Fractured Reservoir Discrete Feature Network Technologies

FRDFNT Home

Project Overview

Research Team

Scope of the Project

Technology Transfer Database

Site Map

Search Site

In addition to five research tasks to be carried out, we have defined a separate task 6 for project management activities. This project requires diligent technical, project, and quality management. By providing a separate task, the Golder Associates team will ensure that the resources required for management are provided.

Project management activities will include the following:

• control of budgets and schedules and coordination of technical staff,
• formal weekly progress and coordination meetings, with reporting of the results of those meeting to BDM/NIPER,
• weekly tracking of cost and schedule using Golder Associates' DCAA approved project management system,
• coordination of staff at Golder Associates and subcontractors,
• electronic mail communication among all members of the project team,
• preparation of monthly progress reports for BDM/NIPER,
• management under quality assurance standards as defined by ISO 9001,
• management and response to review comments on draft reports.

Task 6 will also provide the framework for project meetings, including a kick-off meeting and three project status meetings at BDM/NIPER offices, and four coordination meetings between Golder, MIT, and Marathon personnel.

Discussion:

Management Structure

Golder has the experience and management resources needed to implement a total quality approach to the management of all tasks to be carried out within this project. All task order management activities will be performed within the context of a QA Program Plan (QAPP), developed in compliance with Golder Associates Inc. ISO-9001 compliant Quality Management Plan (QMP). The key to the project management plan will be the use of specific work instructions (SWI) to control to execution, review, and presentation of all project activities. The project management structure is illustrated in Figure 7-1.

Administrative control of project tasks will be implemented through a "fast-track" reporting system, which is designed to manage and track work products, deliverables, cost and schedule. The system uses a computerized database which encompasses each task order and its smallest definable components or subtasks. Progress and cost status are routinely entered or updated and reported on a weekly basis. This tracking system typically operates at a level of detail beyond what normal contractual reporting requirements may require; it recognizes the interdependencies and differences among tracking technical work, cost accounting and schedule management, and provides timely identification and reporting of problems related to technical progress and budget.

The entire task management process will be administered in compliance with applicable technical procedures as required by the Golder QMP, as well as the fast-track reporting system described above, and will be based on several sequential elements:

• review of draft task order statement of work requirements; preliminary identification of personnel assignments, man-hour requirements for each subtask, and the identification of the other project resource requirements needed to fulfill the requirements of the order;
• assignment of unique cost element and document control numbers;
• preparation of a program evaluation and report (PERT) chart defining schedules and linkages between and among the various subtasks;
• confirmation of the technical, schedule, and deliverable requirements of each research task, and resolution of any questions in initial task meetings with the project staff and team partners;
• task assignments, allocation of personnel resources, preparation of task-specific work instructions as necessary to manage technical activities, preparation and/or modification of procurement documents for consultants or subcontractors, and the technical performance of the work;
• monitoring of the technical, fiscal, and quality performance of Golder and subcontractor personnel; preparation of routine weekly, biweekly, and monthly progress reports addressing (respectively) man-hour expenditures, technical progress, and technical performance summaries; and the initiation of in-process corrective actions wherever required;
• independent technical review of all deliverables;
• evaluation of the fiscal, technical, and quality performance of the completed work order for quality improvement purposes, and the initiation of appropriate corrective or management actions.

Key Management Personnel

Project management and quality assurance activities are described under Task 6 above. By defining a separate technical task for project management, the Golder team will ensure efficient use of project resources in directed, focused research for development of new technologies for fractured reservoir site characterization and development.

The key personnel assigned to the project are shown in Figure 2-7. The personnel proposed for this task are experienced are committed to carry out the work required. As a result, project and task managers will perform much of the technical work themselves, providing BDM with a technically superior research. The commitment of Golder Associates to this project can be seen in the commitment of time made by senior personnel. Responsibilities of individuals assigned to the project, and estimated man-month (mm) commitments of key personnel are as follows:

Dr. William S. Dershowitz (Project Manager, 6 man months): Responsible for coordination of task work, control of budgets and schedules, coordination of work between Golder, BDM/NIPER, Marathon, and MIT, and supervision of Task leaders. Dr. Dershowitz will provide the primary contact between BDM/NIPER and Golder. Dr. Dershowitz will also play an important role in the technical execution of the project. Dr. Dershowitz will also serve as the task manager and technical lead for Task 2 Technology Development, and for Technology Transfer (Task 5).

Dr. Paul LaPointe (Task 3 and 4 Manager, 7.5 man-months): Responsible for implementation of the integrated discrete fracture reservoir model, and the demonstration application at the Yates field.

Dr. Tom Doe (Task 1 Manager, 2 man-months) Responsible for direction and integration of MIT research with Marathon site data and Golder Associates fractured reservoir simulation and data analysis technologies.

Prof. Herbert Einstein (MIT Contact, Task 1.2 and 1.3, 2.5 man-months): Responsible for directing research on single fracture and fracture network scale development of discrete fracture approaches. Prof. Einstein will provide the primary point of contract between Golder and MIT.

Dr. Neil Hurley (Tasks 1.1, 2.3, and 4.2, 3 man-months (est, in-kind)) will be responsible for all activities undertaken by Marathon Oil within the project. Dr. Hurley will provide the technical lead for collection of site fracture and reservoir data, and for development of TAGS fractured reservoir production technologies.