Quality management for service supply organizations in the petroleum industry is ever-changing due to increasing demands from customers to adopt new standards and avoid future catastrophes.  The API Spec Q2 standard outlines a risk-based quality management system as compared to a processed-based management system. API Spec Q2 is now fully implemented and accepting applications for certification from organizations around the world. This certification is rapidly becoming a requirement for many service supply organizations and will expand to become a global mandate in the near future.

Requirements

Applicants must have procedures in place to address dozens of key QMS elements. These pertain to risk assessment, contingency planning, management of change, service-related product, process design, supply chain controls, and service quality planning. Other requirements involve preventive maintenance, inspection and test and the competency of personnel. According to John Modine, API’s vice president of Global Industry Services, “Any drilling service provider who is in compliance with the requirements can now receive API Spec Q2 certification.”

SAM API Q2 Solution

Accupoint’s web-based solution is an easy-to-use API Spec Q2 management system designed to ensure that compliance requirements are managed and monitored consistently. Using the latest technology and industry best practices, SAM™ streamlines the process and ensures an easy integration into this new standard.  In addition, the solution is accessible from any web enabled device and connects multiple locations with real-time communications and up-to-date records and information.

The SAM™ platform simplifies management of the requirements of API Spec Q2 standard, allowing for easy integration and compliance. It addresses all the key required components including;

• Project Management
• Service Quality Planning
• Contract Review
• Risk Assessment
• Training & Competency
• Preventive Maintenance, Inspection & Test
• Management of Change
• Supply Chain Management

Obtaining API Q2 certification is just the first step. Ensuring your quality management system stays compliant is the next. With 43 integrated modules and 85 built-in reports, administration and surveillance of the API Spec Q2 requirements is ensured. Contact us for any additional questions you may have on how to implement and maintain an API Spec Q2 quality Management program.

Regardless of the industry you work in, calibration is one of those things you simply cannot overlook. Inspection equipment needs to function reliably and accurately. Calibration ensures consistency and is a requirement of quality management standards across the globe. In this week’s blog will examine four key steps to ensure that your organization is ready for your next audit.

1. Educate your employees- Education includes topics such as proper use, care, maintenance, and of course, procedures. In order to ensure that you properly follow all procedures, continual training is vital. Make procedures visible, frequently remind staff through email alerts or in person sessions, the importance of the calibration process, signs to look for, and what to do when you suspect equipment is out of calibration.
2. Documentation is your friend - Good record-keeping practices benefit you in two ways: you will be prepared for any audits that may come your way, as well as reminding you when calibration dates are coming up. Proper documentation should include any information pertinent to your equipment. This includes, but is not limited to, accidents, malfunctions, part replacements, servicing, etc. A good set of records should be easy to reference and can save you time and money in the long run. 
3. Maintain all equipment - While it may be tempting to continue to use equipment past required calibration intervals, this should be avoided at all costs. These intervals and any calibration earmarks exist for a reason. Operating past these deadlines opens up unnecessary liability.
4. Invest in calibration management software - The right software can handle all of the above steps, except for actually calibrating the equipment.  Choose a system that uses best industry practices, digitally maintains all applicable records, and sends reminders on upcoming calibration requirements.

The Calibration process does not have to be time consuming. With the right systems in place, you will be prepared for any audit, as well as have the peace of mind that comes with protecting yourself from liability. For more information on how Accupoint Software can help simplify the calibration process, contact us today.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) can be a great tool to improve the customer satisfaction of your business. It can also help to expand your customer base. NPS is a simple process, but the effects can have a significant impact on your business. Let's look at the advantages of NPS.

1. The NPS Process Is Customer Friendly

How likely is it you would recommend us to a friend or colleague?   Determining the NPS requires only asking the single question above. When you ask it, the customer responds with a range from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely likely.)  It requires minimal effort on their part.   By asking only a single question, the customer is more likely to take the time to give an answer. The last thing you want to do is to burden your customers with an exhaustive survey. Since they are not, the customer will provide accurate information and still leave in a good mood.

2. NPS Provides a Target for Focusing Customer Relations Efforts

NPS gives a clear picture of how customers view your products and services. People tend to be conservative when it comes to making a recommendation. By asking this question, you can get a good measure of the customer's satisfaction.   Once you have the measurement in place, it gives you a clear goal to focus on while you try to raise it. The goal should be to move all the detractors (those with a score of 0 to 6) to a passive level (7 or 8.)  And you should, in turn, move all the passives you can to promoters (9 or 10.) Promoters can do incredible things for your business when it comes to getting the word out.

