4 minute read

THE ENGAGEMENT: PROCESS DESIGN

To ensure that accountability be embedded, we coached the appropriate leadership on how to manage and own the process.

For example, we structured, scheduled, and facilitated the first few process design workshops, in concert with the designated leaders.

Advertisement

As key stakeholders became more comfortable with the process, team members took over the workshops, including real-time facilitation, action capture, and map design. This transferred ownership to ConocoPhillips employees.

In the interest of measurement and transparency of progress, all process mapping deliverables and activities were scoped and included in a web-based (accessible and visible) action tracking tool: Readiness Tracker01. Each team had ownership of their deliverables as they placed them in the plan (with guidance to focus on the

Each week, the six leads shared progress and collaboratively course corrected. Archipelago developed a weekly one-page report sharing progress, insights, and potential risks for our sponsor and stakeholders. (See Appendix G)

With Archipelago in a coaching role, ConocoPhillips’ long-term capability in process design, process mapping, and accountability will be sustainable after we depart.

Insights

The process mapping journey progressed smoothly. Each of the six OSO Leaders worked with their teams to identify and visualize the processes and sub-processes required to stand-up their respective teams and ‘roll-out’ new systems.

Several teams leveraged the existing high level process maps developed prior to the formal event kick off.

Challenges

The challenge to this (and many) initiatives undertaken over the past 12-weeks was the remote aspect of work and collaboration. Early in the engagement, small groups were able to gather in the office. This did not last long, as most employees were mandated to work remotely.

Figures 01 + 02 demonstrate how we were able to bridge the gap between disparate, remote teams and in-person process building. The prototyping process is an effective way to convert ideas into functional, testable products.

Successes

The ConocoPhillips software ecosystem made communication and collaboration easier. Coupled with Archipelago’s remote work tools, Process Design and Mapping sessions were completed.

Technology Recommendation: Using a tablet and pencil/stylus within virtual meetings proved to be the biggest enabler of visible, real-time sketching and prototyping.

When and where appropriate, and following strict organizational protocols, coaches and leaders met in person to brainstorm, design and prototype. The willingness and urgency shown by OSO Leaders to work with Archipelago (in-person and virtually) removed a common barrier: resistance to change; and allowed the for 12-weeks of effective work.

The concept of design thinking was presented to OSO teams and a larger organizational audience - with great enthusiasm. It represents a desirable way of working and reinforced the benefits of rapid prototyping, testing and iteration. This was especially useful for Process Design and Mapping.

RECOMMENDATIONS + RISKS

As of this writing, only 13 process maps remain to be completed. The capability to do so exists within each of the six teams.

The challenge, therefore, is not in developing these or other sub-processes. Instead, the biggest risk is lack of uptake of the processes as they are rolled out, starting December 1, 2021.

We have several recommendations when it comes to fostering successful adoption of the processes post ‘go-live’:

1. Increased active Senior Leadership support of the change process. Senior Leadership = the OSO Supervisors, the OSO Manager, and our sponsor, the VP of Operations.

“Active” support is not emails, town halls, nor other forums of broadcast communication (but those are necessary). What we mean by active is: field trips, lessons to be learned workshops, after action reviews, decision meetings, etc. In these sessions, in-person wherever possible, senior leadership must:

• re-iterate the purpose of the OSO change program,

• actively engage the stakeholders, and

• regularly and actively follow-up.

Metrics can be used for this initiative. For instance, make field trips mandatory for OSO Supervisors that lead functions with field-based interfaces (1x per month for the next 3-6 months). These should be tracked in a tool just like the Readiness Tracker.

2. Field trips by the OSO Supervisors and +1 Leads. When possible, the trips should occur during the week of handover to spend time with the off-going and on-coming personnel. The focus shall include, at a minimum:

• rapport building,

• scenario review (from the previous quarter)

• OSO big 3 process deep dives, and

• Q+A sessions.

3. Development of an OSO Business Review: a recurring OSO-focused check-in with Ops Managers and OSO Supervisors.

The business review is a data-driven conversation to track and trend progress, share successes, and discuss barriers or threats to the overall OSO initiative. KPIs will need to be identified (the OSO initiative needs to be connected to existing KPIs, as opposed to creating new ones).

Additional recurring connections between OSO Supervisors & Leads. Some informal elements of this exist, however, we advise formalizing it with fieldbased interfaces to share topics and issues pertaining to the OSO’s “Big 3”.

4. Focused, Field-based coaching support.

We strongly believe that the “sprint” style 12-week implementation of the change program in Calgary was effective. The time constraint focused the team on the tasks at hand.

Therefore, we recommend a similarly intense focus, primarily for the fieldbased stakeholders, after the holiday sojourn. Interface management with Calgary would also be addressed.

At a high level, we propose 2 coaches who will rotate mid-January to midApril:

• ~1 week in office in Calgary, working with OSO Supervisors and Leads, followed by

• ~1 week in the field (Surmont and Montney respectively)

• Field time would be scheduled to overlap with the field handovers, where applicable.

We believe that ensuring that the field is not “left out” from a coaching engagement is important. Not only would this increase the likelihood of change, but it would create and empower site-based stakeholders to continuously improve and advocate processes. Since two full-time ConocoPhillips field-based “champions” have been identified, our proposal is half the size of the initial stand-up in the Calgary office.

Archipelago prides itself on being 100% supportive, yet 100% objective.

This article is from: