Innovation Engines and more.

Booz, Allen, Hamilton and the Aspen Institute hold an annual conference to discuss many issues. The 2008 event is summarized in a document entitled "Harnessing the Power of Ideas" which include two very interesting and pertinent articles to the work we are doing here. These papers deal with energy, innovation and the community based approach.

Innovation Engines: Where Will the Next R & D Breakthroughs Come From?

The article asks the very pertinent question:

Rather as evidenced in the 2007 Strategy + Business study The Customer Connection: The Global Innovation 1000, increased return on investment is directly associated with a market driven, customer focused R & D strategy. Moreover, consumers are participating more directly in innovation and technology development, signaling the innovation landscape may be moving from the top down, Manhattan Project style model to a networked, continuously adapting and evolving "Google Style" approach. Are these developments temporary, or will "innovation engines" continue to change? Are traditional top down models still effective? p. 3

These and other questions are asked in the document but are not answered. More a call for answers. Here I can state unequivocally that the Manhattan Project style would never work in bringing an innovative software development project on-line. Score one for the Google Styled approach.

Megacommunities: Addressing Global Challenges Through Collaborative Networks

This article is right on topic with what is being done here. Defining the People, Ideas & Objects user and developer community as a megacommunity resonates with me. In their "why this matters" section it is stated:

Our increasingly globalized and interconnected world is creating issues too large for one authority to solve alone. The issues we face - environment risks, energy security, climate change, food and drug safety, global health - are so complex and involve such a diverse set of stakeholders that traditional methods of problem solving are ineffectual. In response, we see new types of collaboration emerging. p. 14

More particularly this quote gives me goose bumps.

A megacommunity approach helps create the conditions for translating complex issues into clear solutions. More than a large community of people, megacommunities are collections of organizations whose leaders and members have deliberately come together across national, organizational, and sector boundaries to reach the goals they cannot achieve alone. This tri-sector engagement of similarly concerned organizations focuses on a clearly defined  issue where the vital interests of those organizations converge. A megacommunity focuses an issue so that it is clearly defined but not oversimplified. The issue is scaled, but it maintains its complexity. p. 15

Download the .pdf and use it as a guide to increase your involvement in this megacommunity.

Web 2.0 and Beyond: What Does the Cyber Future Hold?

Discussion of the cloud and its impact is beginning to generate interest and discussion. This article presents some of the issues of web 2.0 technologies from the point of view of speed. I appreciate this discussion and ask, although the pace may be too fast for most of us, what does a bureaucracy do in the face of this viable and developing alternative. From their "Why this matters" section:

Web 2.0, the latest technology trend in computing and communications, is popular slang for a series of dynamic, interactive applications producing new forms of technological and social interaction. The lightening pace of web 2.0 technological innovation and evolution challenges our ability - as individual users, communities (real and virtual), and cultures - to grapple with its immediate and enduring implications. As these technologies increase connectivity, decentralize power, and facilitate mass collaboration, cyberspace presents a formidable dilemma for policy makers: What does the future of cyberspace hold, and how might policymakers shape it? p. 29

Interesting question. What I would suggest the oil and gas investor, the government agencies and particularly the progressive minded producers do, is to get on board and start pulling their weight. There is no control or "shaping" if your not here, no one can hear you.

Fueling the Future: Sustainable Choices for a New Transportation Landscape. and Food, Fuel, and Famine: Will Biofuels Starve Us or Save Us?

And lastly these two articles ask the right types of questions in my mind as to what the future holds in terms of energy production. Those in the oil and gas industry know that the endowment of oil and gas can not be replaced by man made synthetics. This is a very dangerous discussion. One that can cause significant issues in our very near future. We need to realize the most effective way to fuel the future is through a combination of aggressive exploration of the earth sciences and engineering disciplines, and their application in the oil and gas industry. We also need to reduce the amount of energy we consume by more effectively using what we have. Driving to work in the morning is becoming more and more ridiculous by the day. Join me here and lets build systems that will reduce the daily commute to simply logging in to People, Ideas & Objects .

Technorati Tags: People's Innovation Energy Organization Strategy

Users. The 5 w's and how.

