Hello!

In Oil and Gas industry it is common to have a number of reports such as KPI, Backlog, Corrective work, Preventive works, Work Readiness and other metrics to measure how was performance planned and executed. Most plants use weekly KPIs and weekly and monthly compliance reports.

In some cases there is a possibility that certain planned work was not completed as planned due to some delay, or other any reason I will list below. When we (Planners) produce the report where these reasons should be reflected planners may face with the dificulties that they have to understand the strange comments from other parties and transfer them in the report for management. Moreover, they have to select and assign correct Reason code. From experience I can tell that even reason not allways provided.

Examples of good and poor number of reasons for the uncompleted job are below:

Example 1

Reason codes

1. Materials
2. Operations
3. Vendor
4. Other

Example 2

Reason codes 

1. Operations
2. Scope
3. Weather
4. Permit
5. Materials
6. Vendor
7. Technical issue
8. Data entry
9. Other

In example 1 the reasons of mostly any uncompleted jobs obviously will go to Other section. As a result of it you may face with situation where you have 20 reasons as Others and only one like Operations. But in reality the Other as reason code does not reflect the proper explanation for you or for management to understand the real situation about the plant. However the example 2 have more reason codes that possibly can cover the situations about mostly any reason possibly could appear and delay or stop the planned activity.

I will try to briefly go through the listed reasons in case if it is not very obvious

Example 1

Reason codes explanation

1. Materials - any delay related to materials delivery, like it was ordered, but late delivered, or it was ordered, but we've received incorrect type, or even lost somewhere in the warehouse and etc.
2. Operations - if equipment need maintenance on not running like pump, but it is now pumping the oil we could not release this equipment for maintenance as of operations. This applicable for any works that may have clashes with operations or production.
3. Vendor - delay was not because we perform bad, it is contractor delayed the job. This one obvious but may later be transformed into NCR to the contractor if will be repeated in sequence or many times.
4. Other - the worst in this section explanation about the reason why the work was not done as planned. I could not literaly explain what to include into this section - as this section covers everything anot listed above.

Example 2

Reason codes explanation

1. Operations - all as above with addition to those that was decided not to execute as priority have changed. As an example - we have planned to do maintenance on production well number 123, but as it is live now we have decided not to touch Well 123, we will do Well number 321 this time, and will come back to Well 123 next week. So the priority of plant have been changed and no reason was related to work execution itself - it is just swap of the Wells, so, in this case we will use Operations reason code
2. Scope - very simular to the previous but not swap definitelly. The scope was changed during the execution. During the monthly preventative maintenance we have identified that the pump have leak or bearers touch the body from inside. In this case you have delayed the job as you have chaged the scope and it will required more time to prepare to the concequenses that you have faced.
3. Weather - you have planned lifting operations, but strogn wind not let us to do the job, and severe weather could ccontinue for couple days or even more. In case of offshore you can plan the campaing with contractors involved and they was on the ship but as of weather conditions from could not be utilised and they have to stay on floatel, or even may return onshore. In tis case not contractor delayed your planned operations it is you who could not provide the frog as of weather. The weather is the reason of delaying the job, not you, and not contractor.
4. Permit - when it comes to very sencitive reason like permit (in some industries COW, eCOW, ISSOW or paper) the work was late as permit was not signed. The area authority do not let you to do the job as you have not properly assessed the work place and have not listed all possible risks and mitigations, not all controls are in place. Also, if contractor is not very competent could simple give permit on the same day and while site controllers, area authorities and site managers will review you will be delayed at least one day. After their review you may have comments on whitch you have to rework your permit and re-submit on the next day. 
5. Materials - as listed above
6. Vendor - as listed above
7. Technical issue - in some rare cases program (your software) may not work, or may have server disconect. Or simple may have some mistakes in logic. This rare cases should be very clearly documented and presented to management with overall description of the problem, so this could be later be directed to the software engineers, so they can explain it to the software providers and fix it.
8. Data entry - job was planned last week, but was completed with the actuals before that of after, or even without actuals. All related to data (actuals) entry works, go to this section. In most cases repeatedly increased number of works in this section will bring your personnel to the trainings or some king of presentations from planner on topic how to complete the work with correct actals.
9. Other - obviously all other possible reasons. But there will not be much of them as listed in example 2 reasons have cover the mostly every suspect that commonly happens. 

It is life and in our real life nothing goes as planned.

This two examples have been taken from real life from the two different companies where I've been working. I do not have NDA with them, but prefer not to share the names, so please do not ask in topic comments.

• Share the reason you use in your reports
• Share your thoughts on my reasons
• Give your life experience from interesting reasons with examples
• Any feedback if welcomed