GU-747 Professional Development Guide PDO

Revision: 2.
0
Petroleum Development Oman LLC Effective: July-17
Petroleum Development Oman L.L.C.
Professional Development Guide

for
Operations
Document ID GU-747
Document Type Guide
Security Restricted
Discipline Operations
Owner Operations Capability Development Manager - UOC
Issue Date 26 July 2017
Version 2.0
Page 1 GU-747 Professional Development Guide for Operations Printed 27-7-2017

The controlled version of this CMS Document resides online in Livelink®. Printed copies are UNCONTROLLED.
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Keywords: This document is the property of Petroleum Development Oman, LLC. Neither the whole nor any
part of this document may be disclosed to others or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form by any means (electronic, mechanical, reprographic recording or otherwise) without prior written
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i Revision History
The following is a brief summary of the most recent revisions to this document. Details of all revisions
prior to these are held on file by the issuing department.
Version No. Date Author Scope / Remarks

1 Chris Mustoe UOC6 First issue
2.0 Mohammad Ibrahim Re-issued specific only to Operations
discipline in line with and the new UOD
Operations Directorate

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ii Related Business Processes

Code Business Process (EPBM 4.0)
CP-114 Maintenance Code of Practice
CP-115 Operate Surface Product Flow Assets Code of Practice
iii Related Corporate Management System(CMS) Documents

The related CMS Documents can be retrieved from the Corporate Business Control Documentation
Register CMS.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
i Revision History ................................................................................................................................ 4
ii Related Business Processes ............................................................................................................ 5
iii Related Corporate Management System(CMS) Documents ........................................................... 5
1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 8
1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 8
1.2 Purpose ....................................................................................................................................... 8
1.3 Scope .......................................................................................................................................... 8
1.4 Objective...................................................................................................................................... 8
1.5 Target Audience .......................................................................................................................... 9
1.6 Roles and Responsibilities .......................................................................................................... 9
1.6.1 The Individual ............................................................................................................ 9
1.6.2 The Line Supervisor .................................................................................................. 9
1.6.3 The Skill Pool Manager ...........................................................................................10
1.6.4 The HR Business Partner ........................................................................................10
1.6.5 The Corporate Function Discipline Heads (CFDH) .................................................11
2 The Operations and Maintenance Disciplines ................................................................................12
2.1 Mission and Vision ....................................................................................................................12
2.2 Discipline Scope and Dimensions .............................................................................................13
2.2.1 Skillpool Dimensions ...............................................................................................13
2.2.2 Skillpool Demographics ...........................................................................................14
2.3 Skillpool Strategy and Challenges ............................................................................................15
2.3.1 Skillpool Strategy .....................................................................................................15
3 Operations and Maintenance in the Assets ....................................................................................17
3.1 Operations and Maintenance in Identify and Assess ................................................................17
3.2 Operations and Maintenance in Define and Execute ...............................................................18
3.3 Operations and Maintenance in the Operate Phase .................................................................18
3.3.1 Operations and Maintenance Organisation.............................................................19
3.3.2 Line Roles ................................................................................................................20
3.3.3 Support Roles ..........................................................................................................20
3.3.4 Functional Roles ......................................................................................................21
4 Career Planning in Operations and Maintenance ...........................................................................22
4.1 Career Development for TOP Intake ........................................................................................22
4.1.1 The TOP Scheme ....................................................................................................22
4.1.2 Career Development to JG6 after TOP Scheme Completion .................................24
4.1.3 Further Development for the Operator/Technician Pool .........................................25
4.2 Career Development for Graduate Intake .................................................................................25
4.2.1 The Graduate Development Programme (GDP) .....................................................26

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4.2.2 Job Competence Escalator (JCE) .......................................................................... 28

5 Competence Development, Assessment and Assurance .............................................................. 31
5.1 Competence Assessment and Assurance................................................................................ 31
5.1.1 Job Competence Profiles ........................................................................................ 32
5.1.2 Competence Assessment ....................................................................................... 33
5.2 Competence Based Development ............................................................................................ 33
5.2.1 Gap Identification .................................................................................................... 34
5.2.2 Gap Closure ............................................................................................................ 35
5.2.3 Gap Closure Review ............................................................................................... 35
6 Learning and Development ............................................................................................................ 36
6.1 Learning Needs Analysis .......................................................................................................... 36
6.2 Training Guidelines ................................................................................................................... 37
6.2.1 Training Nomination and Approval ......................................................................... 37
6.2.2 Learning Ladders .................................................................................................... 38
6.2.3 Workshops and Conferences.................................................................................. 39
6.2.4 Learning Days per Year .......................................................................................... 39
7 Progression ..................................................................................................................................... 40
7.1 Progression Principles .............................................................................................................. 40
7.2 Progression Process ................................................................................................................. 40
7.2.1 Work Flow ............................................................................................................... 40
7.2.2 Progression Timing ................................................................................................. 42
7.2.3 Progressions Period ................................................................................................ 42

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1 Introduction
1.1 Background
With the current low oil price scenario, the people challenges for the Operations function and its skill pool
have driven PDO to manage the numbers of drastic increase in technicians/operators and graduates
being required to accelerate the Omanisation plans to achieve Omanisation target of 90% by 2020,
whilst also catering for the projected business growth. More pressure on efficiency and optimisation of
costs will drive PDO to focus on the impact caused by attritions, growth, vacancies, and the replacement
of current expatriates. Resourcing the business, contract extensions and staff development remains the
biggest challenge for PDO Operations Function during the short to medium term.
PDO remains committed to maximising the availability and productivity of its assets, at optimal cost, with
no harm to people or the environment, while safeguarding technical integrity. At the same time, a
sufficient number of highly skilled and motivated employees are vital to the achievement of PDO’s
objectives and sustaining a high standard of operating and maintaining its facilities. The Operations
function has to sustain and ensure that it has the policy and mechanisms in place such that it has a
competency based system to satisfy all of the above. All members of PDO’s Operations skill pool are
expected to drive their own development to obtain the range of skills necessary to become a complete
Operations professional. In return, PDO will provide the necessary learning and development
infrastructure to enable individuals to achieve their career ambitions.
The Operations function and its skill pool member remains the largest in PDO and contain over 3,000
positions from JG 10 to JG1. The structured and planned development of the existing staff in the
Operations function plus all the new staffs being recruited as part of the technician and graduate intake
are governed and subjected to a multiple Codes of Practice, Procedures, and Guidelines. These remain
the basis a point of reference for staff, providing an overview of the development process and where to
seek for further information.
1.2 Purpose
The primary purpose of this document is to assist Operations parented staff in the planning and
development of their career by providing a single point of reference that describes (and links to) the
associated processes and procedures. The secondary purpose is to link this document to other existing
guidelines and procedures centred around people centred matters.
1.3 Scope
This guide is applicable to all Operations parented staff. The recognised Operations disciplines in
accordance with SP-2061 Technical Authority System are:
 Surface Production
 Maintenance and Integrity
 Programming HCA
Further sub disciplines are used in skill pool management and are discussed in section 2 below.
This guide is applicable to all Operations staff regardless of what role they are in at a given time and
includes staff in both asset and functional organisations. The parentage of the actual position an
Operations parented staff is in (e.g. Engineering, Operations, HSE) is not relevant for the application
of this guide.
When referring to the skill pool of ‘Operations’ the term is used collectively to describe the officially
recognised Operations disciplines of Surface Production, Programming HCA, and Maintenance and
Integrity.
1.4 Objective
The objectives of this guide are provided below.

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 To provide an overview of the Operations discipline’s leadership structure, mission, vision and
capability management
 To describe the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in the career
development
 To provide a career planning overview, including references and links to other processes,
procedures and tools
 To provide an overview of the Competence Development and Assurance process and its links to
progressions.
 To provide and identify potential resources to assist in developing gap closure plans
1.5 Target Audience

The target audience for this guide is wide and includes the following groups of staff in PDO.
 Existing Operations parented staff working in all roles
 New maintenance technicians and operators recruited and following the TOP training and
development programme
 New graduates recruited and following the GDP training and development programmes
 New entrants to the Operations skill pool from other disciplines
 All staffs engaged as either mentors or coaches for Operations parented staff
 Supervisors of Operations parented staff working in non Operations parented positions
1.6 Roles and Responsibilities

This section provides an overview of the roles and key responsibilities of the various parties that are
relevant to the profession development of Operations staff.
Note that the pronouns ‘he’, ‘his’ and ‘him’ are used in this guide collectively to represent both staff
genders.
1.6.1 The Individual