Yesterday I highlighted an article from McKinsey regarding the rebels that are needed to overturn the poor non performing bureaucracy. Establishing that one of the objectives that I am trying to meet for 2009 is the recruiting of 100 "users" for extending the Draft Specification into the Preliminary Specification. I thought it might be worthwhile to clearly identify what I think these people will do, and answer some of the questions that may be asked. First of all the community of people that read this blog on a regular basis are here for a reason, and that first and foremost means you may be interested in further exploring what needs to be done and how you could fit into the community.

I want to reiterate the terms of these first 100 individuals by defining what is expected of them and what is required. The first item of business will be to review the process of how they join the community. Special emphasis should be placed on the summary submission of your contribution. This should include how you expect to extend your organization as a key or cornerstone "Community of Independent Service Provider".

Why will these people join?

They know in their hearts that the current system is not working. That the need for the industry to move to a higher level of performance is necessary, and they have ideas that will make a difference.

Who are these people.

People who have worked in oil and gas for at least 5 years. Engineers, earth scientists, administrators, accountants, developers and generalists. People who are from the oil and gas companies, investors in oil and gas, government agencies and the service industries that depend on the energy industry. Anyone who can trace their salary or revenue from the energy industry as a whole. The focus is the Joint Operating Committee and therefore is limited to the up-stream end of the business.

These are people who are looking to establish their own service based offering to the oil and gas producers. This will be developed by using the People, Ideas & Objects software applications they build here, and use to deliver to their client producers. This is a business opportunity to the first 100 individuals that sign up. This is not an exclusive arrangement, it will be offered to everyone that joins the development. It is just these people will be the first 100 and will therefore have access to the knowledge and understanding to establish a service based offering.

Where are these people located.

From all corners of the world. One of the Preliminary Specifications deliver-ables is to determine the geographical scope of the application. I have set the minimum to be North and Central America. However, the demand for this type of application is universal and needs to consider the many voices who are part of the global oil and gas industry.

When are these people needed.

Today! Ideally we should have the full complement of 100 by this time next year. They will then undertake to establish their own guidelines, organization framework and deliver-ables. The scope of their undertaking is to set in motion the minimum required application functionality and process management.

How are these people going to do their job.

I have purposely left the Preliminary Specification as a blank slate. Although I expect the Draft Specification to be used as the initial input, there may be better ideas out there. These should be considered at the earliest possible time. The method that this will be done is through the collaborative environment established through the Google Apps for People, Ideas & Objects. This environment currently has many tools and is more then capable of providing what is necessary for these people to work throughout the world from their office and their home.

That's correct. I don't expect anyone to lose or have to quite their job while they are making this critical investment in the software or their service based offering. All of the activities in the Google Apps for People, Ideas & Objects are encrypted via https. Your boss will only know of your activities if you show them, or they too are members of this community.

What will they be doing.

Assessing what is possible and probable. What is the first commercial release of the application going to need and how will it attain that. What needs to be done in the client producer's to make the application available technically and business wise. In short answering a lot, if not all of the "what" and "how" questions that are needed to be asked before developers start to build the application.

In summary.

I do not expect to be inundated with a flood of initial contributors. However, these people will need to be of a fairly diverse subset of the industry. The need to have a good representation leads to much of the need for the high number. However, it would be up to those to determine how they organize themselves once they are together. Some people who apply may not initially be accepted. This does not preclude anyone from joining in the second round of recruiting. It is important to remember the second round will be a fully sponsored round, where contributions of both the first 100 and subsequent people will be paid for their efforts of working on this software. Industry has been very slow to pay any attention to this project. In other words $0.00 has been the income to date. And if we wait for them to start funding this development, it will be far to late by then. It is assumed by me that the opportunity to establish your service based offering in this initial round will provide tangible monetary results in the very near future. I therefore ask you to please join me here.

Technorati Tags: People's Community Collaboration Development Software

McKinsey on Market Rebels.

I have to say that I like this article, its writer, and the video that is included. (Click on the title of this entry) It has particular value to this community as we begin the process of recruiting members. To start off the opening paragraph states:

Activists who challenge the status quo play a critical but often overlooked role in both promoting and impeding radical business innovation. Their importance stems from the very nature of innovation, which frequently challenges existing interests, norms, values, social practices, and relationships. As a result, the joined hands of market rebels—activists and their recruits—have with surprising frequency exerted significant influence on market acceptance of breakthrough products and services.