3. NPS Can Reduce the Cost of Customer Acquisition

The best way of increasing a customer base is by word of mouth. Since the NPS is a direct measure of how likely this is to happen, it gives you a very focused metric on which to improve. You will want to nurture low scoring customers. Doing this will increase the likelihood of future product and service recommendations.   Taking care of low scoring customers will also help to keep them coming back for more business. Every saved customer relationship is one you don't have to pay to replace later. This can have a positive impact your bottom line.   The NPS can be a simple yet powerful tool in customer relations for your business. 
 
Contact us today for more information on how Accupoint Software can help streamline your customer bench-marking process.

For more information on Accupoint Software's SAM Q2 platform or to schedule a demonstration, please contact us today.

With the changing landscape of the oil and gas industry, companies are under increasing pressure to improve operational efficiencies as prices continue to remain low and margins are narrowed. In order to reduce costs and increase efficiency, many service supply organizations are implementing API Spec Q2.

Accupoint’s SAM™ solution ensures compliance and the correct documentation to meet the API Q2 requirements. It defines strategies, goals and best practices and the means to secure them. Our system provides industry best practices for all components including: service quality, risk assessment, employee training, document control, MOC, corrective actions and preventive maintenance. A comprehensive solution may seem difficult for an industry with such vast core areas to cover; however, incorporating common standards of practice is essential to realizing integrated process management and operational excellence simultaneously.

The bottom line: API Spec Q2 tells your customers that you are at the top of your class and aiming for the best in quality and delivery of services, ultimately ensuring customer loyalty, operational efficiency and growth.

Please contact us today for more information on our family of quality management systems specific to the petroleum industry.

During the stages of conception, designing, building, operating, and decommissioning in the petroleum industry, a quantitative risk analysis is a primary tool used to analyze the safety and risk management in an effort to control hazards and operate safely. The quantitative risk analysis can identify potential hazards, determine the likelihood of them occurring, and the consequences of the hazard should it arise.
 
Why Quantify Risk?
Your company needs to be reliable and safe in the competitive petroleum industry. The potential harm to employees, the environment, assets, reputation and the local community should be priority number one. 

How Do You Quantify Risk?
In most scenarios, the use of a HAZID can be applied. A HAZID can help identify the potential risks during installation or operation of your company's work. Often, a hazard can become a series of hazards as they break down into a plethora of hazards, also known as an event tree. That is, when one operation breaks down, the HAZID can pinpoint the likelihood of the consequential events that may happen. Not only can the HAZID determine what might happen next, the HAZID can also quantify the probability of the events to follow.

Planning for the Future
With the risk analysis tools in place, your company can easily plan for the future by identifying your risks and quantifying the likelihood of their occurrence. With proper risk management, your company can avoid unnecessary costs, downtime, and injury to workers. 

For more information on how Accupoint’s solutions can help you manage your risk assessment process, please contact us today. 

Recording process information in oilfield operations can be extremely difficult. Furthermore, documenting everything on paper and storing it in files has become unworkable and unnecessary. While these tasks were traditionally done on paper, the scale and complexity of operations today make it almost impossible. Instead, firms are moving to automate process control documentation. This shift helps to reduces cost, increase efficiency, and improves organization and retrieval.

Documenting customer and regulatory mandated process information is one of the more tedious components of oilfield operations. Managers want to focus on increasing efficiency and productivity. They want to produce more volume for the same amount of labor and energy input. In contrast, process control documentation is mostly focused on recording past actions and complying with regulation. For that reason, automating the documentation process continues to grow in popularity.

A main benefit of an automated software system is the ability to record process information as it occurs. Software will allow users to record the inputs, the timing of each chemical additive, the drilling schedule, the pumping schedule, heating, cooling, water injection and many more processes.

Managers and compliance professionals can examine these results in the event of an incident or other non-conformity. Records and related information is saved in the cloud automatically, so there is no need to worry about papers or hardware being destroyed or misplaced.  Instead, the data is safely stored in redundant server locations.

Accupoint Software is a leading provider of innovative compliance management systems for the petroleum industry.  Our integrated platforms streamline business processes, improve efficiency and help navigate complex regulatory and customer requirements. For more information on our solution family, please contact us  today.

As the oil and gas industry is in the midst of evaluating and improving business practices in order to competitively deliver products and services, the underlying drive is to find ways to improve processes and provide operational efficiency.  Further, the pressure to deliver at an optimum level while maintaining cost effectiveness is greater than ever.