The individual staff member is singularly accountable for his own development. He takes the lead in
the management of his career and uses the available resources (in terms of people, processes and
tools) to drive his development and reach his ultimate career aspirations. This includes the following
responsibilities.
 Driving his career development by establishing short, medium and long term goals
 Preparing his Performance Contract and driving the mid year and end of year appraisal process
 Regularly assessing his competence against current job and future jobs to determine gaps
 In conjunction with the line supervisor, SPM and CFDH agreeing development need to close the
gaps. Development needs may be workplace assignments or formal learning programmes
 Seeking feedback on his performance from his line supervisor, subordinates and co-workers
 Requesting formal competence assessments from an authorised assessor
 Maintaining a working relationship with his SPM and CFDH
 Initiating discussions with his coach or mentor on his personal development
 Regularly updating his Annual Development Plan (ADP)
1.6.2 The Line Supervisor

The Line Supervisor is the person to whom the individual directly reports to. In principle, he is the ‘first
port of call’ for all discussions related to development and must be consulted in all elements of the
process. The Line Supervisor has the following responsibilities:
 Setting the annual activity plan and targets for his team, including the input to the Performance
Contract
 Measuring the performance of his staff and providing regular feedback at structured sessions with
this staff

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 Providing advice and counselling to his staff on development opportunities and actively seeking
workplace activities to close identified competence gaps
 Conducting competence assessments against Job Competence Profiles in accordance with GU-
874
 Providing input to the annual ranking sessions of his staff
 Supporting formal approvals of development actions, including training nominations and
progression proposals
 Conducts and assesses the Current Estimated Potential (CEP) of his staff
1.6.3 The Skill Pool Manager

The Skill Pool Manager, also referred to as SPM, provides guidance to a pool of employees with
similar expertise. Within Operations there are SPMs assigned to Production Operations, Maintenance
and Integrity, and EOR. The SPM for EOR covers all EOR assets plus the projects assigned to the
Central Project Delivery (CPD) organisation.
The SPM performs two distinct roles:
 Implement the Operations skill pool strategy and ensures organisation is staffed with the right
capabilities for both current and future business
 Leads, facilitates and implements HR processes and ensures full compliance to these and
together with the HRBP champions staffs issues
The SPM works with respective team leaders and individuals to conduct training needs analysis and
personal development planning to identify appropriate learning opportunities for each member of staff.
Once mapped out, SPMs evaluate a schedule for training development for the entire Skill Pool
prioritising against critical business requirements.
SPMs are also responsible for facilitating succession planning meetings and progression panels to
ensure that employees are given the opportunity, where possible, for job rotation and are also
considered for career advancement.
1.6.4 The HR Business Partner

The HR Business Partner (HRBP) provides a vital link between HR and the line through the provision
of advice and support on all people matters and the interpretation of HR policies and procedures for
managers and employees. The HR BP is the focal point for performance management in the line.
The principle accountabilities are as below:
 Ensure that all employees have performance contracts and that employees are encouraged to
complete on time. Review the yearly poor performers and ensure that there are clear actions
 Coordinate the year end reviews, ensuring these reviews take place. Facilitate and report on the
‘ranking meetings’ and submit for the line director’s approval.
 Acts as the Employee Champion, presenting employee concerns to management. Identifying and
tracking people problems and counselling staff on personal issues
 Plays a reactive role to respond to supervisor initiated discipline cases.
 Participates in the development of improved services in the assigned directorate by assessing and
anticipating directorate needs, identifying and resolving areas of non-compliance and coordinating
preliminary progression proposals.
 Provide advice to line managers and employees on the application of all HR policies.
 Communicates throughout the business on all matters related to HR. This includes new or
changed policies on compensation and benefits
 Organize and facilitate engagement meetings with all employees on a two monthly basis, together
with the line /function manager and the relevant Skillpool Manager.
 Carry out exit interviews on all employees from the assigned business.

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1.6.5 The Corporate Function Discipline Heads (CFDH)

The CFDHs are the day to day leaders of the technical disciplines. They have prime accountability to
ensure their disciplines are appropriately positioned to meet business requirements across PDO. With
regards to people they are accountable for the following.
 Accountable to the Operations director on input to the technical resourcing plan process and carry
out demand assessments where required
 Establish resourcing priorities across the assets and optimise deployment of resources
accordingly
 Development of the discipline training portfolio including training ladders and recommended
workshops and seminars for discipline staff
 Design and support the implementation of employee development tools including, competence
frameworks, learning curricula, graduate development programmes, technical ladder and
coaching mentoring frameworks
 Provide competence assessment support for staff at discipline Skill and Mastery level
 With Skillpool managers, annually set graduate and experienced hire discipline recruitment
targets
 Provide high quality input into graduate development and rotation schemes
 Manage and sign off discipline staff movements and succession plans
 Provide career counselling for their discipline staff based on ADPs and provide input as required
on individual’s CEPs and performance ratings
 Maintain up to date and accurate job descriptions for the technical roles in the organisation both in
(project) engineering and operations

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2 The Operations and Maintenance Disciplines

The Operations function within UOC manages a large pool of staff in three recognised discipline that are
further divided into sub disciplines that are used in skill pool management.
 Surface Production, including
o Production Operations,
o Integrated Activity Planning
o Operations Readiness
o Commissioning and Start Up
o Marine
o Production Management
o Real Time Operations
o Production System Optimisation
 Programming HCA
o Production Programming
o Production Hydrocarbon Accounting and Forecasting
 Maintenance and Integrity, including
o Reliability and Condition Monitoring
o Mechanical Maintenance
o Electrical Maintenance
o C&A Maintenance
o QMI & Metering Maintenance
o Materials, Corrosion and Inspection
o Maintenance Management
2.1 Mission and Vision

The development of Operations staff needs to be seen within the overall framework of the mission and
vision of the Engineering and Operations function. The below statements are taken from the UOD 2017
Business Plan.
Vision
To be renowned and respected for the excellence of our people and the value we create for Oman and
our stakeholders.
Mission:
To be the Pioneer in Safe Operations, Optimum Production, Efficient Costs & People Capability.
Focused Objectives:
To define, implement and maintain compliance on standards, capability and processes for engineering
and operations and provide leadership to allow PDO to meet its corporate objectives.
Strategy
The strategy for the new Operations function was framed into 3 main pillars:
 HSE & AIPSM
 Sweat the Assets
 Costs Control
The significant relevance to this guide is the strategy associated with the People element
fundamentally instituted onto the four (4) pillars as per graphic below:

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Fig.1 Four (4) Pillars for Capability Development
2.2 Discipline Scope and Dimensions

The Operations skillpool remains the single largest skillpool in PDO and at the start of 2017 had 2784
established positions. This section provides some key dimensions and discusses some of the key
challenges facing the growing skillpool.
2.2.1 Skillpool Dimensions

Post 2016, PDO had experienced a lift on its establishment cap to cater for the predicted growth and
to allow recruitment of Omani staff (maintenance technicians, operators and graduates) that would
ultimately help PDO reach its Omanisation targets. With this, at the start of 2017 there were 2,784
established positions in the Operation function. In addition to this were 527 GDP graduates and
trainee technicians/operators (TOPs) under training resulting in a total skillpool size of 3,311. Growth
is predicted to continue in the business planning period with a forecasted establishment of 2,722
positions by 2021 when projects moved into operate phase. As the graduates and TOPs complete
their training and are moved from their development positions to permanent positions, the
Omanisation are expected to reach a level of 91% by 2021 from 78%. This data is illustrated below.

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Fig. 2 Growth and Omanisation
2.2.2 Skillpool Demographics

When reviewing the skillpool it is worth not only looking at the number of jobs but also the
demographics of the staff filling to positions. This is important as it gives one indicator as to the health
of the skillpool as the experience of the older staff needs to be balanced with a healthy pipeline of new
talent that will replace staff as they retire. The figure below indicates the age demographics of the
Operations skillpool at the start of 2014.
Fig. 3 Age demographics

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As can be seen, with an assumed retirement age of 60 only 2% of the Operations staff are able to
leave PDO in the next 5 years and that there is a significant number of staff in the younger age groups
that will replace them. This presents a healthy status for the demographics of the Operations skill
pool with 91% of the population in the 20 to 49 age group.
2.3 Skillpool Strategy and Challenges

This section provides a summary overview of the key strategies in the management of the Operations
skill pool and highlights some of the current challenges.
2.3.1 Skillpool Strategy