This is more support for the changes prescribed by this community. I would suggest that the size of this community is very large for the type of change that is being prescribed. It is this community that is aware of the problems in oil and gas, aware of the details contained within the Draft Specification, and beginning to be aware of a possible role for themselves within these software developments. It truly is a community of rebels who are well positioned to move to accelerate the needed changes in oil and gas.

With lay-offs beginning in the industry, the demand for this community will begin to accelerate. Our appeal to the oil and gas investor and the government groups, with oil and gas royalties, are beginning. These two identified sources of revenues will soon begin to support the needs of the community and begin to offer an alternative means of employment and operating in the oil and gas industry. Both the software and the associated services of this community will better manage the oil and gas resources compared to the bureaucracy. This article shows that there are difficult roads ahead.

These examples and many others hold valuable lessons for executives pursuing innovation. The costs to consumers of adopting such innovations are high because adopters have to topple existing conventions. Stimulating collective endeavors that initiate social change can be a critical part of reshaping markets.

It has to be asked. Can the oil and gas industry as it exists today change to what is necessary for tomorrow? Will the bureaucracy still be in power in 10 years? These two questions show the future is not going to be met by our current organizations. As we roll into the 2008 annual earnings season. We will find that these companeis have ceased to find new oil and gas reserves and production to meet even last years performance. In some cases, such as Exxon Mobil's in 2007, they lost 10% of their production. Expect to see an acceleration of the production declines during 2008, and even an accelerated further decline in their projections. This communities job is not a luxury or a nice to have, it is a necessary action to ensure that society and people are provided with reasonable volumes of energy for years to come. These firms are failing and will not be around in ten years time based on today's performance.

To do so, companies must understand how market rebels forge a collective identity and mobilize support. Crucial for many activists is articulating a “hot cause,” which arouses emotion and creates a community of members, and relying on “cool mobilization,” which signals the identity of community members while sustaining their commitment. Companies also can boost their odds of harnessing the power of collective action by employing the right tactics, such as emphasizing two-way communication with consumers. Above all, a mind-set shift is needed: managers hoping to foster and encourage the diffusion of radical innovation need to start thinking like insurgents. Those who do so are likely to become more effective at influencing their own organizations too.

One of the objectives I had set out for this year was the recruiting of 100 individuals to take the Draft Specification and develop the Preliminary Specification of the People, Ideas & Objects software application. These "rebels" will be investing their time and capabilities in establishing their own Community of Independent Service Providers to support their use of this software in the producer firms they will represent. These people will be best able to take the ideas in the Draft Specification and determine what is required in terms of the application and the services that need to support it. These people will be defining the oil and gas industry and how it will operate in the future, and how their service based offerings are designed to keep the industry innovative.

Market rebels aren’t Molotov cocktail–throwing World Trade Organization (WTO) opponents. They are groups of individuals who together shape markets through hot causes, which arouse emotions, and through cool mobilization, which allows participants to realize collective identities. Executives that understand the roles and practices of market rebels are more likely to be successful innovation leaders.

Please join me here.

Technorati Tags: People's McKinsey Community Change Failure

The top 25 posts of 2008.

Much like other blogs I wanted to publish a "best of" list of the favorite content. I have been using Google's Feedburner service for many years and have watched this community grow. Google's acquisition of Feedburner was completed this past summer and as a result the domain changed and we have lost the cumulative "best of" or most popular data. However we still have the data from July 22, to December 31, 2008 as listed below.

Unfortunately, their is no information on the popularity of the Draft Specification which was published between December 2007 and August 2008. Google has made many positive changes to Feedburner and are still working very hard on improving the service. Here are the 25 most popular items on innovation in oil and gas. 

McKinsey, The Next Step in Innovation 

IBM CEO Sam Palmisano 

The State of the Energy Industry 

Carl Icahn's United Shareholders 

Recommitting to Sun Microsystems 

The Secret of Successful Strategy Execution 

Paris Hilton on Tuesday, Brittany on... 

Google Health, and its user interface 

Canadian Natural Resources Questionable Accounting 

Miss-allocated capital 

Times like these call for... 

