What you will learn
- What well production data looks like, and why it is scattered
- How production, pressure and equipment data are combined
- How exceptions are surfaced: wells that have fallen off or stopped
- What engineers, managers and field staff each see
- Where monitoring ends and reservoir engineering begins
What this project is
Oil wells produce at varying rates, and their performance changes over time: pressure declines, water cut rises, equipment fails, and wells need intervention. A production dashboard brings well data together: daily production volumes for oil, gas and water, pressures, temperatures, and equipment status, for individual wells, fields and whole assets. The dashboard shows performance against expectation, so a well that has fallen off is visible immediately, not at month end when the production shortfall is already locked in.
Exception reporting is the value. A dashboard that shows hundreds of wells equally well is a data dump, not a management tool. The dashboard should surface wells that need attention: production drops, pressure anomalies, equipment alarms, and wells that have stopped. Each exception should link to the well's history and data, so an engineer can judge whether the drop is a real problem, a measurement error, or an expected decline.
Core features
- Well production views by well, field and asset, with oil, gas and water volumes
- Pressure, temperature and equipment status alongside production
- Exception views for production drops, anomalies and stopped wells
- Performance against forecast or expected decline, by well and field
- Trend charts and history for individual wells, with interventions marked
- Field and asset summaries for management reporting
How it is built
- Identify the production data sources first: well tests, meters, SCADA and manual reports
- Build well and field views with production and pressure data, then exception views
- Add performance against forecast, then trend history with interventions marked
- Test exception accuracy with production engineers, tuning thresholds so real problems surface without noise
- Pilot on one field, comparing dashboard exceptions with engineer-identified problems
Technology considerations
Data integration is the main challenge. Production data comes from well tests, allocation systems, meters and SCADA, in different formats and frequencies. The dashboard must reconcile those sources into a consistent well view, with data age visible, so a well whose latest data is a week old is not presented as current. Allocation adds complexity: production measured at a facility must be allocated back to wells, and the allocation method should be recorded, so well figures can be understood and challenged.
Threshold tuning determines usefulness. An exception threshold set too tight floods engineers with noise; set too loose, it misses real problems. Thresholds should be set per well or well type, reflecting normal variation, and reviewed as wells age. The dashboard should also show interventions: a well that dropped after a workover is a different story from one that dropped without intervention, and the history view should make that visible.
For the first version, monitor one field's wells with production, pressure and equipment data, and exception thresholds tuned with production engineers so real drops surface without noise. Engineers judge the dashboard on whether its exceptions match the wells they would have flagged themselves. A dashboard that does that for one field, with data age visible, is ready to cover the whole asset.
Challenges to plan for
- Production data that is days old, presented as if it were current
- Exception thresholds that flood engineers with noise, so real problems are ignored
- Allocation methods that are not recorded, making well figures unchallengeable
- Wells that appear to drop because of measurement error, not real decline
Who it is for, and its limits
This suits an oil and gas operator, a production team or an asset manager. It fits operations with many wells where manual review cannot keep up. It does not fit a single-well operation where production is checked directly, and it is not a reservoir simulator: it monitors production, it does not model the reservoir.
A production dashboard does not increase production. It makes underperformance visible early, so interventions can be planned while they still help. Costs vary with well count and data sources, so confirm with a quote after the data sources are mapped.
Frequently asked questions
What is water cut?
The proportion of water in the fluid a well produces. Rising water cut is a common sign of reservoir change or well problems, and is tracked alongside oil and gas volumes.
How are exceptions defined?
By thresholds on production change, pressure change and equipment status, set per well or well type. Engineers tune thresholds so real problems surface without excessive noise.
What is allocation?
Dividing facility-level production back to individual wells, using well tests and other data. Allocation methods are recorded, so well-level figures can be understood and challenged.
Can I see a well's history?
Yes, with production trends and interventions marked, so a current drop can be judged against the well's past behaviour and past work.
Does the dashboard control wells?
No. It monitors and reports. Well control, such as choke changes or shutdowns, is done through operational systems by authorised staff.