Energy companies are benefiting from this project management solution
Strong document and information management can benefit companies in the energy sector by improving operational efficiency and cutting costs.
Most energy companies are involved in large-scale, long-term projects with multiple moving parts. We’re talking about projects that run into tens of years and millions of dollars. These are projects that amass huge quantities of documents and information over a sustained period of time.
Strong document and information management is important for every organisation. But with so much time and investment on the table, it’s especially beneficial for companies in the energy sector. Alongside better structure, governance, and control, it can improve operational efficiency and cut costs.
Gain clarity over documents and information
Big projects generate vast amounts of documents and data – everything from technical drawings and designs, through to manuals and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Clarity and control are vital to ensure operational efficiency on a daily basis. From the finance team in the office to engineers in the field, everyone in the organisation needs access to the right information at the right time. That can be difficult to achieve when you’re reliant on multiple legacy systems, where relevant information is stored separately and siloed.
Keeping on top of all your documents is one thing. Being able to maintain oversight and control to support key corporate responsibilities such as regulatory compliance and financial audits is another. What’s needed is a single pane of glass where every relevant document or contract can be retrieved and accessed by the people who need it.
Ensure the safety of people and data
The energy sector carries many inherent risks, both in terms of hazardous working environments and data security.
When activities are carried out without following SOPs, things can quickly go wrong. The cost of getting it wrong can be financial, reputational, or both. It could even cost a life. Having up-to-date SOPs on hand, on a connected device, means workers always have the latest and safest guidance.
This is especially important when work is subcontracted out. With so many third-parties involved in a project, it’s a challenge to ensure contractors have access to the information relevant to them, without revealing sensitive documents and data. Multiple versions can worsen the situation – making it harder to track who has access, and affecting people’s ability to view the most up-to-date documents and information.
Ensuring procurement teams, engineers, and contractors are working off the right plans, drawings, and information is essential for many industries, including the energy sector.
Drive operational efficiencies inside Microsoft 365
Take the example of a crane operator on a wind farm. Work can only begin after manually completing a pen-and-paper checklist, walking it to the office, manually keying it into the system, and then waiting for it to be authorised. Now imagine completing that process via phone or tablet.
The operator performs the checks and submits the checklist, and then the approver is notified in Teams. The approver sees the notification, makes the approval, and the operator is good to go. WorkPoint not only helps you transform paper-based, manual tasks into streamlined, digital ones, you can also use it to automate repetitive tasks and repeatable processes, using WorkPoint Automate to guide users through each step of a process.
These following standardised yet configurable WorkPoint solutions are particularly useful within the energy sector:
- Project Management: Digitisation and automation help save time, reduce errors and increase productivity. Turn time-consuming manual processes into efficient digital ones.
- Quality Management: Not only is WorkPoint a well-structured and scalable container for all your documentation, it’s a single platform for all your quality management materials.
- Contract Management: Disrupt multiple methods of managing contracts with a unified, collaborative, and organisation-wide approach to contract management.