Digital-first strategy prepares a Norway offshore operator for multi-field operations
A Norway offshore operator built a value led digital roadmap that connects multi-field operations, onshore collaboration, and real-time data into one defendable plan.
Starting point
Norway offshore operator was shifting from a single asset focus to managing a portfolio across multiple fields. Existing tools for surveillance, planning, and optimization were capable, but they were fragmented by asset and function. Data and reporting sat in silos, and teams often recreated similar solutions locally.
There was no unified digital strategy or investment plan for multi field operations. Onshore teams lacked a consistent view across assets. Offshore teams used different interfaces and data definitions. Leadership needed a defendable roadmap that showed where to invest, how to sequence change, and how digital initiatives would support production, optimization, and people on board efficiency over the next five years.
Approach
The operator engaged a consulting team to build a value led digital strategy and five-year roadmap for Norway operations. The team included Bhuvan Maingi, who is now leading Strathen Group. The work began with a structured discovery across operations, subsurface, maintenance, projects, and support functions. Through interviews, workshops, and system reviews, the team surfaced pain points in surveillance, reporting, optimization, collaboration, and decision making.
These insights were distilled into design principles for digital in a multi field context. Principles covered topics such as consistent onshore visualization across fields, a single source for real time data, clear handoffs between onshore and offshore roles, and the need to build once and reuse where possible. The principles became a filter for which ideas to pursue and how to shape them.
Next, the team created a backlog of roughly 30 digital opportunities. Each opportunity was assessed using a value versus complexity scoring framework. Value reflected potential impact on production, uptime, optimization speed, POB efficiency, or safety. Complexity reflected technical integration, change impact, dependencies, and alignment with global digital and IT initiatives. This created a transparent way to compare ideas and make trade offs.
From this backlog, a Digital Opportunities Roadmap was built around four core pillars. Pillar 1 focused on onshore visualization and common interfaces across fields. Pillar 2 defined a consolidated data hub to bring together real time and historical data. Pillar 3 covered failure forecasting and condition based maintenance use cases. Pillar 4 focused on optimization and simulation tools that could work across the portfolio rather than per asset.
Enabling initiatives were linked into the same roadmap. These included reporting standardization work, an integrated planning program, governance and steering structures, and the approach to shared platforms such as EqHub. The roadmap showed how enabling work and core digital use cases would move together, rather than as separate streams.
Investment envelopes, ownership, and success measures were then defined. For each pillar and major initiative, the team outlined funding ranges, accountable owners, key decision gates, and the cadence for steering and review. The roadmap was structured over a five year horizon, with early moves focused on foundations such as data and visualization, and later moves on advanced optimization and forecasting.
The roadmap shifted digital from a collection of local tools to a portfolio view that links principles, use cases, and investments across every field in Norway operations.
Outcome
Norway operator gained a single, defendable digital roadmap for scaling to multi field operations. Instead of individual assets pursuing their own tools, the organization had a shared direction anchored on four clear pillars and a set of enabling initiatives. This created consistent interfaces and shared data across fields so that onshore teams could see the whole portfolio in a common way.
Leaders now had a clear line of sight from digital investments to operational outcomes. The roadmap spelled out how specific initiatives would support production surveillance, optimization decisions, and POB efficiency. It also showed where reuse and standardization would reduce long term cost and complexity compared to bespoke solutions by field.
Alignment with global digital and IT programs reduced duplication and accelerated delivery. Norway initiatives were mapped against global platforms and standards, so the roadmap built on existing capabilities rather than competing with them. Governance structures and steering cadence gave the operator a practical way to adjust priorities as new information, technologies, or corporate strategies emerged.
The roadmap also became a reference point for budget discussions and vendor engagements. It helped Norway operations explain to internal and external stakeholders how digital would underpin multi field operations over the coming years, and how decisions on sequencing and scope had been made. The result was a more coherent, value oriented digital agenda for the Norway portfolio.
A strong digital roadmap does not start with technology. It starts with principles, value, and a clear view of how operations will change across assets.
This work now shapes how Strathen Group approaches digital strategy in asset intensive sectors. Start with value and operating principles, prioritize transparently, and tie digital pillars to a funded roadmap that operations can own and adjust.