The Operations skill pool strategy is centred on four (4) key pillars;
 Capacity
 Capability
 Community
 Culture
Capacity refers to manpower position demand required to operate the business, whereas capability
refers to the competence of the staff required to function in these positions. Hence for the Operations
organisation to be sufficient and effective, it must have both the required capacity and capability.
Community refers to the ensure that people are well engaged, on-boarded, coached and mentored in
the development and remunerated accordingly and leading towards an evolved working culture of
Lean-based practices, upholding business principles, codes of conducts, D&I and behaviour based
safety.
2.3.1.1 Capacity
The required established positions within the Operations skillpool is reviewed on an annual basis in
the manpower review as an integral component of the business planning cycle, with ultimate approval
being given by the Technical Director. As positions are approved they are ‘opened’ in SAPpHiRe and
made available against which to resource staff to fill the positions. The objective is to fill all
established positions with staff, and where new positions are opened the objective is to fill them within
6 months.
The growth in the Operations skill pool is forecasted in the manpower plan and the preferred method
of resourcing positions is through internal moves in line with the approved succession plan and
following the matching panel process where fairness and due process are verified. The succession
plan is regularly reviewed by the skill pool managers and operations mangers and provides a means
by which to identify candidates for positions and to manage the movement and development of staff
as they progress through the organisation.
The primary ‘feed’ into the succession plan is the intake of graduates and TOPs initially from 2013 to
2016 averages 100 graduates and nearly 200 TOPs per year. This has seen a decline as a result of
meeting the needs of Omanisation, attrition and growth.
In cases where there are no internal PDO candidates for positions external recruitment is used. When
recruiting externally the preferred source is the local Omani workforce. Where this is not possible an
expatriate candidate will be recruited on a fixed term direct hire contract to fill a specific role for a
predetermined period of time until there is a suitable Omani staff member capable to fill the role.
2.3.1.2 Capability
All positions in the Operations skill pool are assigned a Job Competence Profile (JCP) that has been
approved by the Corporate Functional Discipline Head (CFDH). It is the objective that staff should
meet the competence requirements for their position, although it is recognised that some gaps may
exist as staff move from one position to another either as part of a lateral move or during progression
to the next job group. Hence, it is assumed staffs are competent when they meet 90% of the overall

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required competence elements for their JCP whilst satisfying 100% of all critical competence
elements.
The two structured programmes that develop new Omani recruits to PDO are the Technician
Omanisation Programme (TOP) and Graduate Development Programme (GDP), which are discussed
in more detail in this guide in section 4. The TOP programme takes in Omani diploma holders and
develops them through classroom and hands on training as production operators or maintenance
technicians. The programme follows a 34 month time line that delivers competent SG9 production
operators and maintenance technicians for deployment to the existing assets and new projects. The
GDP takes Omani graduates through a 3 year programme that delivers competent SG5 engineers for
placement in the Operations organisation.
All staff can be continually developed through work place exposure and formal learning events.
Competence is measured using competence profiles and formal assessments by trained and certified
assessors and verified by discipline heads or authorised delegates. As staffs are assessed as
competent they can be proposed for progression to a job at the next job group and salary group.
Further details on staff progression are in section 7.
The majority of competencies are expected to be developed by workplace exposure whereby
competence gaps are identified as part of the annual performance management process and
assignments and task given for the staff to further develop. This may be supplemented by formal
training events conducted internally by PDO’s training organisation, or externally through Shell
Learning and Development, regional or international training providers. All formal training events are
captured in the annual Learning Needs Analysis process further described in section 6 of this guide.
2.3.1.3 Community
The significance that the skillpool community needs to be consistently engaged, motivated and well
informed are key measures as success of the management of the skillpool. Management-led planned
visits and town hall sessions led by the MDC and specific directors, and added by regular visits by
Skillpool Managers keep staffs well informed and engaged on every aspect of people issues.
Since Lean evolved from inception implementation, the significance and numbers of Lean
practitioners, results and costs savings have moved into a new dimension of spreading these across
the values of the community members in the Operations discipline. In addition were the cross-
directorate/assets in the sharing of practices worth replicating and sharing of knowledge, including the
rejuvenation of efforts to optimise the effects and impacts of coaching and mentoring for development
and performance.
2.3.1.4 Culture
With the prolonged and anticipated low oil price scenarios, the cultural shift in values and practices
has moved from a static mode to dynamic ones, ensuring that costs are optimised, processes
rationalised, idle and wastages are eliminated and business process stream-lined to increase
productivity, quicker turnarounds and consistencies across all aspects of the business.
The business principles of avoiding conflict of interests are paramount to the reputation of PDO and
skillpool members and initiatives such as declaration of conflict of interests are mandatory are
complied with. Added to these are values around promoting diversity and inclusiveness, behaviour
based safety, reporting near misses and others that enhanced reputation, integrity and respect.

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3 Operations and Maintenance in the Assets

This section provides a description of the roles in Operations and Maintenance in the PDO
organisation and includes what roles there are in different ORS phases. Whilst the vast majority of
Operations and Maintenance roles are in the Operate phase it is important to put this into context by
looking at the full lifecycle of the asset from Identify and Assess right through to the Operate phase.
3.1 Operations and Maintenance in Identify and Assess

The Operations and Maintenance disciplines play a vital role in the full asset life cycle management
process, from its identification through the Operate phase up to and including abandonment. The
discipline is regarded as the Asset Owner in the Operate phase, which is where the opportunity
realises the true value.
Fig. 4 Asset Lifecycle Management Process
In the development phases of the ORP, the Operations and Maintenance engineer (also known as the
Operations Readiness, or OR engineer) is involved with multi discipline teams comprising sub-surface
and surface engineers in field development planning (FDP) and front-end studies that lead to concept
selection and Basis for Design. Traditionally in PDO the OR engineer has had a Production
Operations background but this is not a pre-requisite for the role and as such the role can be filled by
either a Production Operations or Maintenance engineer.
The OR engineer adds value by injecting practical field experience in these early phases where things
are still in the ‘head and paper’ and not yet a physical asset. Key activities that OR engineers perform
at this stage include:
Execute Initial Operations Assessment – The purpose is to identify operational drivers and Operate
phase risks that may significantly affect the life cycle value of the venture or opportunity so that they
could be considered in the concept selection or “Select” phase of the ORP.
Operations Readiness Plan – The purpose is to define and describe the Operations Readiness
activities and resources required during each phase of the project, to ensure sufficient budget is made
available. In addition to DCAF, it further details the Operations Readiness activities and deliverables.
Formulate Operations Philosophy and Strategy – The Operations Philosophy is a key deliverable that
encapsulates the outcome of the operational studies in the development stages. Such studies include

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manning, availability and life cycle operating cost. It essentially articulates the vision of how operations
will be performed and the associated operational functional requirements for the selected
development concept.
The effectiveness of the Production Operations engineers in the development stages depends on their
level of experience. The Operations professional should have been exposed to broad range of
operations roles with considerable hands-on experience in frontline operations in order to bring the
required value to the front-end project team. It is therefore recommended that production Operations
Engineers that are assigned be at the level of principal engineers, a minimum of 10 years from entry
as new technical professional.
3.2 Operations and Maintenance in Define and Execute

The Operations in Projects roles are more commonly referred to as Operations Readiness (OR). At
this stage, the emphasis starts to shift from maximizing the value of the opportunity to assuring the
value is realized. The opportunity goes into the Define and Execute phases of the ORS.
Define Phase
Define phase primarily consists of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) activities leading to
delivery of the Basis for Design (BfD) and project specifications. For the Operations and Maintenance
engineer involved in this phase, it means translating the functional requirements into project
specifications, for example, specifying what hardware and manning needs to be put in place to
achieve the intent of the Operations Philosophy and ensuring that operability and maintainability are
considered in the design. This phase also requires plans and strategies to be put in place for
Flawless Project Delivery, Commissioning and Start-up.
Execute Phase
The Execute phase comprises the detailed engineering design, construction, commissioning and
start-up. The OR Engineer is the ‘operations conscience’ during the design and construction phase.
Key roles in this phase of the ORS are:
1. Operability reviews during the design phase
2. Setting up and integrating the Operations Management System into those already existing in PDO
3. Future operators staffing and training
4. Commissioning and start up including flawless delivery
5. Manage concurrent operations upon introduction of hydrocarbons into the new production facility
(Hot commissioning stage).
6. Handover of completed installation that is producing at steady state. This is also referred to as
Project to Asset transfer and is an important milestone in the asset life that signifies beginning of the
Operate phase.
The Operations and Maintenance professional in the project phase should as a minimum have been
exposed to Operations and Maintenance in a production facility similar to what is being built.
Whereas the development (Identify and Assess) phases require exposure to a wide range of
Operations to be effective in the divergent thinking required at that stage, the project stage (Define
and Execute) requires specific exposure to the selected development concept for the OR engineer to
be effective in the convergent thinking required in this stage. It is recommended that a new technical
professional spends about 5 years in a frontline operations role before an OR assignment in projects.
3.3 Operations and Maintenance in the Operate Phase

This section of the guide describes the way in which the PDO Operations and Maintenance
organisation is structured and provides an overview of the various roles that are in place to manage
the day to day operations and to provide support to it.

