Eliminating Decision Friction to Ensure Fleet-Wide Consistency
Operating at scale, our priority was consistency rather than customization. We needed decisions to be structured before execution, not reconciled afterward. What changed was that calculations and assumptions were enforced by the system itself, which reduced friction and eliminated entire classes of error.
The Operational Blindspot
THE "TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE" RISK
Standard drilling operations often rely on "Tribal Knowledge"—the unwritten rules and habits of individual Superintendents.
While effective in isolation, this creates a fragmented organization where Rig A drills differently than Rig B.
This inconsistency is a hidden liability.
When a high-performing crew is rotated or a relief Superintendent steps in, the "unwritten" rules vanish, leading to confusion, hesitation, and inevitable operational drift.
The Challenge
A large operator with a rotating workforce faced a recurring problem: performance dipped significantly after every crew change.
The "handoff" between shifts was not just a transfer of data; it was a collision of philosophies.
The incoming team would often spend the first 12 hours "re-interpreting" the plan, leading to decision friction and slowed operations. The organization needed a system that enforced continuity regardless of who was in the chair.
The Endeavor Intervention
Endeavor deployed DOT as the central "Rhythm Section" for the campaign.
The system enforced a standardized workflow for every operational phase, from casing running to cementing.
It did not allow for "interpretation." The physics, the limits, and the procedures were locked into the digital workflow. Whether it was the day shift or the night shift, the process remained mathematically identical.
The Human Insight
THE REALIZATION: FREEDOM IN STRUCTURE
The Operations Manager discovered a counter-intuitive truth: strict structure created operational freedom.
Because the "routine" decisions were automated and standardized by DOT, the crew had more mental bandwidth to focus on the "critical" anomalies.
"Consistency matters more than flexibility. By unifying the decision framework across rigs, the Operations Manager ensured that every crew—regardless of location—was executing with the same physics-based rigor."
Fiduciary & Operational Impact
Causal Insight & Diagnostic Clarity
Crew handovers became seamless data transfers rather than philosophical debates.
The "ramp-up" time for relief crews was cut in half. Incoming teams stepped into a workflow that was identical to the one they left, eliminating the friction of acclimatization.
Operational Response Strategy
Crew handovers became seamless data transfers rather than philosophical debates.
The "ramp-up" time for relief crews was cut in half. Incoming teams stepped into a workflow that was identical to the one they left, eliminating the friction of acclimatization.
Fiduciary Impact & Capital Preservation
The primary value was the Stabilization of the Learning Curve.
Systemic Validation Standard
Simulation credibility begins with data integrity. DOT established that operational data must be structured around decisions, not documentation. By removing friction upstream, the platform made downstream simulation, validation, and training materially more effective.
Strategic Imperative
Process is only valid if it is repeatable.
This case established a new governance standard: An operational procedure is not a standard until it is encoded in the digital workflow. If it exists only in a PDF, it is a suggestion, not a rule.
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