Traditional vs. Digital Drilling Operations

Drilling Operations Today

Operators are placing greater focus on maximizing recovery from existing assets while seeking to reduce the complexity and cost of new wells. Although digital investment has transformed areas like geology and geophysics, drilling workflows in many organizations still rely heavily on spreadsheets, manual processes, and siloed teams. This often leads to slow turnaround times, inconsistent planning, and limited access to real-time insights across departments.

Drilling planning remains a highly collaborative activity, yet disconnected tools and data sources make true collaboration difficult. The opportunity now is to modernize these workflows by integrating people, data, and decisions into a single digital environment.

Classical vs. Digital

The Classical Way of Doing Things

Planning

Drilling plans are typically developed by manually collecting and reviewing data from a range of sources. This process is time-consuming, prone to error, and often based on outdated or inconsistent information.

Execution

Field teams are often handed static plans with little context or ability to adjust in real time. When challenges arise, information gaps between planning and execution teams can cause delays, inefficiencies, and increased risk.

Evaluation

Post-job reporting is frequently delayed and based on fragmented data, leading to missed opportunities for learning and continuous improvement.

A Digital Solution

Planning

IDEX connects directly to trusted, verified data sources to streamline planning and ensure engineers are working with accurate, up-to-date information. Decisions and changes are automatically captured, enabling traceability and better version control throughout the planning process.

Execution

All teams involved in execution access a shared, real-time plan that evolves with the operation. This “living plan” reduces the need for handovers, improves situational awareness, and allows for faster, more informed decision-making in the field.

Evaluation

Data collected during the job is automatically integrated into the platform, enabling immediate performance analysis. Key metrics are tracked in real time, supporting faster reviews, operational benchmarking, and continuous improvement across the well portfolio.

6 Questions to Consider Before Selecting a Digital Platform

1. What makes IDEX different from other digital drilling platforms on the market?

   Many platforms offer limited support for individual tasks or visualization. IDEX is designed to manage the full lifecycle of well delivery — planning, execution, and evaluation — in a single environment. It is operator-owned, service company-agnostic, and integrates seamlessly with real-time and historical data sources. The platform enforces structured workflows, supports traceable decisions, and enables teams to continuously improve.

2. Can we integrate IDEX with our existing systems and tools?

   A digital solution must be open and interoperable. IDEX is built for integration, with robust APIs and support for industry standards. It connects with real-time data platforms, engineering tools, and corporate data environments to ensure seamless information flow across the organization.

3. Is it future-proof?

   Look for a platform that is cloud-native, actively maintained, and responsive to evolving operational needs. IDEX is continuously improved based on industry feedback and aligned with advancements in automation, analytics, and well data standards. Stimline delivers quarterly updates to ensure the platform stays current, secure, and equipped with the latest features to meet changing requirements.

4. Is it a proven solution with a track record?

   Adopt a platform that has been deployed in operational environments with measurable results. IDEX has been successfully implemented to streamline workflows, improve visibility, and reduce cycle times across drilling operations.

5. Can it compare planned versus actual performance?

   IDEX enables direct comparison between digital plans and field execution data. With built-in KPI tracking and analytics, teams can quickly identify gaps, capture lessons learned, and apply insights to future operations.

6. How secure is our data when using IDEX?

   Data security is a core priority for any digital platform handling operational and planning information. IDEX is built with enterprise-grade security features including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access control, and full audit trails. Stimline Digital is ISO 27001 certified, ensuring that our information security management system meets globally recognized standards. Operators retain full ownership and control of their data, with confidence that it is protected, traceable, and accessible only to authorized users.