About the Course
Organizations invest in oil field development strategies to prove that a resource can be converted into production with acceptable technical risk, capital intensity, and delivery timing. To do that credibly, you need to demonstrate reservoir characterization, concept screening, well architecture selection, facility sizing logic, and development economics, all tied back to a coherent field development plan and reserve-based business case. The course uses industry language and decision tools that development teams actually rely on, including SPE field development workflows, decline curve analysis, probabilistic uncertainty thinking, and CAPEX and OPEX trade-off analysis.
This oil field development strategies course turns disconnected subsurface and facilities knowledge into a structured decision system. You will practice applying concept screening matrices, building production profiles, mapping development scenarios, designing integrated well and facility schedules, and evaluating development risk registers; you will also be introduced to reserve classification logic, AI-assisted seismic interpretation workflows, and digital field planning dashboards at an operational level. What you will learn is how to screen development options, build a field development plan, and align production, wells, facilities, and economics into one investment-ready narrative. The hands-on work focuses on production forecasting worksheets, concept comparison templates, and scenario plans, while reserve governance, digital subsurface analytics, and commercial approval considerations are covered at overview level.
Delivery pressure in this domain is real: capital budgets are tighter, schedules are less forgiving, and uncertainty in subsurface performance can quickly affect payback and project approval. This course is built for professionals who must deliver under constraints, coordinate across geology, drilling, facilities, and finance, and produce decisions that remain defensible when assumptions change. If you need a realistic way to structure oil field development strategies without overpromising technical certainty, this programme gives you a practical framework for doing so.
Target Audience
This intermediate oil field development strategies course is designed for professionals who already work with subsurface, drilling, production, or asset development decisions and need a more structured way to connect technical data to field plans, capital allocation, and execution control.
- Petroleum Engineers responsible for translating reservoir data into viable development concepts.
- Reservoir Engineers building production forecasts and uncertainty cases for field plans.
- Subsurface Development Managers coordinating concept selection across geology, wells, and facilities.
- Production Engineers planning debottlenecking actions and early production optimization.
- Drilling Engineers defining well trajectories and campaign sequencing for development wells.
- Completions Engineers specifying completion designs that support target deliverability.
- Facilities Engineers sizing surface systems for production, water handling, and export.
- Petroleum Economists evaluating CAPEX, OPEX, and breakeven implications.
- Asset Managers aligning field development choices with portfolio and investment priorities.
- Project Controls Specialists tracking development milestones, cost exposure, and schedule risk.
Course Objectives
This course equips you to plan, design, implement, and measure oil field development strategies that improve field viability, strengthen technical governance, and support investment-ready development decisions.
- Analyze reservoir uncertainty using decline curve analysis and probabilistic development scenarios.
- Apply concept screening matrices to compare development options for wells and facilities.
- Build an integrated field development plan with drilling, production, and surface system logic.
- Construct production profiles and plateau cases in Excel-based forecasting templates.
- Assess development alternatives against reserve classification, operability, and CAPEX discipline.
- Navigate technical and commercial approval requirements using development basis and risk register outputs.
- Implement KPI tracking for production uptime, recovery factor, and schedule variance.
- Synthesize findings into a field development recommendation, executive deck, and investment summary.
Requirements & Prerequisites
This course is designed for professionals with working knowledge of upstream oil and gas operations and basic project economics. You should be comfortable reading reservoir, production, or facilities information and using Microsoft Excel for simple calculations and scenario comparison. Prior experience with field studies, development planning, or asset evaluation is helpful, but advanced coding is not required. Participants should bring a laptop with Excel installed; access to sample datasets and planning templates is provided for the exercises.
Local Application and Business Return
How participants can apply the training in local operating conditions, and the return their organisation can plan for.
How participants apply this
Expected ROI
Training Methodology
This is a practical, outcome-driven course designed to turn oil field development strategies aspiration into measurable action and credible reporting.
Methodology includes:
- Hands-on Excel exercise using a production forecast and breakeven dataset.
- Scenario simulation for a phased field development decision under CAPEX constraints.
- Development plan diagnostic using a concept screening matrix and risk register.
- Stakeholder mapping exercise across subsurface, drilling, facilities, finance, and asset governance.
- Case study analysis from deepwater, brownfield, onshore, and offshore development settings.
- Group workshop to produce a field development plan within time and budget limits.
- Reflection exercise using production variance, recovery factor, and schedule performance benchmarks.
Upcoming Sessions
Next available dates worldwide
Certification
Recognized credentials that advance your career
Participants who complete the Oil Field Development Strategies Training Program earn a Trainingcred Certificate of Achievement, demonstrating professional competence and alignment with global standards in learning and development.
NITA Accredited
Accredited by the National Industrial Training Authority, ensuring programs meet nationally recognized standards of quality and relevance.
CPD Certified
Recognized by the CPD Certification Service, ensuring every program meets internationally benchmarked standards of professional excellence.
Why this course earns its place on your CV
Accredited training, practitioner trainers, and peers on the same career track — the three things real expertise is built on.
Effective Learning & Skill Development
- Build expertise with structured, outcome-driven learning.
- Equip individuals and teams with skills that grow with industry needs.
- Reinforce learning through real-world scenarios, case studies and practical exercises.
Career Growth & Professional Advancement
- Apply what you learn with a proven methodology that ensures lasting impact.
- Develop immediately usable skills that translate directly into workplace success.
- Gain the expertise needed for career advancement and leadership roles.
Training Optimization & Learning Excellence
- Tailor training to industry-specific challenges and organizational goals.
- Use data-driven insights and automation to enhance training effectiveness.
- Evaluate progress and ensure long-term learning success.
Tools and platforms relevant to this field
Examples local teams may encounter, and that may be featured in training where they support the confirmed course scope.
These are field-relevant examples, not a promise that every tool will be covered. Exact coverage depends on the confirmed course scope, participant needs, and delivery format.
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Petrel SLBStandard platform for subsurface interpretation, reservoir modeling, and field development planning in US basins.
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Aries Halliburton LandmarkWidely used by US operators for petroleum economics, decline curve analysis, and SEC-compliant reserve reporting.
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CMG (GEM/STARS) Computer Modelling GroupUsed for advanced reservoir simulation, particularly for EOR and unconventional shale modeling in the Permian Basin.
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Valnav Quorum SoftwareIntegrated tool for forecasting, economic evaluation, and capital planning used by mid-sized US independents.
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Enersight Quorum SoftwareUsed for asset development planning and complex scheduling of drilling rigs and facilities in multi-well pad developments.
