EP Blueprint

The Background

When Shell Exploration & Production (EP) wanted to standardise and simplify its business processes, the EP Blueprint Programme was born. Five years later and almost exactly to plan, Blueprint reached the end of its main rollout phase – in April 2006, Shell’s US, Brazil and Egypt sites went live with a new global Enterprise Resource Programme (ERP). This revolutionary platform now has some 17,000 users in EP in more than 20 locations worldwide.

A truly global initiative, Blueprint fully integrates EP’s work management, maintenance, procurement and accounting systems into a single ERP platform based on SAP.

Approaches & Benefits

In addition to simplifying the way Shell works, the single, world-class platform will facilitate the transfer of best practice as well as significantly enhancing our competitive position. Blueprint’s functionality has made over 100 legacy systems redundant and supports a whole host of process areas:

• Financial Accounting
• Management Accounting
• Maintenance Management
• Integrated Activity Planning
• Project Management
• Well Delivery
• Logistics
• Contract and Procurement
• Management Information for all key business processes

As well as increasing time-effectiveness, the streamlined Blueprint system is expected to provide remarkable savings of at least 00 hundred million in terms of total cost of ownership, process and best practice benefits, and common global platform efficiencies.

The programme’s successful development was down to a huge international team effort. At its peak, the programme employed over 500 people of 30 different nationalities.

Two facts played a key role in the programme’s resounding success. Firstly, an offshore development and support organisation was established in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Secondly, a new EP Operating Model was introduced. The Kuala Lumpur centre can perform all development and configuration work as well as providing global support to Operating Units at a very competitive cost.

Future

With the rollout of this world-class platform complete, we’re now focused on fully exploiting the system to support and contribute to the EP strategy. By 2008, our objective is to drive continual business improvements via the standardised use of Blueprint for each of the core processes supported.

Blueprint exemplifies Shell’s core values in a number of ways: Not only has it brought teams together from across the global Shell business, it has created a shared vision and a strong sense of ownership in each and every Operating Unit that has implemented the programme.