The Economist on Cloud Computing 

The U.S. Election 

For the next 20 years. 

News Alert: Pigs can fly 

Encana, The software company 

Project Charter - Preliminary Specification 

Professor Peter Klein on Entrepreneurship 

What would an Anthropologist do 

International Energy Agency 2008 Report 

This little piggy built a house of straw. 

Beyond the Red Horizon 

British PM Gordon Brown, gets it. 

A Community of Independent Service Providers.

Why would accounting firms survive? 

Thanks for reading, and please join me here.

Technorati Tags: People's Summary

Just because they say yes...

... doesn't mean its ok. I thought we would have learned that lesson from the mortgage fiasco we are now experiencing. Just because a banker says you can have that new house does not mean that it's a wise decision. This logic is something that people should have thought about when it was happening, not when it's too late. 

Just as the mortgage broker, President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress should heed the call to think twice about "stimulating the economy". We proved that Keynsianism was a flawed economic policy in the 1980's. Why is it now assumed that the problems brought about by easy money is going to be fixed by even easier money. Failure is a necessary element of economic change, and failure has to occur to make way for the new success. There is no way to avoid it. By delaying the organizational failures only makes it more costly in terms of higher unnecessary debt, and longer time frames.

We see here in an article from the New York Times  that the Chinese may be at the end of their unlimited financing of American consumption. What happens, President Barack "I'm in over my head" Obama, when the world says "no I'm not investing in that"; and the Obama budget meets the immovable mountain of the Chinese propensity to finance the American taste for debt . 

Moral hazard is here, no consequence from the government actions are considered. It's all just a matter of waving a magic Obama wand and all will be well. Or alternatively, we just dig ourselves into a much bigger hole to dig out of in the not so near future. 

Technorati Tags: People's Government Economics Failure

Apple's App Store and others.

What this post is about is the type of environment or community I see People, Ideas & Objects becoming. There are many types of communities that exist today that I can point to, and detail the attributes that appeal to me, and what I think should be emulated in "our" application modules. (Click on the title of this entry to be taken to a New York Times article on Apple's App Store.)

Google 

I am a prolific user of Google applications. Including Google Apps for People, Ideas & Objects where the Wiki, blog and many other productivity and collaboration applications are available. A regular Google Account also provides the ability to monitor and control the various data types that an individual is interested in. Consisting of more then 33 distinct applications, each is capable of managing a certain element of your world, and connect you with members of your community, whatever that may consist of. 

The attribute that I find Google Applications provide is a very good example of what the alleged "cloud" provides. Up to date applications that are available everywhere. This is the next element of the always-on Internet, and represents a huge leap in software value. When applications can be upgraded once, the speed benefits more then just the developers. The iterative development of software is possible, and users are put in the driver seat and in control of the applications features and functionality. 

Apple iTunes

iTunes, the application that just keeps getting better. Music, podcasts, radio, movies and TV. All of your entertainment in one easy to use, search-able database. And if you want to purchase a song or movie, the iTunes Store is just a click away. All the sophistication that is the iTunes application is available in the easiest interface. You have the opportunity to organize and manage your entertainment in unique and innovative ways like SmartPlaylists, and the new Genius functionality. 

The attribute that I find iTunes brings is the complete management of one element of your life. Your entertainment. What I would like to see is the user, who is in control of the developments for the oil and gas producer, use the People, Ideas & Objects application as their commercial environment. The place where they earn a living. 

Apple's App Store

We've all heard about the iPhone and its applications. Independent developers and firms that are selling "cloud" based services can develop an application very easily for the iPhone. With a huge Software Development Kit provided by Apple. A developer can make an application that could be a complete home run on the iPhone for as little as $50,000.00. With a readily available market, and distribution to consumers, developers are finding access to revenue streams of up to $500,000.00 / year. 

It should be made clear that this is the first time that a developer has been able to independently invest, market and earn based on their entrepreneurial skills. There have been markets such as SourceForge and Collabnet. But those are not necessarily ways to make money. They only provide for the ability, in the open source ideal, to being involved in making much better software. 

I am doing what is possible to make People, Ideas & Objects the second market for these developers. But theirs more, much more. This is also the marketplace where users will be able to actively participate in making the software they want and need, and also earn money for the time spent on working with developers and also their producer clients. 

