Upstream Optimization · Pillar
Upstream optimization, on the data you already have.
Most upstream operators have spent millions on SCADA, CMMS, ERP, and production accounting. They still build the morning plan in Excel. Upstream optimization is the discipline of turning that data into a cash-flow-ranked daily plan, without changing headcount or the systems your team already trusts.
Largest reference deployment · 5,000+ wells · 3 basins · part of our 10+ operator customer base
Definition
What is upstream optimization?
Upstream optimization is the general term for turning operational data (SCADA, ERP, CMMS, production accounting, GIS, weather) into a ranked daily work plan that moves cash flow per BOE. It is not a new system. It is a new workflow that sits on top of the systems your team already runs.
The operating model that delivers it has a name: pump by priority. Economic scoring on every exception, value-dense routing, and closed-loop learning; the complete guide, the definitions, and the math live on that page. WorkSync builds WellOPS, the best Pump by Priority platform, and the management philosophy behind the whole progression is management by exception. The rung most operators are standing on when they arrive here is the oilfield implementation of that philosophy, and the guide to how pump by exception works is the fastest way to place your own operation on the ladder before picking a lever below.
The supermajors built this internally a decade ago, by hand, with large teams. WorkSync productized it: a stand-up measured in weeks, documented sprint by sprint on the productized rollout page. This page keeps the map: the five levers below, the basin playbooks, and the capability deep-dives.
The most sophisticated prioritization engine
The five levers of upstream optimization.
Each lever maps to a WorkSync module. Fit-for-purpose. Plug-and-play. Buyers can pilot any single lever for 4 weeks under the Impact Guarantee.
Lever 01
→ Work Engine
Cash-flow-weighted task ranking
Every potential field task (gauge run, anomaly investigation, PM, leak repair) gets scored by its dollar-impact on the day. The top 220 stops across 10 crews surface as the ranked work plan. Result: the highest-value work gets done first, not the loudest alarm.
Lever 02
→ Route Optimizer
Value-density route optimization
Routes are built around the cash-flow concentration of stops, not the geometric shortest path. Crew qualifications (rod-pump cert, H2S, hot work) are hard constraints. Geography, weather, and lease access are soft constraints. Result: 35% fewer miles driven at equal economic coverage.
Lever 03
→ Anomaly Detection
Continuous anomaly detection vs decline forecast
Every well has a continuously updated Arps decline forecast. Actual production gets checked against the lower confidence band every shift. When a well drops below forecast, the system flags it, estimates production at risk in dollars, and slots it into the next morning's plan. Catches deviations 24–72 hours into the slope, not 30 days later in production accounting.
Lever 04
→ Field Data Capture
Mobile field data capture without re-entry
Pumpers, inspectors, and HSE teams capture gauges, JSAs, hazard observations, and inspections on one tablet app. Offline-first, voice-enabled, one-tap completion. Data syncs to Enertia, Quorum, Oildex through the DataHub. The 45 minutes of after-shift Excel re-keying disappears.
Lever 05
→ Reinforcement Learning
Closed-loop reconciliation
Every completed task feeds back into the models. Did the intervention work? Did production recover? Did the predicted dollar impact materialize? Reinforcement learning adjusts future scoring accordingly. Each week, the plan gets smarter.
The 4-week pilot
The stand-up is a product, not a project.
One week to integrate, two weeks to configure, crews on the ranked plan by week four, under the Impact Guarantee: we charge when your number moves. The full playbook (sprint structure, acceptance gates, and what your team actually has to do) is documented on the productized rollout page.
Where upstream optimization works
See the playbook in your basin, against your current stack, and under the hood.
By basin
Basin LOE playbooks
Compare to your stack
Already running something else?
How it works under the hood
Capability deep-dives
Frequently asked
What VPs of Ops ask before they commit.
What is upstream optimization?
The general term for turning the operational data you already collect (SCADA, ERP, CMMS, production accounting) into a cash-flow-ranked daily plan that moves the metric a CFO cares about, without changing headcount. The operating model that actually delivers it at field level has a name: pump by priority.
How is upstream optimization different from production optimization?
Production optimization narrowly targets per-well output: rod-pump speed, choke settings, gas-lift rates. Upstream optimization is the broader discipline of optimizing field economics: which wells get visited today, what work is highest cash-flow impact, which crew is the right qualification fit, and how the route should be sequenced.
What is the cash-flow impact?
Across our customer base (10+ operators, 5,000+ wells in three basins) the largest deployment achieved 15%+ free cash flow uplift, 35% fewer miles driven at equal economic coverage, and TRIR 1.8 → 0.3.
What data do I need to start?
Whatever you have. WorkSync uses physics-based statistical models that work against the data sources you already run. SCADA is helpful but not required.
Does it replace our SCADA / CMMS / ERP?
No. WorkSync sits on top via the DataHub. Your systems of record stay; we add the intelligence layer.
How does this relate to pump by exception and pump by priority?
Pump by exception is the starting point: visit only deviating wells. Pump by priority is the destination: economic ranking, value-dense routing, and closed-loop learning on top of the exception discipline. When operators search for upstream optimization, pump by priority is the operating model they are looking for; the complete guide lives on our pump by priority page.
How fast can it be deployed?
Under a week to integrate. Two weeks to stand up. Four weeks for crews on the ranked plan. The 4-week pilot runs on the stack you already own, under the Impact Guarantee: license fees only when the metrics move. The productized rollout page documents the stand-up sprint by sprint.
What is the Impact Guarantee?
Pick the operating metric that matters. We run the module for 4 weeks. License fees only when the metrics move: if the number you anchored on moves, we keep going. If it does not, you walk away, no kill fee.
Are your best people working on your most valuable work today?
Don't leave production on the table.
Four weeks on the stack you already own. Move the metric you anchored on: license fees only when the metrics move.