by April Wilkerson The Journal Record
November 9, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY – When business doesn’t operate as logically as it should, a local Web and software development company is writing code for a smoother venture.
Oklahoma City-based Phase 2 Interactive has enhanced the daily functions at DrillRight Technology Inc. and S&S Promotions Inc. with software that has a similar effect on two disparate companies.
But it’s far from adding a bit of programming to a snazzy Web design.
“We don’t just sit down and start writing code. The up-front planning is just as important,” said Heath Clinton, president and chief operating officer of Phase 2. “If we do a good job of planning and communicating, the programming comes very easily.”
For DrillRight Technology, Phase 2 created software called Glaive, based on a plan to help the drilling company keep better track of its well sites, equipment and personnel. Before Glaive, there was no central place for tracking business functions. A variety of spreadsheets were produced on a well’s progress, but often days later, Clinton said. Glaive gives the company – and its customers – a real-time look at a well and the people and tools doing the work.
When a drill bit is boring into the hole, Glaive captures all relevant information and provides it in real time to the company, which can more quickly make decisions on whether to drill a different direction or continue its path, Clinton said. The software also tracks equipment on site because drilling companies have sometimes misplaced equipment worth thousands of dollars, he said.
Leroy Freeman, information technology manager at DrillRight, said Glaive is making the business more productive, especially because it does directional drilling.
“Before, we had a hodgepodge of programs to get the job done; now our drillers are using the same program,” he said. “It allows us to collect tons of data on our position underground, and it does all the calculations for us. We see a graphical representation of where we are in relation to lease lines or other landmarks that the customer can’t cross, or different formations of rock. So we can project where we’re going to be in an hour or in 500 feet.”
But perhaps more important is the competitive advantage that Glaive provides. The drilling company’s customers also can log into the program to see the same information, Freeman said. If it’s not going in the direction the customer thought, adjustments can be made.
The only time Glaive doesn’t offer real-time information is if Internet access isn’t available at the well site, Clinton said. But the data can be downloaded onto a laptop for transport to the nearest point of access, she said.
A team of about five people at Phase 2 worked on the Glaive project for about a year, Clinton said, before testing it and putting it into production last year.
Similar software is making business life easier at S&S Promotions, which prints menus and other materials for customers around the nation. The software “cleans up all the business logic” of receiving orders, printing, bundling, bar coding and shipping, Clinton said. With its old system, S&S Promotions staff spent more time on manual operations and calling its clients to make sure orders were correct, he said. The new software not only tracks an order throughout the process, but allows a customer to only order items that are relevant to its location.
It also remedies the unfortunate snag concerning one menu’s cheeseburger combo. When people ordered the combo, the cost ended up being more than if they had ordered burger, fries and drink separately.
“People were angry because they felt like they were being taken advantage of,” said Brett Taylor, project manager and senior programmer for Phase 2. “The software puts price points in place and gives an alert if something is wrong.”
But Taylor said the biggest reward from the project was hearing about its influence on an employee who was having to take home a big box of work every night just to stay afloat the next day. After the software was installed, she didn’t have to take a box home at all.
Phase 2 makes the Journal Record
Company’s Software Serves Diverse Industries
by April Wilkerson The Journal Record
November 9, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY – When business doesn’t operate as logically as it should, a local Web and software development company is writing code for a smoother venture.
Oklahoma City-based Phase 2 Interactive has enhanced the daily functions at DrillRight Technology Inc. and S&S Promotions Inc. with software that has a similar effect on two disparate companies.
But it’s far from adding a bit of programming to a snazzy Web design.
“We don’t just sit down and start writing code. The up-front planning is just as important,” said Heath Clinton, president and chief operating officer of Phase 2. “If we do a good job of planning and communicating, the programming comes very easily.”
For DrillRight Technology, Phase 2 created software called Glaive, based on a plan to help the drilling company keep better track of its well sites, equipment and personnel. Before Glaive, there was no central place for tracking business functions. A variety of spreadsheets were produced on a well’s progress, but often days later, Clinton said. Glaive gives the company – and its customers – a real-time look at a well and the people and tools doing the work.
When a drill bit is boring into the hole, Glaive captures all relevant information and provides it in real time to the company, which can more quickly make decisions on whether to drill a different direction or continue its path, Clinton said. The software also tracks equipment on site because drilling companies have sometimes misplaced equipment worth thousands of dollars, he said.
Leroy Freeman, information technology manager at DrillRight, said Glaive is making the business more productive, especially because it does directional drilling.
“Before, we had a hodgepodge of programs to get the job done; now our drillers are using the same program,” he said. “It allows us to collect tons of data on our position underground, and it does all the calculations for us. We see a graphical representation of where we are in relation to lease lines or other landmarks that the customer can’t cross, or different formations of rock. So we can project where we’re going to be in an hour or in 500 feet.”
But perhaps more important is the competitive advantage that Glaive provides. The drilling company’s customers also can log into the program to see the same information, Freeman said. If it’s not going in the direction the customer thought, adjustments can be made.
The only time Glaive doesn’t offer real-time information is if Internet access isn’t available at the well site, Clinton said. But the data can be downloaded onto a laptop for transport to the nearest point of access, she said.
A team of about five people at Phase 2 worked on the Glaive project for about a year, Clinton said, before testing it and putting it into production last year.
Similar software is making business life easier at S&S Promotions, which prints menus and other materials for customers around the nation. The software “cleans up all the business logic” of receiving orders, printing, bundling, bar coding and shipping, Clinton said. With its old system, S&S Promotions staff spent more time on manual operations and calling its clients to make sure orders were correct, he said. The new software not only tracks an order throughout the process, but allows a customer to only order items that are relevant to its location.
It also remedies the unfortunate snag concerning one menu’s cheeseburger combo. When people ordered the combo, the cost ended up being more than if they had ordered burger, fries and drink separately.
“People were angry because they felt like they were being taken advantage of,” said Brett Taylor, project manager and senior programmer for Phase 2. “The software puts price points in place and gives an alert if something is wrong.”
But Taylor said the biggest reward from the project was hearing about its influence on an employee who was having to take home a big box of work every night just to stay afloat the next day. After the software was installed, she didn’t have to take a box home at all.