Ricky Govia, Senior Professional Services Consultant, FutureOn
Ricky is a Senior Professional Services Consultant with FutureOn. A Lead Project Engineer and Manager with a proven track record working across international deepwater operators and service companies.

“The biggest hurdle isn't the software itself, but the organizational change required to adopt it.”

Digital transformation has long been a hot topic in the energy sector. Promising, as it does, increased efficiency, easier ways of working, more robust risk management and acceleration of the energy transition.

But despite compelling headlines and urgent calls to action, operational resistance to change remains strong. Legacy systems, time constraints, limited resources, and - dare we say it - a little inertia, are all contributing to the sector digitizing perhaps more slowly than it could.

It’s understandable. Many operational teams are lean, with little bandwidth for lengthy onboarding or experimentation. They can’t afford to spend time and resource on digital transformation that won’t rapidly realize value.

This long read discusses some of the reasons the digitization of the energy sector is perhaps, not yet where it should be. And offers some practical items to consider in moving your organization towards more digital-first ways of working, and all the benefits they can bring.

Skills shortages and shifting cultures

Digital evolution isn’t just about technology. It’s about reshaping organizational culture and roles. In the past, digital innovation was often championed informally by the experimentation of individual engineers. Today, we’re seeing a shift: companies are establishing dedicated roles for digital implementation, signalling a more strategic and structured approach.

But challenges persist. Organizational silos and limited cross-functional understanding often stall progress. Internal champions may lack either the full picture of how different departments operate or the authority to influence broader change.

To bridge this gap, there’s a growing need for hybrid talent. Not necessarily deep specialists, but generalists who combine engineering know-how with fluency in data and software, and have a broader business context. 

Hybrid professionals are able to translate strategy across traditional domains like engineering and newer, emerging skills like data analysis and software implementation. Understanding broader organizational goals, alongside the more detailed intricacies and interdependencies needed to bring those strategic goals to life operationally.

Put simply, they can ‘connect the dots’, and as the sector digitalizes, there’s a need for this holistic systems thinking. Field engineers with the ability to understand and act on maintenance dashboards, or operations personnel that can interact with both physical equipment and automation software.

Although this seems on the surface like a ‘big ask’, we believe it presents a key opportunity to overcome the skills shortage impacting the energy sector. As experienced professionals retire and training races to keep pace with technological progression; automated systems can play a vital role in automating the routine, while the huge datasets they operate on can ingest the institutional knowledge we so keenly need to hold onto.

There’s concern about digitalization ‘replacing people’ and - while that’s a valid concern - we must be realistic about the skills gap the energy sector is facing. With fewer people to do the jobs - companies need to act now to get a closer eye on the consolidated roles they’ll need to succeed.

A tipping point for transformation

This shift comes at a time when the energy industry is reaching a digital tipping point. Cost-cutting pressures are converging with technology maturity, creating an environment ripe for change. Before COVID, many firms were hesitant to adopt digital solutions, and much of the software was still evolving. 

Today, advanced platforms from startups and traditional engineering firms alike are more aligned with industry needs for efficiency, usability and actionable insight; and stakeholders from c-suite to substation understand the opportunities of data, collaborative platforms and deep visualization.

The energy sector is experiencing a perfect storm of drivers that make transformation not only possible, but practical, proven and urgent. Consider the following use cases for digitalization.

• Real-time testing across real-world coordinates: design and validate field layouts on one screen, with changes tracked and mapped to real-world coordinates. Test ‘what if?’ scenarios in real-time and see the impacts to assets, pipelines and costs instantly. No need to update spreadsheets or spend time on manual calculations.
• Secure, streamlined collaboration: with predefined rules to control who sees what, and automated, standardized version control, you can eliminate design misalignment, reduce review cycles and keep operators, EPCs and suppliers on the same page.
• Aligned task management and automated audit trails: keep projects moving forward and gain a clearer picture of field operations and maintenance needs, through secure, cross-functional collaboration and a complete, logged record of activities.
• Minimized manual reporting: why waste hours building reports manually and searching for up to date data across systems?

Data

Data is no longer just a byproduct, it’s an asset. Platforms that combine operational insight with usability and cross-functional relevance are essential. 

Organizations have historically struggled to use data effectively. Inconsistent documentation and data tags, siloed systems and lost institutional knowledge can all play a part. To address this, data must be proactively captured, cleansed and managed.

