Running Header: CAPSTONE PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT 1

Capstone Project Progress Report

Name of Project: Analyzing the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry: Problem Solving in Change Management in execution of major projects in the oil and gas industry.

Report Date: 10th July 2017

Activities to Date

Analytical activities conducted

Literature reviewed:

Books: There is a dearth of books which discuss the current state of the Canadian petroleum industry and thus the companies in the same. Hence for the development of the secondary data and the knowledge as well as related information regarding the country specific Oil and Gas Industry that is being looked into in this study, not much books have been used. However in view of the fact for the effective information garnering regarding the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry, the researcher also required to create a strong base of understanding of the global Oil and Gas Industry, and the same has been covered extensively in various widely acknowledged books, the same has been looked into. Following are few of the prominent examples of the books which have been consulted for this matter:

  • D. Lazarus andR. Clifton, Managing Project Change - A Best Practice Guide 2001
  • H. James Harrington -Project Change Management 1999
  • Mau, Mark; Edmundson, Henry (2015). Groundbreakers: the Story of Oilfield Technology and the People Who Made It Happen. UK: FastPrint.
  • Robert Sobel (200) The Money Manias: The Eras of Great Speculation in America, 1770–1970 (1973) reprinted (2000).
  • Matthew Yeomans (2004), Oil: Anatomy of an Industry (New Press), ISBN 1-56584-885-3.
  • Articles: Articles have been most useful and informative resource for the secondary study as far as this researcher is concerned in view of the fact the same have been updated and relevant source of information related to the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry. Various journals and articles have been referred to for gathering the qualitative data which will be analyzed for the purpose of content analysis, grounded analysis, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, and conversion analysis. The same has also been helpful in the construction of the research framework as well as developing ideas on the subject of the hypothesis and themes which have to be investigated in the body of the collected data.
  • Web Resources: Similar to the articles, the web resources also have been very useful source of secondary data in terms of the updated and relevant key facts and figures regarding the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry.

Surveys Conducted:

  • Focus Group Session: For the purpose of this research no focus group discussion will be carried out.
  • Customer or Stakeholder Interviews: For the purpose of this research no customer or stakeholder interview has been envisaged to be part of the study.
  • Data that you need but are likely not going to get:
    This study looks into the problems which are being faced oil and gas operators as part of the Canadian oil and gas industry and one of the major challenges which are being faced by the company is that there is a dearth of proper financial regulations in terms of putting checks and balances on the revenue earning of oil and gas companies. This has led to the importance of completing capital projects on time and budget and an opportunity to reduce the risk with a correct change management methodology. This has led to internal problems for the owners. However it is believed by the researcher that data related to this, despite the high requirement of the same, may not be available. This is possible in view of the fact that “neither Alberta nor the government of Canada have exercised any fiscal accountability over this sweat-free income”.

Sponsor Meeting Summaries(Relevant if you are conducting your project within the context of an existing organization and you plan on having your analysis result in an actual organizational initiative.
(Items below are suggested reporting format. You should document each meeting)

  • Date(s):
  • Who was present:
  • Topics of Discussion:
  • Decisions Made:
  • Future Plans:

To Do List

Information to be Collected & Analyzed

Literature based

  • Books: Further information will be collected and analyzed from the books regarding the global factors which can have significant influence on the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry as well the further information on the change management methodologies that would benefit the Canadian Oil and Gas industry in the execution of capital projects.
  • Articles: Further information will be collected and analyzed from the journals and articles regarding the global as well as domestic factors and irregularities which can have significant influence on the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry as well as project change management best practices.
  • Web Resources: Further information will be collected and analyzed from the web resources regarding the global as well as domestic factors and irregularities which can have significant influence on the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry as well as the change management best practices.

Survey Based

  • Focus Groups: For the purpose of this research no focus group discussion will be carried out.