The Smart OpEx Operations Management System software solution is jont venture between The Rapid Response Institute LLC and Knowledge Ops, Inc.
Smart OpEx
An Operations Management System (OMS) is a collection of processes and procedures that enables a company to effectively manage business practices and achieve the highest level of Operational Excellence in daily operations. One of the more notable recent examples is the Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS).
A Typical OMS Framework includes all the major areas involved in organizational processes such as shown in this graphic.
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization has developed a set of standards for all OMS solutions, across industry sectors. The level of complexity of the system will depend on each organization’s specific context.
Attain Operational Agility, Resilience and Sustainability using our mobility enabled Operations Management System to provide operators, energy services companies, manufacturers and others with the ability to:
- Attain the characteristics of a High Reliability Organization (HRO).
- Assure you and your ecosystem partners (at all levels) remain in compliance with regulations.
- Reduce direct and indirect costs of field operations.
In conjunction with the existing IT architecture and software landscape, this system captures detailed operational processes from forms and documents such as: procedural manuals, the Operations Workflow Management System, checklists, and task specific formats and converts them into an automated, validated and guided business process. The system ensures proper execution of tasks and adherence to protocols, while providing management with situational awareness into the status of operations, as well as granular data to measure performance and risk while providing appropriate audit trials and traceability.
Examples of Documents Field Operations may need Include:
- Bridging Documents
- Well Construction Interface Document Guidelines (API Bulletin 97)
- Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for Drilling Wells (API Standard 53)
- Equipment User/Installation/Maintenance Manuals
Operational Excellence Solution
Operational Excellence is the execution of the business strategy more consistently and reliably than the competition, with lower operational risk, lower operating costs, and increased revenues relative to its competitor. It is needed more than ever in today’s technology driven rapidly changing business models, which require organizations to undergo end-to-end business transformation. Operational Excellence can also be viewed as execution excellence.
Built around a Strong Bond Governance model, Operational Excellence is composed of:
- Business Processes and Methods
- Enabling Tools
The detailed depiction of these components are shown in the following graphic.
We have identified four major software components of a full Operational Execellence solution:
- Operations Management System (OMS)–Smart OpEx
- Serious Games–Cross Culture
- Economic Assessment–EVPM
- Process Analysis and Simulation–Smart ProSim
Moreover, this solution requires both engineering and other technical data sets as well as other documentation and ‘soft’ inputs such as culture and organizational ‘tribal’ knowledge.
OMS Architecture
Consistent with other Information Technology process enablement models, OMS must have an architecture and governance model. The figure below depicts this and consists of two major components:
Core Foundation
Policy—Organizational Governance requirements
Standards—Industry Standard such as API and non-Industry such as ISO
Competency—Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) of the combined workforce as well as its state of Training
Tools—Whatever is required to perform job functions including hand tools, software and sensors, et al.
Operations
Process—High Level Business Process that maybe across functions, departments and even firms
Procedure—Subset of the overall process that is a series of steps to accomplish good practices
Relationship—As stated herein, 3rd parties perform most of the work in the field. There is a relationship between the operator and contractor as well between contractor and subcontractors.
Task—is the Job to be performed at the worksite such as repair a pump, drill a well or SEMS Audit
Sub Task—those major components of a Task
Operational Excellence Maturity
As part of and OE assessment process, RRI addresses three maturity models in addition to the governance model:
- Asset Maturity–Business Case for investment include soft benefits such as safety, productivity enhancements, etc.
- Safety Culture–Effectiveness of Systemic Safety for the organization and its ecosystem
- Process Assessment–Level of standardization and sophistication of business and technical enabling processes.
Contractor Management
One of the biggest challenges an Owner/Operator faces is ongoing contractor management. A typical large organization in the Critical Infrastructure space can have multiple layers of contractors, suppliers and key individuals (SMEs) working on aspects if a project/operations life cycle. As shown in the figure, the percentage of non-owner/operator personnel can be very high and 90% is not uncommon.
Moreover, many of the field and office individuals and teams must share data, information, and work process. For example, Contractor A may need to finish their Tasks before Contactor B an begin theirs. Management ‘sign off’ is often required for quality and other processes prior commencement of the next Set of Task. This process can get very complicated, very quickly and the Operations Management System software must enable seamless and timely transitions across organizational boundaries and IT systems (including real time data/analysis). Smart OpEx meets this requirement.
Typical Projects
AI Cloud based SEMS
We have ported and AI enabled our entire Operational Excellence software solutions to the Cloud. Users can access and post to the system regardless of their location. This is an example of the SEMS nine elements.
Compliance Management and Reporting
Assuring that all field and office personnel regardless of their employer are incompliance with ALL regulations and equipment quality control.
Mobility Enabled
We are a pioneer in mobility enabled field operations, including ruggedized RFID and other equipment identification and management solutions. The company is well positioned from a technology perspective to rapidly capitalize on emerging satellite enabled cellular phones and tablets.
Pipeline Integrity Management
Maintenance management of all phases of pipelines throughout their Lifecycle. This included GIS, all engineering and compliance as well as personnel management and client acceptance.
Canadian Unconventional
Local and remote operations of an oil field in far north Canada where not all areas are accessible during winter months. This project included engineering build out as well as production (real time telemetry) operations when the system came online.
Disaster Recovery
In 2004 Hurricane Ivan ravaged the Gulf coast and damaged/destroyed petroleum distribution pipeline from offshore facilities to land. Within days and from scratch, our system transmitted data, reducing recovery time. A case study is available. An early project, we have codified our Rapid Management approach into all our software solutions.
Final Thoughts
The company and its principals have been working on Operations Management Systems since the mid 1990s. The firm has a deep Body of Knowledge in this field and can deliver Operational Excellence solutions Rapidly, thus meeting critical cost effective, safe and solutions that drive down both direct costs as well as project/maintenance process timelines. Finally, this approach dramatically reduces Risks from field operations.
Moreover, it enables humans to do what they do best and use Artificial Intelligence to help assure safe and environmentally friendly value to organizations in Critical Infrastructure sectors.
Supplemental
Dr. Shemwell has been addressing process workflow optimization for almost 40 years. A large number of articles are available on the Body of Knowledge and can be found on our Publication page.
The two books depicted: Navigating the Data Minefields (2025) and Smart Manufacturing (2023) address the role process Operational Excellence plays in our ‘Smart’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) world.
Moreover, our forthcoming book (based on our November 15, 2025 Blog, The Transformation of Our Spreadsheet Society: Moving Towards Nonlinear, Big Data & AI Enabled Problem Solving will continue to expand on this and other methodologies to capture the maximum value from data.
These books integrate an Operations Management System with Economic Value Proposition and Process Simulation into a Single Life Cycle Culture transforming into Operational Excellence.
Oldie but Goodie
After the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, the authors quickly recognized that all economic players in the industry regardless of size would need to immediately adopt a Safety Culture if they were to survive.
The resulting 2014 book, Implementing a Culture of Safety: A Roadmap for Performance Based Compliance remains one the few that readers can use to incorporate a Safety Culture into their Operational Excellence business model regardless of industry.
