What you will learn
- What drilling operations involve, from spud to completion
- How daily drilling reports are built and used
- How well plans, actuals and costs are tracked together
- How non-productive time is recorded and reduced
- Where drilling management ends and subsurface engineering begins
What this project is
Drilling a well is a complex, expensive operation. A rig drills through rock formations to a target depth, casing and cementing as it goes, with mud systems, logging and testing along the way. A drilling operations system tracks that operation day by day: depth drilled, rate of penetration, mud properties, casing set, problems encountered, and costs incurred. The daily drilling report is the record that everyone, from the rig crew to management to partners, uses to know what happened.
Consistency in reporting is the point. If each rig reports differently, or if costs are recorded in a different system from operations, the operation cannot be managed or compared. The system should standardise the daily report: the same fields, the same definitions, for every rig and every well, so a well drilled last year can be compared with a well being drilled now. Non-productive time, time lost to problems rather than drilling ahead, deserves special attention, because reducing it is often the largest cost saving available.
Core features
- Well planning with planned depths, casing design, mud program and time estimates
- Daily drilling reports with depth, rate of penetration, operations and problems
- Cost tracking by well, phase and cost category, against budget
- Non-productive time recording by cause, with analysis across wells
- Mud, casing and cement records linked to depth and phase
- Reporting for management, partners and regulators, from the same daily data
How it is built
- Define the well plan structure and daily report format first, agreed with drilling teams
- Build daily reporting and cost tracking, then non-productive time analysis
- Add well plan versus actual comparison, then management and partner reporting
- Test daily reporting on a live rig, checking that rig crews can complete it accurately
- Pilot on one rig for one well, comparing system reports with the old reporting method
Technology considerations
Data capture on a rig is hard. Crews work shifts in harsh conditions, and the system must support simple, fast daily entry, with offline capability where rig connectivity is poor. Depth and time data must be consistent: depth measured from the same reference, time recorded in the same timezone, or comparisons between wells fail. Cost data needs equal discipline: costs recorded against the right well and phase, with a clear category structure, or budget comparisons are meaningless.
Non-productive time classification needs agreement. Different teams classify the same problem differently, and the analysis becomes useless. The system should use a controlled list of causes, with definitions, and allow review of classifications. Integration with rig systems, where available, can automate some data capture, but manual reporting will remain important, and the system should be designed for the people who actually fill it in.
For the first version, run daily reporting on one rig for one well: depth, operations, problems, mud and casing data, and costs, all in the standard format, with non-productive time classified by cause. Drilling managers judge the system on whether the daily report for that well can be compared with past wells. A system that delivers consistent reports for one rig, even with poor connectivity, is the base for rolling out to every rig.
Challenges to plan for
- Daily reports completed inconsistently across rigs, making comparison impossible
- Non-productive time classified differently by different teams
- Costs recorded against the wrong well or phase, corrupting budget comparisons
- Rig connectivity gaps that delay or lose daily reports
Who it is for, and its limits
This suits an oil and gas operator, a drilling contractor or a company managing multiple rigs. It fits operations where drilling costs are significant and where daily reporting drives decisions. It does not fit a single shallow well drilled once, and it is not a subsurface engineering system: it tracks drilling operations, it does not design wells or interpret geology.
A drilling operations system does not drill wells faster by itself. It makes progress, problems and costs visible daily, so decisions are made on current facts. Costs vary with rig count and well complexity, so confirm with a quote after the reporting format is agreed.
Frequently asked questions
What is a daily drilling report?
The record of a rig's day: depth, operations performed, problems encountered, mud and casing data, and costs. It is the primary record for managing drilling and for reporting to partners and regulators.
What is non-productive time?
Time lost to problems, such as equipment failure, stuck pipe or waiting, rather than drilling ahead. Tracking it by cause shows where time and money are being lost across wells.
How are costs tracked?
By well, phase and cost category, against budget, from daily cost data. Consistent categories across wells make budget comparisons meaningful.
Can the system work with poor rig connectivity?
Yes, for capture. Daily reports are stored offline and synced when connectivity returns, without loss or duplication.
Does the system design wells?
No. Well design, including casing and mud programs, is done by drilling engineers. The system records the plan and tracks actuals against it.