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3.3.1 Operations and Maintenance Organisation

Following the introduction of the New Operating Model (NOM) in 2005 PDO is structured based on a
matrix organisation consisting of Assets and Functions. This structure is applied for Operations and
Maintenance with the following key features.
 Four assets are established: North, South, Gas and Infrastructure

 There is a single point accountability for each process and a limited number of interfaces
 Functional Directors own the processes and are accountable for technical standards, skill pool
management, and staff allocation
 Asset Directors implement technical standards and standard processes, ensure compliance and
are accountable for asset Opex and Capex budgets
 HR is centrally organised, its processes are standardised to focus on the key HR processes
 While corporate HR sets the standards for the core HR processes, the line will run the daily
business and deal with the needs of its staff. HR business partners will act as facilitators and link
between HR and line management. The delivery of HR support will be within the accountability of
the HR business advisers who will be working with line management.
Within each asset there line roles and support roles. The line roles are accountable for the daily
delivery against their short and medium term plans. The support roles are accountable for technical
support to the line to plan activities, optimise production and assure asset integrity. Functional roles
are those roles that support all assets and are typically single discipline where a greater technical
depth is required in the given discipline.
A simplified organisation chart to illustrate the roles is shown below.
Line Positions Support Positions Management Positions
Fig. 5 Typical Organisation Chart for Asset Operations

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Functional Positions
Fig. 6 Organisation Chart for Operations Directorate
3.3.2 Line Roles

Within the context of this guide line roles are those that are involved in the day to day delivery of
operations and maintenance activities at the assets. These roles are predominantly field based.
The most senior line Operations and Maintenance role is the Asset Operations Manager. He is
singularly accountable for the safety, production and asset integrity of his asset. He has the following
teams:
 The Operations Manager, accountable for delivering Process System Optimisation(PSO) and
Engineering is accountable for Commissioning, supported by Operations
 The Delivery Team Leader, single point accountable for IAP execution
 The Production Coordinator, controls all production activities on the asset
 The Maintenance Coordinator, controls all maintenance activities on the asset
 The Production and Maintenance Supervisors, controls the daily execution of tasks by technicians
and operators
 The Operators and Maintenance Technicians, that operate and maintain the facilities
3.3.3 Support Roles

Each of the assets has a (predominantly coastal based) support team that works with the Operations
Delivery Team in the development and execution of the short, medium and long term plans. The
support teams in each asset are structured in a similar manner and comprise the following main
departments.
 The Operations Support team provides day to day support to the operations teams at the asset
and are a focal point for all operations issues that require support and assistance from other
corporate support teams. They also provide operation input to projects and work with the project
teams in the commissioning and start up of new facilities and asset improvements.
 The Programming and Hydrocarbon Accounting team provides the direction to the line
organisation on the production planning. This includes which wells are to be utilised (production
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and injection) and their production or injection rates. The team is also responsible for the final
reconciliation of production and the allocation of the production to the wells and reservoirs.
 The IAP Planning team leader is accountable for IAP development integrating all asset activities
into a single plan for execution by the Delivery Team. This team is also responsible for
developing the shutdown (turnaround) plans for each asset.
 Maintenance Strategy Team Leaders are accountable for selecting the equipment based
maintenance strategies and providing discipline support to the Delivery Team for their execution.
They are also responsible for monitoring and improving equipment reliability by driving the defect
elimination process, including ORIP and Root Cause Analysis of failures.
3.3.4 Functional Roles

To support the assets there are a number of functional roles that are accountable for setting the
corporate strategies, procedures and guidelines within their area of expertise. These functional roles
are filled by technical specialists that set the Codes of Practice, Specifications, Procedures and
Guidelines for their function. They also provide an assurance role to monitor and measure
compliance against their functional standards. The roles require a greater depth of experience and
are typically led by staff with 15 or more years experience in their discipline. They are the company
‘experts’ in their discipline and provide support to both engineering and operations teams in PDO.
All functional organisations for Operations and Maintenance report to the Operations Functional
Director (UOD) as illustrated above. A short description of the roles of each of the functions is
provided below.
 Automation and Smart Fields – responsible for all areas of control, automation and optimisation
and the implementation of the Smart Fields concepts in PDO
 Engineering – responsible for all areas of project delivery, including discipline engineering, project
management and project services
 Production – responsible for surface production of the oil and gas facilities, including key delivery
in Programming, Integrated Activity Planning, OR and CSU and Operating Integrity. Also
responsible for leading business improvements using the Operational Excellence standards and
processes
 Maintenance and Integrity – responsible for all functional maintenance processes and in particular
the Maintenance and Integrity Execution (MIE) and ORIP processes. They also have an
execution role and provide workshops, spares management and off site repair services to the oil
and gas asset teams
 Information Management – responsible to support and advise projects and operations on their
information management requirements, providing easy and timely access to trustworthy
information
 Capability Management – responsible to pursue value creation by ensuring that the Engineering
and Operations skill pools are adequately resourced, developed, deployed and significantly
motivated and retained to deliver PDO’s business

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4 Career Planning in Operations and Maintenance

This section describes the career development options in operations and maintenance and is based
around the existing career development ladders. The description is subdivided into the two primary
programmes by which the staff intake originates; the TOP and GDP schemes.
TOP is the Technician Omanisation Programme and is the scheme developed and implemented by
PDO to recruit diploma holders and to develop them to be competent operators and maintenance
technicians at the oil and gas facilities. The graduate programme recruits graduates from colleges
and universities and develops them through the Graduate Development Programme (GDP) to be
operations and maintenance engineers.
These two programmes are the primary entry mechanism into PDO for Omani staff and are discussed
in more detail below. Complete details of the two programmes are contained in the following
corporate guidelines.
GU-734 TOP – Technician Omanisation Programme
GU-713 Graduate Development Programme for Operations
4.1 Career Development for TOP Intake

The TOP has been designed to bridge and prepare fresh college leavers with the awareness, skill and
knowledge of PDO’s specific operations and maintenance of its specific equipment, HSE and the
communication skills required for working in an interior and remote working environment. The
program sets key competence building blocks for both specialisation and enhancement of complex
competencies as these technicians and operators to progress further in their career.
Once staff has completed the 34 months programme they will be established at SG9. Further
development and progression will then be governed by the Competence Assessment and Assurance
(CA&A) process further describes in section 5 of this guide.
4.1.1 The TOP Scheme

The 34 months TOP scheme comprises two phases and a total of 4 toll gates through which the
trainee will pass. This is illustrated below.

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Fig. 7 Technician Omanisation Program
Phase 1
Tollgate 1 - For the first 4 months of the TOP, the trainees undergo a formal induction program that
bridges the vocational knowledge derived from colleges to that required to operate and maintain
PDO’s oil and gas facilities. This includes both the technical aspects and communication and report
writing skills.
The trainee has a direct contract (1 year) with the Learning and Development organisation (PCL) and
abides to this contract. There are formal assessments set throughout the initial year and a final exam
set at the end. The trainee is expected to achieve a minimal pass of 70% in both English and
technical to pass through this tollgate to proceed into the next phase.
Phase 2
After passing tollgate 1 and after completing and complying with all HSE requirements the trainee
locates to the interior based on an allocation determined by the UOC function. The interior based
training comprises the following elements.
Field training program – the full field training program is 36 months during which the trainee is
assigned a fixed location and an On-Job Trainer (OJTs), who will guide him throughout the program.
Task books – there are sets of tasks given to achieve a gradual process of competencies expected of
the trainee to function as a general technician and operator at JG9. The task book serves as a guide
on specific equipment, processes, units, components etc., which must be experienced via on-the-job
exposures. Each task, at the satisfaction of competent assessors, will be signed off to satisfy
competence outcomes for specific elements.

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Competence Portfolio – There are specific Job Competence Profiles (JCP) or CA&A qualifications set
at Level 2 (L2) which must be satisfied to proceed further. The JCP describes the fundamental
competence elements that must be satisfied by the trainee and properly documented for further
verifications exercise by the internal verifiers. This portfolio of competences being developed and
achieved are fully recorded and shall serve as future references that detail the future building up of
competencies set at further complex levels.
Tollgate 2 - During a period of another 6 months, the trainee must achieve 25% of the total task book
listed to be established on permanent contract with PDO at SG 11.
Tollgate 3 – During a period of 16 months after passing tollgate 2, the trainee must achieve 50% of
the Competence Portfolio requirements to be progressed to SG10.
Tollgate 4 – During a period of 14 months following tollgate 3, the trainee will undergo further
development and competence development. Once he has fully satisfied the full competence of a
technician or operator, he will be progressed to SG9. He is then fully deployed into an established
line position.
4.1.2 Career Development to JG6 after TOP Scheme Completion

After completing the TOP scheme and being established at SG9, that technician will be placed in a
JG8 position. JG8 is the lowest grade recognised in PDO for a technician position and hence in this
case it is normal for staff completing the TOP scheme to be in a JG that is higher than their SG as
they develop their competencies to those required at the SG8 level.
After being established in a position at a location the technician should then start to develop the
required competencies at the SG8 level using the appropriate Job Competence Profile (JCP). He will
follow the Competence Assessment and Assurance (CA&A) process to demonstrate these
competencies as described in section 5 of this document (and detailed further in GU-874 Competence
Assessment and Assurance). Upon successful completion and demonstration of his competence
assessment he may then progress to SG8.
Technicians at SG8 in JG8 positions are competent technicians that are able operate with limited
direct supervision and fulfil the company’s core requirement to operate and maintain the company’s
assets. However, it is recognised that due to the increasing age and complexity of the company’s
facilities that further competencies are required and this is reflected by a number of JG7 and JG6
technician position in the organisation. Hence, staff at SG8 may further develop their competencies to
those required for JG7 and ultimately the specialist roles at JG6 using the CA&A process.
It is important to note that progression to SG7 and to SG6 is not automatic and that meeting the
competency requirements of JG7 and JG6 does not in itself allow the technician to progress to the
higher SG. To progress to a higher SG not only requires the demonstration, assessment and
verification of competencies but also requires that that the individual is performing and that there is an
available position at the higher JG. In principle technicians cannot be at a higher SG than the JG of
the position in which they reside.
The figure below illustrates the career development path to JG6.

