documents; a discussion area for exchange of opinions andideas; a team calendar for important dates; an action area;and announcements. Users can create individual, managerialor team “communities” that are driven by an area ofexpertise, a project or another defining factor. You mighteven say that eWay is a democracy: Users can vote, anonymouslyoffering their response to an idea or decision.With all these benefits, are there any drawbacks toeWay? “You’ve got to be more organized when you workwithin this process,” Vail says, “but that becomes an advantagebecause you have so many tools to help you work moreefficiently and effectively.”These are strong selling points — but there are reasonseWay is specifically important to <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong>. An obviousfactor is the wealth of critical, esoteric knowledge withinthe company that can be directed toward challenges andopportunities. “We deal in intangibles that create tremendousvalue for a company,” says Murray. “eWay drives intellectualcapital that creates sustainable monetary capital.”One warning post is that the petroleum industry is aging.“Our population of experts is getting older, just as, demographically,a greater number of people than ever before areage 50 and above,” Vail notes. “With eWay, we’re not lettingthat wealth of knowledge and experience leave withretirees. Instead, we’re harnessing the brain-trust of seasonedworkers to train and enlighten our younger generationsof <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong> workers, just as we’re capturing thefresh ideas and perspectives of newer employees.“It says a lot about <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong> that we’re creatingan environment that nurtures the sharing of knowledge.Few companies have the capacity, or the foresight, to builda system like eWay.” ■Fred Vail discusses technical issues with members of his eWayteam in Dhahran. Vail says the eWay system not only helps thecompany succeed today but captures and retains knowledgefor future success.Portrait of a COPeWay’s Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of userswho come together to harness and share knowledge. Whetherthey’re collaborating on a project or solving a problem, they’redeveloping smarter, better-informed employees, mentoringthe next generation of workers, and deploying diverse ideasand experience to address challenges and make the most ofopportunities.Salam P. Salamy and Drew E. Hembling are believers whodeveloped their virtual team to facilitate the sharing of intelligenceand save time on an MRC Smart Wells project. Now,they wouldn’t operate any other way.Salamy, a petroleum engineering specialist in the ReservoirManagement Department and Safaniyah Unit supervisor,and Hembling, a petroleum engineering consultant in theProduction and Facilities Development Department, initiatedtheir CoP in 2003.“I was heading the Shaybah team, and people were lookingto us for processes and lessons learned,” Salamy remembers.“With these big operations, you don’t have time to pick up onthe learning curve.”Hembling explains that their CoP is structured to captureand reveal the best practices that can make or break a project.“We complete the well on paper before we do anything else,”he says. “Then we invite all the players – reservoir engineers,geologists and so on — to provide their input. Then we implementthe plan. Next, we take a retrospective and ask ourselves,‘What went well? What didn’t?’ Our CoP captures this informationand constructs lessons learned and best practices, whichSalam and I validate as leaders. The best part is that participantsare encouraged to weigh in all the time.”Salamy adds that their leadership decided to use eWay asa support vehicle for a Best in Class initiative.“We created our CoP as a means of promotingtechnology training and sharing essential information,”Salamy said. “The availability and integrity of the informationis powerful. It was a good move for our managementto support eWay,” he says.Hembling agrees. “It’s hard to remember thatthere was a time when we didn’t have the Internet,and now we can’t live without it. It’s the same witheWay. It’s a process that lets us streamline the waywe work and think.”Fall 2006 7
8 <strong>Saudi</strong> <strong>Aramco</strong> Dimensions
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