Time coding determines everything downstream. If one rig codes waiting on cement as flat time and another as non-productive time, their performance cannot be compared. If trouble time is coded to whichever category attracts least attention, the analysis is worthless. Consistent definitions, applied honestly, are the foundation of performance work.

Invisible lost time is usually larger than non-productive time and is almost never reported. It is the difference between how long an operation took and how long it should have taken: connections that take four minutes instead of two, trips run at half the achievable speed, casing runs that take a shift longer than necessary. None of it appears as a problem because nothing went wrong.

The technical limit concept addresses this by asking how fast the well could be drilled if everything went right, then measuring the gap. It changes the conversation from comparing against last well to comparing against what is possible, and it tends to find far more opportunity. This course covers the measurement, the analysis and the programme design that turns it into results.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Define drilling performance metrics and apply them consistently.
• Implement a time breakdown structure and consistent operation coding.
• Benchmark performance internally between wells, rigs and crews.
• Benchmark against external and industry data.
• Apply the technical limit concept and quantify the gap.
• Identify and quantify invisible lost time.
• Classify and analyse non-productive time.
• Conduct root cause investigation of recurring time losses.
• Design and run a drilling performance improvement programme.
• Manage learning curves across a campaign and report performance credibly.

The course is instructor-led and data-based. Participants analyse real drilling time data, code operations, build benchmarks and identify where time is lost, then design improvement actions. Campaign cases show programmes that delivered sustained improvement and programmes that produced reports and nothing else. Participants are encouraged to bring their own well data for discussion.

Organisations sending participants to this training will:

• Reduce days per well and non-productive time.
• Measure performance consistently and comparably.
• Find the invisible lost time that routine reporting misses.
• Build improvement programmes that deliver sustained results.
• Manage learning curves across drilling campaigns.

Participants will:

• Be able to measure and code drilling performance consistently.
• Be able to benchmark wells, rigs and crews fairly.
• Be able to identify non-productive and invisible lost time.
• Be able to run root cause analysis on recurring losses.
• Be able to design and lead an improvement programme.

• Drilling engineers and performance engineers
• Drilling supervisors and superintendents
• Operations and campaign managers
• Drilling contractors' performance staff
• Planning and cost engineers
• Data and reporting staff supporting drilling

Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.

Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.