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Fig. 8 Development Map for the General/Specialist Operator/Technician pool
4.1.3 Further Development for the Operator/Technician Pool

The vast majority of staff recruited and developed from the TOP intakes will remain as technicians
operating and maintaining the company’s oil and gas assets. A scheme exists to allow staff with
potential beyond JG6 to be further developed to JG5 and above. This scheme is entitled the
‘Development Trainee’ (DT) scheme and allows identified staff to be sent for further studies in Oman
or overseas to achieve a bachelor’s degree in a company approved discipline.
Staffs are selected for the scheme by being proposed by their line management based on the
following criteria.
 Continued performance at ‘Superior’ or beyond
 Demonstration of leadership skills and PDO behaviours
 Potential to achieve JG3 within their career at PDO
Following the proposals by the line the proposed candidates are reviewed once per year by a panel of
Operations Managers, Functional Managers and Skill Pool Managers. The selected staff will then be
eligible to participate in the company sponsored DT scheme and on completion will return to PDO and
enter the Graduate Development Programme (GDP) without having to pass through the formal
assessment centre.
In addition to the above, the Technical and Operational Professional Program (TOPP), which is of 1.5
years duration and managed and conducted by Shell provides another platform for selected and high
performing staffs to be developed further as supervisors, technical specialists, support engineers etc.
The Operations function nominates a number of these staffs to participate and they later become part
of the mainstream of supply for jobs at the JG5 and 4 level.
4.2 Career Development for Graduate Intake

To fulfil the needs of the organisation graduate engineers are recruited into the company after
completion of their studies (to bachelor level) and having successful passed through the assessment
centre. When graduates join the company they commence the Graduate Development Programme
(GDP).
The GDP is designed to build knowledge and skills to a minimum competence level expected of a
technical professional at Job Group 5. As a principle, the program ensures that the depth of parent
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discipline skill is developed, whilst also enhancing the breadth of awareness and knowledge of cross
discipline and cross business competencies. The end result is to build capable, mobile and robust
professional engineers, ready to take on responsibility via an accelerated development process.
4.2.1 The Graduate Development Programme (GDP)

The 3 years GDP comprises two phases and whilst some differences exist between Production
Operations and Maintenance, the programs are essentially the same in objectives. The exact length
of the programme depends on the progress by the graduate but 3 years is the minimum and virtually
all graduates complete the programme within that time frame and in cases where they graduated and
not established, a further 2 years overage end-dated positions caters for them to gather more depth
and experience before established fully in a job. .
Fig. 9 Graduate Development Program

Phase 1
The first phase of the GDP is predominantly interior based as is the period where the graduate has
the opportunity to work ‘hands on’ at the assets working with the permanent asset operations and
maintenance teams. This is a key element of the programme as it allows the graduate to come face
to face with the equipment and to start to learn the key business processes relevant to operations and
maintenance.
Each graduate is assigned an On Job Trainer and Assessor who he will work with throughout his time
in the interior to complete his task book and to work with him on his assignments. The principal
responsibilities of the OJT and Assessor are:
 Advising and guiding the graduate in the performance of jobs that are assigned to him at the
workplace
 Attending GDP panel assessment sessions as an active member of the review team and
supporting claims for newly acquired competence development elements
 Providing feedback to the graduate of his performance against assigned tasks
 Liaising with other assets and teams to take advantage of alternative work exposure opportunities
that could be of benefit to the graduate
 Liaising with the GDP Co-ordinator and the graduate’s team leader on matters concerning
coaching assigned graduates
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The graduate will also be assigned a senior engineer as a mentor. The mentor will usually be coastal-
based and therefore the graduate should make time to meet his mentor at least once per quarter at
the mutual convenience of both parties. The principal responsibilities of a Mentor are.
 Ensuring the graduate follows the GDP plan that has been discussed and agreed
 Reviewing and discussing newly acquired competence development units
 Attending his Graduate’s GDP review and assessment panel sessions as an active member of the
review team and supporting pre-agreed claims for additional competence development units
 Networking with others in the business to take advantage of additional work-exposure
opportunities that could be of benefit to his graduate
 Liaising with the GDP Co-ordinator, the CFDH and team leader on matters concerning the
Graduate’s development
During each year in Phase 1 there will be two formal reviews where the graduate will prepare a
present a case study on one of his work place assignments. These will be formally assessed by a
review team of CFDH and senior engineers and the results will form part of the assessment of the
graduate’s performance.
The graduate will also attend a number of classroom based training courses during Phase 1.
Theoretical knowledge of the facilities is given in the Underpinning Knowledge course (UPK) which is
taken approximately 6 months into the field placement. Graduate development courses such EP00
and P180 are essential to gain a wider perspective of oil and gas operations and the Accelerated
Leadership Program (ALP) provides a basis to start the development of leadership skills. Some of the
courses are mandatory and enrollment is automatic. Other discipline based courses will be scheduled
with consent from the mentor and supervisor, with final approval by the CFDH. The training ladder
lists the relevant courses which may be taken at each phase of the training.
To progress from SG7 to SG6 the graduate must complete all field based competencies required at
the SG6 level and meet the other minimum requirements as stipulated in the GDP documentation,
including.
 Completions of task books on all core elements fully verified by the OJT assessors
 A minimum of two reviews
 Recommendations from the mentor and coach
 Not less than 1.5 years since start in field
 Sustained good performance
 Completed project for panel assessment
 Completed foundation courses – EP00, P180, ALP & Short Technical courses (UPK)
At this phase of the program there will a pre-progression panel that assesses the promotion potential
of the graduate. This panel deliberates, assesses and verifies both the competences and
performance of the graduate based on evidence collected and presented. The outcome of this panel
will make a recommendation to include graduates for discussion and endorsement at the functional
progression panel. Upon a successful outcome the graduate will be progressed to SG6.
Phase 2
During this phase the graduate to be rotated within the production and maintenance sub-disciplines
with the aim to ensure broadening of the graduate and to gain the respective job competencies in
these sub-disciplines.
In the 3rd year of the GDP after progression to JG6 the graduate starts 3 to 6 month placements in a
variety of jobs to gain more knowledge and skills in core job competence elements in specific areas.
For production this may include programming, HCA, process engineering, and operations support. For
maintenance these may include maintenance supervisor, reliability engineer, and maintenance
support engineer.
For coastal based positions they will be full time 5/2 schedule. For field based positions the schedule
will remain the same as in Phase 1, 15/13. The objective is to close as many knowledge gaps as
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possible before moving to a permanent position which will enable the graduate to finalize any skill
gaps in the job competence profile before submitting for progression to JG5.
There is no set job rotation programme and the actual programme is developed on a case by case
basis based on the availability of positions in the various assets teams. During the final phases of
Phase 1 the graduate should initiate discussions between his coach, mentor and GDP coordinator to
agree the job rotation programme.
During the job rotation period the graduate should maximise his opportunities to get involved in
specific ‘mini projects’ that will help him to close gaps. This should be done in conjunction with the
line and the mentor who will continue to be involved in the development of the graduate.
A typical programme for a production graduate is illustrated below.
Fig. 10 Typical GDP Mapping for Production Operations
To progress to JG5 all JG5 competencies must be completed, including those that need to completed
on the coast. Job rotation and performance goals should be met with end placement reviews.
Technical Projects should also be completed with full evidence available. Prior to being included on a
progression panel assessment for JG5 the following must be completed.
 Completion of key learning and competence goals in each job rotation placement
 Complete end placement project reviews with team leaders
 Recommendations from the mentor and coach
 Sustained good performance
 Fully satisfied the
 Completed foundation courses
 Not less than 1.5 years since JG6 progression
 Passed the pre-promotion panel assessment
4.2.2 Job Competence Escalator (JCE)

