optimize
Stabilize
Keep The Business Running
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Standardized System Needs

• Standard Infrastructure Architecture
• Desktops, network, servers
• High Performance Computing
• Standard Data Architecture
• Databases
• Data Model
• Data Processes
• Standard Support Model
• User Help, System Help
• Standard Processes (without them, UTCS becomes
  non-standard)
• Business alignment technical content, cost,
  priorities
• Delivery technology (proprietary/vendor), fixes,
  upgrades
• Security
• Change management

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Accomplishments

• Significant expense savings despite business
  growth.
• Standard Tech Set comprised of the best of Exxon,
  Mobil and vendor applications.
• Strategic Partnerships with key vendors such as
  GeoQuest.
• Number of technical applications cut in half.
• Business Units have approved adding Onsite User
  Support personnel despite operating cost
  pressures.
• Scorecard implemented to report Value, Cost,
  Partnership, Performance, People metrics.

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Current Challenges

• Keeping costs flat to down despite strong
  business demands.
• Providing business with levers to manage
  demand.
• Communicating the value of technical computing
  to the business.
• Shifting business perception of UTC from C to
  T.
• Managing the pace of change.
• Managing technologists careers in what is
  perceived as a computing organization.

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Critical Success Factors

• Presidential Mandate
• not often given, a must for global acceptance
• management support necessary, but not
  sufficient for a change of this magnitude
• Proper Resourcing
• quantity, quality
• leadership with organizational, global respect
• Effective Partnerships
• Strong Communications
• what is going to happen and why
• listening to users for problems, and then being
  responsive
• Comprehensive plan
• global, local
• metrics
• project close-out for each site

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Unrealized Opportunities??

• If ExxonMobils experiences are typical, why has
  the upstream industry not been more pro-active in
  adopting standards where there is mutual benefit?
• Data models
• Data and application interfaces
• Information exchange protocols and security
• We have expended significant resources and cost
  to achieve results in some initiatives but
  continue to be different in areas in which
  standards would help the entire industry be more
  cost-effective.

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Technical Computing is
TC

• Its focus is TECHNOLOGY, not computing.
• It must have Engineers and Geoscientists who
  understand the science, data and workflows of the
  business to translate these needs into an
  appropriately designed, supported, standard
  system.