Why do we leverage Power Apps for Oil & Gas Operators?

As the volume of data and tasks grows, traditional tools like spreadsheets and ad hoc emails become overwhelming to maintain.

What worked with 10 employees and 100 wells starts to break down with 100 employees and 1,000 wells.  While there’s specific software for major disciplines like production allocation or accounting, critical daily processes like Flowback data capture, accounting sign-offs, and material transfers remain underserved.

For repeated tasks with multiple people entering data there’s an opportunity for a low-code option like Power Apps to standardize a process, making it more efficient and effective.  When spreadsheets and emails start to break down for tasks too niche for a software solution but too important to chance, it’s time for a better approach. We’ve found Power Apps to be a cost-effective way to make sure teams capture opportunities and follow up every time.

We like the Power Platform because it makes IT security and integration simple for companies that already use the Microsoft tech stack.  While it’s not the only low-code platform out there, it is reasonably priced and works well with Teams, Power BI, and SQL Server.  When off the shelf software doesn’t quite solve your problem but spreadsheets aren’t cutting it, the Power Platform might be the right answer for you.

Power Apps for Oil & Gas Case Studies

Material Transfers Power App

Tracking material transfers in the field can be a complex task, especially as operations scale.  Spreadsheets and phone calls worked fine with one yard for equipment, but with more sites, more wells, and more transfers it’s easy for expensive equipment to go missing.  Hopefully only temporarily!  Our Material Transfer power app captures transfers and sales to and from a yard or well-site. It captures information so that Accounting can book MT’s and estimate value.  You can even search existing inventory to help find the equipment you’re transferring.

Material Transfer Power App Example

Hazard ID & HSE Power App

Operators often communicate hazards via a mix of phone calls, texts, and Teams messages.  This makes them difficult to track and impossible to report on.  As operations scale and head count increases, you need a way to enable folks to report incidents and identify hazards. To be effective, it had better be quick and easy or folks won’t use the app.  To address this, our Hazard ID Power App allows field staff to take a picture with their phone, report their location, and submit safety concerns in a matter of seconds.  Combined with Power BI for reporting and a planner board to track when things get fixed, you can be confident that hazards are being resolved with the data to show how you’re keeping people safe.

HSE Power App built to review JSA’s and identify safety concerns

Task Tracking Power App

You need to be able to assign jobs to each of the routes across your expanding acreage position.  When a pumper wants to recommend a well intervention, they need a way to communicate that so you can prioritize that work and track its completion.  You can automatically populate relevant details like Lat, Long, and Well ID and start to build a backlog of opportunities to rank and pursue.  We can load data from production and accounting systems to automatically calculate ROI and estimated payout.  A dedicated Power App helps teams rank projects consistently.   Leverage automation to prioritize work and optimize field surveillance so you can spend more time driving value and less time wrangling data.

An example of a Power App built for task tracking across the field

Every task that is repeated daily across your team is an opportunity to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and improve decision-making. By implementing a Power App to streamline these processes, companies can eliminate manual errors, minimize downtime, and increase accountability.  All of these contribute directly to the bottom line. Flowback data capture, accounting sign-offs, and SOP implementation and distribution are all examples of processes we’ve improved for our clients using Power Apps and Power Automate.  With cleaner, more accurate data, your teams will spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on high-value activities. The result? Tangible ROI through cost savings, increased productivity, and better operational visibility.

Alternatives to the Power Platform

1. When we export data from one system into another, we leverage ETL tools like Azure Data Factory. Although Power Automate can handle this, Azure offers more horsepower and better tools for automating this type of work.

2. However, some processes require the front end of a desktop application to be involved. In those cases, you need Robotic Process Automation, or RPA. Power Automate Desktop is a confusingly named but distinct tool from the cloud version. Specifically, it can click buttons in a desktop application and read information on a screen.

Why VI?

At VI, we know Oil & Gas.  Our engineers and experts have decades of experience in industry, from Reservoir to Accounting, Land, Production, and Operations.  We’ve helped dozens of companies optimize their operations, improve data accuracy, and achieve measurable results. We have real world experience implementing Power Apps for Oil & Gas operators.  Ready to streamline your business and drive ROI? Contact us today to learn more.

What about you?  Are you having success with process automation inside or out of the Power Platform?  Tell us about it!  We love hearing and talking about this stuff.