On completion of the GDP the graduate will be placed in an established JG5 position. It is the role of
the graduate to initiate discussions with his mentor, skill pool manager and the GDP coordinator on
his preference of job in which to be placed and whilst there is no guarantee that the preference will be
honoured all parties will make the effort such that the preference of the graduate aligns with the
business requirement. In some cases, a small number of ex-technicians and operators may develop
themselves as future engineers, supervisors and technical specialists and be part of the mainstream
talent pipeline for higher positions. In addition, mature hires supervisors, engineers recruited from the
markets also enters into this mainstream.
The old career ladder has been rejuvenated to a Job Competence Escalator (JCE) that promotes and
defines a better perspective of the types and durations of jobs that staffs need to undergo into order to
satisfy the requirements of senior/managerial specialists or generalist jobs. The intent of the
rejuvenated competence escalator is to ensure the breadth and depth of experience of competencies
required for each job families are made transparent and staffs can map their career and development
along their expectations and business requirements. Furthermore, the Job Competence Escalator

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defines the duration period required to be in jobs and what these are and their numbers in order for
them to be considered and matched further into the higher hierarchy of the organisation.
Each and every discipline has developed their own sets of specific details of mapping the jobs
covered and their ranges to ensure the minimum durations and competences are acquired before
matched and considered for senior and specialist jobs. The owner and custodian of this JCE rest with
the respective CFDH/SME. This link will provide further details on an overview of the JCE.
Fig. 11 Job Competence Structure Escalator for Operations & Production Managers
Fig. 12 General Overview of Jobs Competence Escalator for Operations & Production Managers

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Typical first jobs that graduates may be placed are;

 Maintenance Supervisor (discipline based)
 Discipline Maintenance Support Engineer
 Reliability Engineer
 Integrity Engineer
 Field Programmer
 IAP Planner
 Hydrocarbon Accountant
 Production Supervisor
Within the first 4 years after completion of the GDP it is expected that the graduate will be placed in 2
to 3 established JG5 positions such that he can start to build his competences to that required at the
JG4 level. It is the responsibility of the engineer to actively manage his own competence
development against a JCP that has been agreed by his line and his skill pool manager. Evidence of
competencies achieved will need to be documented and records of regular assessment kept in
SAPpHiRe. It is strongly recommended that a formal competence assessment is completed each
year by an approved assessor to enable the engineer to track his development.
Once all competencies at the JG4 level have been documented, assessed and verified in accordance
with GU-874 Competence Development and Assurance the engineer can be considered for
progression following the corporate progression process. Further details are provided in section 5 of
this document.
It is important to note that assessment and verification of competencies at JG4 does not automatically
guarantee progression to SG4. Progression is based not only on competence but also on
performance and job availability at the JG4 level.
Progression beyond JG4 will be governed by both GU-874 and the corporate progression process.
As the engineer progresses through the organisation the number of positions at each higher JG
decreases and hence the competition for the position will increase. This needs to be recognised by
the engineer and expectations matched accordingly.
The figure below illustrates a typical career development path for a production graduate engineer
completing the GDP and entering the organisation in his first established position.

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5 Competence Development, Assessment and Assurance

Competence Assessment and Assurance is governed by GU-874 Competence Development and
Assurance. This section of the guide is a summary of this procedure.
It is important to acknowledge that the distinguish the Competence Assessment and Assurance
(CA&A) applies to those in defined HSE critical job/roles and Competence Based Development (CBD)
applies in general for those not impacted by the former. Competence Assessment and Assurance is a
process whereby defined competencies are assessed by approved assessors and verifiers to
determine if a particular competency is demonstrated by those specified in HSE critical jobs/roles.
Competency Based Development takes a slightly different process whereby the current competencies
of an engineer are compared against a profile with the aim to identify gaps and means by which this
can be closed.
Fig. 13 A general overview for CBD and CBD
5.1 Competence Assessment and Assurance

Competence Assessment and Assurance (CA&A) provides PDO with a fair, consistent and robust
system of assessing and confirming the competence of staff ensuring that they can carry out their
assigned duties, correctly and safely. CA&A is mandatory for all personnel who hold HSE Critical
positions and strongly recommended for all other staff in the production and maintenance disciplines.

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The documenting of evidence, completing self assessments and arranging for formal assessments
and verification is the responsibility of the engineer. It is the engineer that has to drive the process
and coordinate al other elements to ensure compliance to the process.
5.1.1 Job Competence Profiles

At the core of the CA&A process is the Job Competence Profile. These profiles are a matrix of
competence elements against the level at which the competence need to be achieved. JCPs are
provided on the SAPpHiRe ESS system and are maintained by the Corporate Functional Discipline
Heads (CFDH’s). JCPs are assigned to positions with a default profile based on the job title and job
description but the system allows any JCP to be selected and assessed. Profiles may be viewed that
match the individual’s own position or another position for which they may want to use it for.
The JCP lists the competence elements required for the profile being assessed and at what level they
are required. The assessment is made against the following criteria.
Competence
Definition Corresponding abilities
level
Identifies, lists, recalls and recognises

A general understanding of a particular Able to talk about the topic sensibly
Awareness topic or subject matter. and application Knows where to seek and obtain further information
of that understanding under supervision
Knows when to refer to others for additional guidance
Asks for help when needed
Contributes, defines, describes, explains, participates,

The condition of possessing specific relates, translates, writes
understanding as a result of instruction, Works within guidelines or previous work examples
Knowledge study or experience, and application of
that knowledge under controlled Takes accountability for own area of work
conditions Finds ways to increase personal contribution
Will do with help and advice
Deals with a range of activities and tasks independently

and successfully in different circumstances
Deals with routine and non-routine activities and tasks
The practised ability, dexterity, fluency Initiates and makes improvements
Skill or coordination in the execution of Takes accountability for self and others
learned physical or mental tasks Provides guidance and coaching to others
Finds ways to help others increase their contribution
Takes an external perspective
Will do and help others
Able to creatively solve significant, complex, non-routine

The possession and application of a problems in the area of expertise
very high level of knowledge and Able to adapt practices from other markets or countries for
Mastery proficiency in a subject, skill or particular use in the area of expertise
field
Able to generate substantial improvements to local
practices and procedures for the area of expertise
Fig. 14 General description of proficiency levels

For the Production Operations and Maintenance disciplines the JCPs are available in SAPpHiRe for
use by staff. However, as many staff had already started recording their competencies against
previously existing profiles there are multiple profiles for similar jobs. The list of all profiles available in
SAPpHiRe is located here. The list is reviewed and refreshed as new JCPs are created or revised/re-
titled.

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As stated above, each position has a default JCP but others can be selected and competencies
recorded against them. The profile selected should be agreed between the individual and the line
supervisor. If there are doubts on which JCP should be used the individual should seek clarification
with the discipline CFDH. This is of particular importance when the profile will be used for the
identification of gaps for subsequent input to an Individual Development Plan (ADP) or when the
individual is planning to use the JCP to support a progression proposal. In the case of the use of a
JCP to support a progression proposal the individual should seek the approval of the relevant CFDH
who may ultimately be used as a verifier. A more detailed guide on how to select JCPs other than the
default is available here.
5.1.2 Competence Assessment

Once the most appropriate JCP has been selected the individual makes a self assessment of his
current competency against each competency element. This needs to be supported by evidence and
the evidence requirement increases in line with the competence being claimed. Hence, little evidence
is required to support ‘awareness’ but when claiming ‘skill’ level the individual should document more
substantial evidence to support this assessment. Evidence can be categorised as below.
 Knowledge evidence – the theory and principles related to the subject, underpinning knowledge,
accreditation of prior learning, courses attended, etc.
 Process evidence – the ‘how to’ of conducting and executing a task, in line with approved
procedures and guidelines and are directly observed by assessors
 Product evidence – these are ‘hard’ evidence which are in the form of certificates, complete work,
handovers, ‘Shukran’ awards, exam results, Lean projects, etc.
Once the self assessment has been completed the portfolio of evidence compiled the individual may
seek assessment from his supervisor. All supervisors can assess their staff but it should be noted that
if the assessment is being done to support progression then the assessment has to be made by an
approved assessor. The standard guideline on the principle and conduct for a proper competence
assessment is as per GU-792. A list of approved assessors is maintained here and is refreshed
frequently.
Once the assessment has been completed the individual and his supervisor can use this information
for development as described in section 5.2 below, Competence Based Development.
The self assessment and the assessment by the supervisor must be recorded in SAPpHiRe as this
allows transparency on the assessment and enables the skill pool managers to monitor the status of
ongoing competence assessments for the skillpool. Competence Assessments made out of
SAPpHiRe will not be recognised.
5.2 Competence Based Development

Competence Based Development (CBD) is a process to encourage staff to focus on the skills they
require to build a rewarding career in PDO that is aligned to the company’s corporate objectives. The
competence frameworks and processes ensure PDO develops corporately aligned and consistently
managed competences across the business, with a focus on technical skills. The CBD process allows
employees, working with their line supervisors, to take responsibility for developing their full potential.
See below of an overview of CBD.

