Creating a single source of intelligence to deliver data-driven decision-making capabilities for Total

Challenge

Total Group were challenged to deliver on the vision of being a data-focused organisation and being evidence-led in decision making. They selected the Microsoft technology stack, aligning with Azure cloud for data storage and processing and Power BI for reporting.

Total UK requested support to successfully implement these tools, as well as to convey understanding and appreciation of the tools’ power to UK management and wider stakeholders within the organisation.

A single source of intelligence was required to replace dependencies upon monthly manual report generation. Historic reporting largely lived in PowerPoint decks and it was hard to effectively track progress or to quickly locate results.

A requirement to use the new tools to enhance processes and support decision-making was key, aided by bringing together data from siloed parts of the business.

Approach

We began by developing a proof of concept (POC) to rapidly test, learn and demonstrate success through an isolated project – by this means we looked to win senior leadership confidence and stir enthusiasm for the broader task ahead.

The first specific use case chosen as a POC was to move a monthly management report populated in PowerPoint to Power BI. This use case was selected because it presented a well-defined scope (replicating existing KPIs), it was across all TEPUK’s assets and it was being delivered to the executive team.

The proof of concept was successfully delivered, winning validation from senior leaders and a green light to proceed through a wider BI and data transformation.

One of the key ambitions was to reduce manhours spent by Total staff collecting, analysing and reporting on data – streamlining processes through the creation of Power BI reports.

To achieve this, we automated the sourcing of data, processing, and outputting. Instead of Total staff manually collating data, the processes are now fully automated. We also created a centralised location for reporting where reports are based on the most up to date data and insights are ready instantly.

We moved data onto an Azure cloud tenant, which allowed multiple capabilities, such as:

extracting data for it to be centralised for processing
performing big data transformations
unlocking analytical transformations - e.g. geo-referencing data to compute travel time between two geographical locations
combining data from other sources to provide further enrichment

Throughout the work, processes were rigorously documented and can now be used to onboard new business acquisitions in an efficient manner – ensuring ongoing consistency and speed to insight for acquired organisations.

Results

The work we have delivered within TEPUK has made strides on their journey to become more digitally focused and there has been significant adoption across the business.

The connection of Azure and Power BI has driven improvement in insight generation and dissemination, resource usage and data accessibility.

The data that is in front of staff is up-to-date and clean. By using Power BI, Total staff spend more time answering questions and providing insights to help make informed decisions as opposed to time spent on data collection and organisation.

Lastly, an example of our migration processes providing instant benefits can be seen in the merger with Maersk. Total had recently merged with Maersk Oil, which had a legacy reporting tool which we migrated into Power BI, saving money on their old licence and unifying the solutions. There was a cost reduction of 60-70% on the licencing alone.