Taking a more proactive, intentional approach to data creates opportunities across teams and workflows. Improving operational efficiency through real-time, streamlined collaboration and enhancing strategic decision making through better insight. 

Cybersecurity is another key consideration and a proactive approach to data management is again crucial. With controlled access and detailed, automatic audit trails, sensitive information stays protected - while easily accessible to authorized personnel.

Read more on how we see the future of cybersecurity and data protection 

Collaboration

In the US, over 80% of renewable energy projects seeking grid connection ultimately withdraw their applications. This high attrition rate is attributed to complex interconnection processes and escalating costs, underscoring the need for better coordination between project developers and operators.

For complex projects where multiple design iterations and stakeholder inputs are called upon, better coordination necessitates better tools. We have to stop losing time to endless documentation updates and back and forth over email. Fortunately, the tools exist to give internal and external specialists as complete or as granular a picture as they need, in intuitive, visual formats. 

Here’s how FieldTwin supports key stakeholders and empowers collaboration across the field lifecycle.

• For engineers: bringing together all the elements of efficient field development, from iterative designs to automated validation. Critically for engineers, FieldTwin connects with existing tools and data sources, including costing and document systems, GIS tools, survey data and ROV systems, so changes can be automatically controlled and coordinated; speeding planning cycles and reducing cost.
• For operators: FieldTwin improves both the efficiency and security of asset management. From real-time monitoring to immediate anomaly detection, issues are spotted before they become problems. Minimizing unplanned downtime and the costs and resource burden associated with it.
• For digital and IT teams: FieldTwin is a flexible, scalable platform to centralize data and connect systems. It works alongside existing CAD and GIS systems, keeps data secure with encryption and smart access controls, and current and clean through automatic checks.
• For business leaders: business leaders can make strategic decisions more quickly and more accurately, with a full picture of energy assets. Track risks, costs and performance across development projects and live fields - and put this data to work to inform planning for new asset lifecycles. 
   

Hear more from Filip on how "collaboration is more than value, it is growth strategy" 

Visualization

UX is no longer an afterthought. Visualization tools and intuitive interfaces are playing a key role in driving adoption, particularly among operational teams who need tools that work with, not against them.

As in any industry, when shifting attitudes meet sufficiently mature tech, true transformation happens. And organizations need to act now to be part of that first ‘in earnest’ wave.

Effective UX design is one of the critical elements in supporting the tipping point towards digital transformation in the energy sector. Primarily, because it supports adoption across businesses; an important consideration in realizing value from investment. That adoption needs to be considered - often over decades - from pre-FEED to decommissioning. 

This is something we’ve worked hard to achieve with FieldTwin. Building an easily-followed, field lifecycle journey on a consistent digital foundation that evolves with the asset.

Read more on:  How we connect every project phase with FieldTwin

Conclusion

The industry is moving from reactive problem solving to proactive, platform-enabled decision making. That shift requires both cultural and structural change, and it’s this change that’s absolutely critical to future success.

Key takeaways: 

• Digital transformation isn’t just technical, it's cultural. There's a growing need for hybrid professionals who combine engineering, data and software skills.
• Maturing technologies and cost pressures have brought us to a digital tipping point. The industry is ready for transformation in its truest sense. Those that act fastest to capitalize on advancements will reap the most reward from the compounding operational benefits of digital tools.
• Data is a core asset. Proactively managing and securing data boosts operational efficiency and collaboration, while informing better strategic decision making and robust auditability.
• Collaboration and UX are critical. Outdated tools and communication methods are a major barrier to project progress and in-life operations. Intuitive UX and strong integration improve coordination, reduce rework and increase adoption - the critical, too often overlooked component in realizing value from digital transformation.

Breaking down silos: the role of FieldTwin

FieldTwin, and the multi-disciplinary team behind it, act as interpreters between the different departments within your organisation, and the complex contractor and supply network around it.

FieldTwin is a single, open source platform that enables operators and EPCs to design, visualize and collaborate on energy infrastructure projects through a centralized interface. By connecting all your tools and teams in one place, you can ensure institutional knowledge is stored, automate workflows between systems and bring static data to life through layered, interactive 3D visuals that allow you to view your entire field at the appropriate level of detail depending on who you’re presenting to or working with.

From optimizing bidding to streamlining field development, explore the real world applications of FieldTwin. To discuss what FieldTwin can do to empower your team, streamline your workflows and centralise your tools, please book a demo.