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Fig. 15 A general overview of CBD
Competence Based Development (CBD) is designed to:

 Enable (self) development and learning by individual staff with due support from the organisation
to acquire competence needed to do his current and subsequent job
 Assure that the business is resourced with competent and capable staff
 Provide a structured, transparent and consistent evidence based information as an input to
progression staff to a higher job level based on demonstrated applied competence and
performance
 Provide staff with constructive feedback on developmental needs
 Develop and maintain high professional standards and business and individual performance
5.2.1 Gap Identification

The CBD process can only start once the initial competence assessment has been completed as
described in section 5.1 above. Once this stage has been completed a number of gaps should have
been identified. The initial assessment may either be against the JCP for the current job or against a
profile of a different job to which the individual is considering a future move to. The future job maybe

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at the next Job Group level and therefore the assessment shall be the basis to support a future
progression proposal.
Once the assessment has been completed and the gaps identified it is the responsibility of the
individual to initiate discussion with his supervisor (and mentor if applicable) to propose means by
which these gaps may be closed. There are two primary vehicles for documenting how the gaps will
be closed, the annual Personal Performance Contract (PPC) and the yearly Annual Development Plan
(ADPADP).
5.2.2 Gap Closure

After the competence gaps have been identified and agreed between the individual and the supervisor
the closure plan needs to be documented in either the PPC or the ADPADP. The selection of which
mechanism to use will depend on the nature of the gap and a realistic estimate of the time it is
planned to close the gap. If the gaps can be closed within one year and it is possible to close the gap
in the scope of the current job then the gap closure can be included in the PPC. If the gap requires
closure over a longer period of time or will require the individual to move to a different job to close
then this should be included in the ADP.
There are various means by which gaps can be closed but the most preferred is by a work place
assignment within the current job. In discussion with the line supervisor a specific work activity is
agreed and the individual is assigned this work against agreed completion criteria. Once the activity
has been successfully completed and agreed by the supervisor a summary of the work can be
recorded as evidence against the competence element in SAPpHiRe.
It may be the case that it is not possible to close the gap by a work place assignment and that this
may need to be complemented by a formal training course. In this case this needs to be compiled as
an input to the Learning Needs Analysis, discussed in section 6 below. Attendance of a course alone
is unlikely to result in the achievement of any competence level above ‘knowledge’. To gain a ‘skill’ in
any competence element will require demonstration in the working environment of that particular
element.
In some instances the closure of gaps may require an assignment that is not within the scope of the
current position in which an individual in working. In such cases it either has to be agreed that this
competence cannot be obtained in the current position, or an agreement is required between the
individual and his supervisor to release the individual for a fixed period to another position where this
competence can be achieved.
5.2.3 Gap Closure Review

The identification and closure of competence gaps is an ongoing process and hence the
reassessment of gaps should also be regularly reviewed and documented against the JCP in
SAPpHiRe. It is recommended that where an individual is actively addressing and closing gaps that
this reassessment is done on a 6 monthly basis to ensure that the data remains current.

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6 Learning and Development

This section of the guide addresses how learning and development needs are assessed and how this
feeds into a plan such that these needs can be addressed. It is important to note that whilst this
section goes into some detail on formal training courses that not all learning is classroom based and
that often the most effective way to address learning needs is in the working environment.
6.1 Learning Needs Analysis

Whilst much focus is given to the selection of training courses in the Learning Needs Analysis, the
process actually starts by considering what the key business objectives are of PDO and eventually
arrives at training and development programmes aimed at the level of the individual. There are 4 Key
steps in the process as illustrated below.
• Annual business • Job Competence

planning Prof iles (JCPs)
• Corporate technology • Job evaluation
plan • Subject Matter
• Strategic corporate Experts
objectives
• Omanisation
Key Business Skill

Objectives Requirements
Learning and Capability

Development Assessment
• Training Ladders
• Training courses • Competence
• Gap closure plans Assessment and
Assurance
• Capability mapping
Fig. 16 Lifecycle for Learning & Development
Key Business Objectives – PDO reviews its key business objectives and its plan each year and from
this process prepares the annual Business Plan. This plan articulates the corporate Key Business
Objectives which is then subsequently cascaded throughout the organisation. The Business Plan sets
out corporate objectives regarding Omananisation, technology, production, capital and operating
expenditure and these objectives are then translated into what skills are required to deliver this plan.
Skill Requirements – The Business Plan sets out the corporate objectives and based on these the
company organises itself such that objectives can be met. This organisational design stipulates the
hierarchy of the organisation, the numbers of staff required to meet the Business Plan and the skill
level requirements of each position. All position are evaluated using the job grading structure that
considers the complexities of the job, the knowledge requirements and the impact the job has on the
business. Ultimately each job has a Job Competence Profile (refer section 5.1 above) that defines in
detail the skill requirements for each job against which staff competence can be assessed.
Capability Assessment – Once JCPs have been assigned to each job the capability assessment
process is essentially the Competence Assessment process described in more detail in section 5.1 of
Revision: 2.0
this guide. This process delivers the gap assessment for each person against either the current job or
the next forecasted move. An additional element of this process is the capability mapping process
whereby capability is analysed at asset and discipline level at the various job groups. This highlights
particular areas of capability strength or weakness.
Learning and Development – Once competence gaps have been identified these are translated into
learning and development needs that are agreed between the individual and the line supervisor and
are included in PPCs and PDPs. Many gaps can be closed by exposure in the working environment
but may need to be complemented by formal training. Where formal training is required this process
is described in more detail in section 6.2 below.
6.2 Training Guidelines

Training can be defined as “the acquisition of skills, concepts or attitudes that result in improved
performance within the job environment”. This definition is relevant as it a prerequisite for any training
that it actually does result in improved performance that is relevant to the job.
This section of the guide describes the various policies, procedures and processes regarding
selection and nomination of training courses and the type of training courses available for the
Operations and Maintenance disciplines.
This guide only addresses technical training for professional development. HSE training is addressed
in PR-2010 – HSE Training Procedure.
6.2.1 Training Nomination and Approval

The nomination and approval process for training courses is illustrated below.
Fig. 17 Learning Needs Training Nomination Lifecycle
The process comprises three main elements.

Nomination – The individual and his supervisor propose and agree training based on the most current
competence assessment and the relevant training as stipulated in the discipline training ladder. Once

Revision: 2.0
this is agreed the proposed training is compiled by team and function on a standard template issued
by PCD in conjunction with the midyear PPC review.
Review and Approval – The training nominations are compiled by the UOC SPM team who then
review the training against the discipline training ladders and the available budget. Where required
the UOC SPM team will verify the training with the discipline CFDH. A challenge session is held with
the SPMs and the Operations director after which the final list of approved training is issued and
cascaded through the line to the staff. In January of the following year the approved course(s) will
appear in the PPCs. Also, a personal email is automated to each staff to inform him of the approved
courses and the process of course registration and consequent management.
Training Delivery – Once the final list of approved training has been authorised the responsibility for
delivering the course moves to the Learning and Development team in the People and Change
directorate. Where possible, courses are held in Oman at the company training facilities in Mina al
Fahal or, on an occasional basis, in the interior. If there in sufficient demand to run a training course
in Oman then the preferred option is for those nominated for a course to attend it in the Middle East
region. In cases where it is not possible to attend the course in the Middle East then the course may
be run further overseas. The delivery of training is at the discretion of the People and Change
directorate, in consultation with the CFDH and the SPM.
It is recognised that it may not always be possible to identify appropriate training courses in time to
meet the annual training nomination process. Additionally, there may be cases where a previously
identified course becomes no longer available or no longer matched to the development needs. In
these exceptional cases a step out procedure exists. The nomination process is similar in that the
training must address and indentified competence gap and it must be supported by the relevant CFDH
and the SPM. Ultimate approval of a step out is given by the Operations director.
There are a number of courses in the core discipline career ladders that are provided by Shell. The
process for nomination for Shell courses is the same as all courses but there is an additional step as
once the individual has been advised that he is approved to attend a training course delivered by Shell
that he has to register himself via the Shell Open University (SOU). Registration for Shell courses via
SOU may only be done once the course nomination has been approved. Non compliance to this will
be addressed via the Consequent Management process.
6.2.2 Learning Ladders

A Learning Ladder is a matrix of courses that have been reviewed and approved by the relevant
discipline CFDH for staff either parented in that discipline or who are working in a discipline position.
The Learning Ladders should be used during discussions between the individual and the supervisor
when reviewing options to close competence gaps. They are not a ‘shopping list’ of courses that must
be attended and their inclusion in the Learning Ladder does not imply any entitlement to attend such
courses.
The training ladders serve as a minimum list of courses matched against the competence
requirements of a Job Group. If there are queries or doubts then the CFDH or the SPM should be
consulted.
A total of 5 Learning Ladders are available for the following disciplines.
 Production Operations
 Mechanical Maintenance
 Electrical Maintenance
 Instrument Maintenance
 Skill Pool Management
Electronic copies of the Learning Ladders are available here. Each Learning Ladder is subdivided by
JG and the nature of the training as below
 JG 7-5 Foundation (Graduate)
 JG 9-7 Fundamental
 JG 6-4 Fundamental
 JG3+ Job Specific
Revision: 2.0
Under each subdivision the list of approved courses is provided. Where available the course code is
also provided and this should be used in all nominations and when recording the course in SAPpHiRe.
Learning Ladders are subject to continual review and feedback from course participants is always
welcome by the discipline CFDH. The Annual Development Plan (ADP) function in ESS/Sapphire
enables the selection of development courses respective to the discipline and JG.
6.2.3 Workshops and Conferences