One of the growing trends for balancing reduced resources is the integration of technology, such as cloud computing, into operations.  Simply put, a business subscribes to an application and accesses it over the internet.  There are many advantages to using cloud-based technology especially when your talent pool has been downsized:

• Maintain organizational knowledge base
• Improve communications with customers and partners
• Simplify process management to minimize operational issues
• Improve data quality and the ability to update in real time
• Enhance cost management and profitability
• Streamline return on investment due to efficiency attainment

 
Due to changes in the industry and the demand to remain competitive in the global market, many businesses are adopting technology solutions to fill the void of talent and the mandate to do more with less.  As a result, many businesses discover better business practices as they learn to operate according to a leaner, more efficient model.
 
For more information on how Accupoint’s solutions can help improve operational efficiency, contact us today.

All certified organizations must strictly adhere to and comply with regulatory guidelines and requirements such as the ISO standards. However, too many organizations seem to take a cavalier attitude towards internal quality audits. Failure to maintain proper documentation and records of the process may ultimately lead to loss of certification and clients.
 
Internal Audits are vital to the longevity and success of a business enterprise. Today, internal quality audits take a holistic approach leveraging powerful auditing software capable of monitoring systems in real time.
 
In today’s post, Accupoint Software will illuminate some of the benefits of an effective internal quality audit process.
 
Improve efficiency
Quality internal audits help an organization identify areas that need improvement. The software evaluates the effectiveness of a management system and highlights areas in its functionality that require expansion.

Agent of Change
Internal audits compare the documentation practices in the organization with standards in the real world. If your organization is lagging behind, an internal review will compel your team to evolve into newer, more efficient practices.
 
Security
Quality internal audits highlight security risks in your organization. As more organization utilize technology in their operations, information theft is becoming an increasingly intimidating security threat.  Internal audits will identify sensitive areas of attack and help develop procedures and action items to address vulnerabilities.
 
Optimization
Internal quality audits help to identify inefficiencies and unnecessary waste.  Identifying and correcting the source will lead to lower production costs and ultimately, higher profits.
 
Monitoring
Another benefit of the internal audit process is that a company can draft monitoring and assessment procedures. This involves guidelines of how and when to conduct routine assessments on the system.
 
For more information on how Accupoint can help streamline your internal audit process, please contact us today.

Sound communications management must be a top priority for any company in the petroleum industry. Not only is performance impacted by communication, but in our industry the health and safety of employees is directly affected by a company's ability to communicate clearly. That is why it's so important to understand the best practices in communications management.

Your company must design and implement procedures to communicate internally and externally. It is important to make sure that documents, both internal and from stakeholders, be processed correctly. While input from all departments is necessary in determining effective distribution of information, for example using direct emails or physical message boards, communications management procedures and implementation should be handled by top management. This will help avoid doubt and confusion. There are several methods of communication that allow information to reach people effectively including:

• Message or Notice Boards: Message boards can be physical places to post notices or changes. They are also electronic boards or forums that employees can log into. The electronic method can also be implemented for stakeholders. This method provides flexibility in the range of information that can be shared including news, legislative documents and performance metrics.
• Emails: Develop email lists for internal communications, external information and stakeholders. Information and updates should be shared regularly.
• On-Site Meetings: Sometimes in the age of electronic communication we move away from in-person communication, but this is a big mistake. Use both methods. Share critical information should both during meetings and in electronic communication. Sometimes information is better explained in a meeting where dialogue is live and questions can be answered immediately. It is good practice to hold monthly meetings to review new information.
• External Documentation: A process must be developed for receiving new information. The process will detail the documentation life cycle including receiving, reviewing, storing and distributing information. This pertains to all documentation required for your Occupational Health and Safety Assessment system.
• Electronic Signatures: Utilizing electronic signatures has several benefits. You will ensure that communications are received by employees and have verifiable confirmation. Because it is electronic, employees can be located virtually anywhere when they receive and sign off on information. This can be used to communicate changes in legislation, new processes and updates to training.
• Proof: Make your processes verifiable. Document and record all processes. Proving that you have effective communication is required to meet the OHSAS 18000 standard.

These methods of communication will help you meet Health and Safety requirements. Proper communication also helps improve performance and decrease mistakes. Most importantly, it will help to ensure that employees are well-informed. In the petroleum industry there is a lot of important information, including legislative changes, internal processes, fire muster points, performance metrics and first aid kit locations, just to name a few. All of this information must be communicated clearly and quickly, and following these guidelines will help ensure effective communication for employees and stakeholders.

For more information on how Accupoint can help with communications management, compliance or business practices, contact us today.