Presenting and attending relevant workshops and conferences may be effective at closing identified
competence gaps, will enhance the professional network of the employee and are an opportunity for
the employee to share knowledge in his field. Many discipline based conferences are organised in
Oman and in the region and provide an excellent opportunity to broaden knowledge and skills.
Potential conferences and workshops should be identified by the individual and be discussed with his
supervisor to seek agreement that such attendance will be appropriate to either close a competence
gap or help in further professional development by the sharing of knowledge. The CFDH may also
nominate staff for such conferences and seminars.
The nomination process for conferences and workshops differs to that of courses as only line approval
(in accordance with the Manual of Authorities) is required, although it is prudent to also seek
endorsement from the CFDH as to the content of a particular conference or workshop.
6.2.4 Learning Days per Year

There are no mandated limits on the minimum or maximum number of days per years an employee
can spend on training courses or conferences. As a guideline 15 days per year for all training
(including HSE training) is often used corporately when developing the Learning Needs Analysis.
It can be expected that a new TOP or graduate may undergo more than 15 days training per year in
his first two to three years but that someone who has been working in a similar role for a number of
years may require less than 15 days training per year. Hence the 15 days per year should be seen as
a guideline rather than a target to be achieved.

Revision: 2.0
7 Progression
The guiding documents for the progression (or promotion) process in PDO are the PCD Promotion
Process and the procedures set out in GU-874 Competence Assessments and Assurance. This
section of the guide provides an overview of these and how progression is applied in the Operations
and Maintenance disciplines.
7.1 Progression Principles

Virtually all organisations allow staff to progress as they gain experience and competencies and PDO
is no different in this respect. However, PDO has an organisational hierarchy as it requires many
people to operate and maintain its assets but only a few to actually direct and manage its business.
With this, progression to the next Salary Group (SG) should not be conceived as automatic, is not an
entitlement, or a right of the employee, as at each level higher in the organisation the company
requires less positions and therefore the competition for position increases.
There are three main principles that PDO uses in the progression process.
 Performance in current job – the individual must be able to demonstrate his performance in
the current job. This is measured by the annual staff ranking that is carried out for all staff in the
last quarter of each year. The performance must meet or exceed a stated value for a defined
period. These performance levels and periods are subject to change but as a guideline it would
expected that an individual being considered for progression would have archived a ranking of
‘Good’ or better in the three years preceding a progression proposal.
 Demonstrated competence at the next JG – to be progressed to the next JG the individual
must have confirmed that he is competent at that level through the CA&A process described in
section 5 of this document and prescribed in more detail in GU-874. Ultimately, the competence
assessment and verification by the CFDH needs to be documented in a ‘Note for File’ prepared
and approved by the discipline CFDHs confirming that all competencies (technical, HSE and
process safety) have been assessed, verified and confirmed.
 Job availability at the next JG – to be progressed to the next JG there must be a job available
at that higher level as in principle an individual cannot be progressed to a higher SG than the JG
of the job. A degree of flexibility rests with the SPM that subject to a transitional period allows
staff to be progressed to the next SG whilst they are awaiting a planned moved to a job at the next
JG.
Progression will normally be associated with a positional move in the organisation the majority of
progressions should fall within two categories.
 Progression on transfer – in these scenarios the individual will have already been confirmed
as competent at the next JG and will be progressed when he moves into the job at the next higher
JG.
 Progression after competence verification in higher JG – in these cases the individual will
have already been moved to a job at a JG higher than his SG to allow him time to close any
outstanding competence gaps at that higher JG. Once these gaps have been verified as closed
the progression will be approved to allow the SG to be increased to match that of the JG.
7.2 Progression Process
7.2.1 Work Flow

The progression process work flow as applied in the Operations and Maintenance disciplines is
summarised below.

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Fig. 18 Flowchart for Competence-Based Progression (CBP)
The process comprises 6 main elements, as described below.

1 – Individual competence assessment: the individual completes a self assessment against an
appropriate JCP. It is important that before commencing the self assessment and the gathering of
evidence the JCP to be used has been agreed with the line supervisor and the relevant CFDH who
will ultimately complete the assessment verification.
2 – Line and CFDH assessment and verification: the competence assessment is reviewed by the line
supervisor to verify the competencies. When he has approved this the assessment is then verified by
the discipline CFDH and where applicable by UOP or UOM for verification of the AI-PSM
competencies. Once these steps have been completed the discipline CFDH will prepare and issue a
Note for File that confirms all competence requirements at the next JG have been met and there is no
objection to progression. The competence assessments and the issue of the Note for file must be
complete one calendar month before the planned progression panel.
3 – HR Business Partner checks: the HRBP will check the progression proposal to ensure it meets the
defined criteria with regards to competence, performance, peer comparison, and that all the required
documentation is in order.
4 – SPM review: the SPM team will review the progression documentation and confirm there is an
available position at the next higher JG or that there is a case to use allowed flexibility for a transition
period. The SPM facilitates the internal asset pre-progression panels and then the UOC panel.
5 – UOC Progression Panel: the UOC progression panel are chaired by UOC and comprise
representation from the assets and the functional disciplines. The panel members make a committee
decision on the progression proposal and either approves or rejects each proposal. For SG8 and
below the final endorsement is provided by UOC and for SG7 and above the final sign off if by UOC.
Once the list of approved progressions has been finalised they are finally signed off by the HR
Director (PCD).
6 – Upload to SAPpHiRe: once the final list of approved progressions has been signed off by PCD
progression will be recorded in SAPpHiRe. The effective dates of the progressions are 1st March for
the first progression round each year, and 1st October for the second round.

Revision: 2.0
7.2.2 Progression Timing

One of the critical success factors in the effective execution of the progression process is advance
planning, as it is crucial that sufficient time is allowed for the various process steps. The discussion
about potential progression should take place between the individual and the supervisor well in
advance of any formal proposal being submitted. It is recommended that a minimum period of 12
months is allowed to complete the process above with the majority of this time being devoted to the
initial competence assessment and CFDH verification. For the first progression round each year the
Note to File and HRBP checks must be completed by January 1st, and for the second round by 1st
August. Submissions after these dates will be rejected.
7.2.3 Progressions Period

The mandated minimum period of four (4) years between progressions as principles described in
section 7.1 above sets out the criteria complimenting sustained performance, competence and job
availability. However, given the time it takes to build the technical and leadership competencies at the
higher levels it is very unlikely that the period between progressions can be more than 4 years.
Individuals should match their progression aspirations with the reality of the organisation in that there
are increasingly few positions at the higher levels and that at each higher JG the competition will
increase.
Similarly there is no maximum time after which progression to the next JG will become automatic as
the same progression principles apply. Again, individual aspirations should be realistic and recognise
that period of 7 to 10 years in the same JG may be the norm for some staff and these can be seen on
the JOB Competence Escalator principles mentioned in section 4.2.2.


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Petroleum Development Oman L.L.C.

Professional Development Guide

Document Type Guide

Owner Operations Capability Development Manager - UOC

Issue Date 26 July 2017

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Version No. Date Author Scope / Remarks

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ii Related Business Processes

iii Related Corporate Management System(CMS) Documents

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4.2.2 Job Competence Escalator (JCE) .......................................................................... 28

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1.5 Target Audience

1.6 Roles and Responsibilities

1.6.1 The Individual

1.6.2 The Line Supervisor

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1.6.3 The Skill Pool Manager

1.6.4 The HR Business Partner

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1.6.5 The Corporate Function Discipline Heads (CFDH)

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2 The Operations and Maintenance Disciplines

2.1 Mission and Vision

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Fig.1 Four (4) Pillars for Capability Development

2.2 Discipline Scope and Dimensions

2.2.1 Skillpool Dimensions

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Fig. 2 Growth and Omanisation

2.2.2 Skillpool Demographics

Fig. 3 Age demographics

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2.3 Skillpool Strategy and Challenges

2.3.1 Skillpool Strategy

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3 Operations and Maintenance in the Assets

3.1 Operations and Maintenance in Identify and Assess

Fig. 4 Asset Lifecycle Management Process

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3.2 Operations and Maintenance in Define and Execute

3.3 Operations and Maintenance in the Operate Phase

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3.3.1 Operations and Maintenance Organisation

 Four assets are established: North, South, Gas and Infrastructure

Line Positions Support Positions Management Positions

Fig. 5 Typical Organisation Chart for Asset Operations

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3.3.2 Line Roles

3.3.3 Support Roles

3.3.4 Functional Roles

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4 Career Planning in Operations and Maintenance

4.1 Career Development for TOP Intake

4.1.1 The TOP Scheme

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