The services associated with People, Ideas & Objects software are licensed to the users under contract. Developers and Users are able to look to the work being done here as part of their career and for monetary gain. As I have mentioned here many times before; the total cost of a global application with the full scope of a producer firm, is estimated to be in excess of one billion dollars. The majority of those revenues are distributed to the individuals who make the software what it is. The users and developers, please join me here. 

Technorati Tags: People's Apple Google Interface Entrepreneurial

The Parallel Revolution

A YouTube video in which the presenter suggests that parallelism is the biggest computer science issue of the past 50 years. Whether that is true or not is a subject of much debate. Parallel processing has been around for almost 15 years and has been a bit of disappointment. A disappointment when we consider what is possible if parallelism could solve the problems the presenter is referring to.

The problem comes down to the speed at which the processor can do a job. The operating systems are not necessarily able to manage the priorities all of the traffic coming in for processing. When the process, particularly a business process, needs to be manage in a defined sequence over time, and particularly based on interactions by the user. There is no way in which to ensure that the sequence is taken in the proper sequence. 

This affects us in People, Ideas & Objects because we have chosen to make Asynchronous Process Management one of the four cornerstones of our Technical Vision. When we consider how the Joint Interest Billing process is completed between several companies represented in the Joint Operating Committee, we see the value in solving this problem and enabling this technology. 

The operating and capital costs of a well, facility or plant is distributed to the working interest owners on a monthly basis. In the Partnership Accounting Module of the People, Ideas & Objects application we introduce a number of new variables to make the process more effective in defining and distributing the costs incurred by all of the partners. The ability to identify and apply these new costs, on top of the innovative way it handles all costs, revenues and royalties, needs the Parallelism being discussed in this video. Various people within the firm are measuring and capturing these costs for distribution. This firm may be scattered across many geographical regions and time zones. The ability to have the process managed in sequence may take several weeks of moving from desk to desk in the paper chasing world. In the virtual world it can and needs to move much quicker. Some times things happen that have the necessary dependents not fully complete, and that would be necessary in terms of mitigating the time of all the associated processes. However, there is also a need to ensure that the process is not over-ridding previously made decisions and data in the system. The process needs to be parked if a critical aspect is needed before processing. 

Once this process is completed within the firm, it is then necessary to follow a similar process for the firms in the Joint Operating Committee. When you consider the number of costs, properties and firms within the industry you can see the complexity of this process needs to be handled in the appropriate sequence. 

Where are we in terms of resolving this problem. I would suggest we are very close to having the means at our disposal of defining the software to follow the process in this Asynchronous manner. Steve Jobs of Apple has claimed that he has solved this problem and will release the capability in the next version of their Operating System, named Snow Leopard. Java makes the management of the process possible, but a bit cumbersome. Future changes are with this idea in mind and will achieve resolution of this critical area at some point in the very near future. Making the People, Ideas & Objects application modules able to make the possibilities real, please join me here. 

Technorati Tags: People's Development Vision Asynchronous Management

The end of the paper economy.

I have commented many times about the state of the current global economy. Why do I continue to discuss these economic difficulties? This is a necessary part of the development of this software. The ways and means of the global economy are being transformed to new and more effective ways of organization. Whether that is your belief or not is not something that I am challenging. I am trying to build support for the fact that these economic and organizational changes need to be accepted by every individual that works in the oil and gas industry. Milton Friedman has best captured the point in the following comment.

Now, you never have real changes unless you have a time of crisis. And when you have a time of crisis what happens depends on what ideas are floating around, and what ideas have been developed, and thought through, and are made effective. 

I'd like to think the ideas that I have formulated in the research and writing represented in this blog are some of those ideas that are just lying around. I perceive this time as the point of greatest opportunity for individuals. Our lives will be transformed, if we take this opportunity and run with it, we could achieve more then has been possible in many generations. 

There is going to be a sizable amount of pain as the "old" dies away and the new is formed by trial and error, but mostly frustration. But it will be worth it. What was conceived of as being of value in the past, - paper assets, stocks, bonds, pensions, real estate and retirements - are falling in value and will be not be adequate for our long term needs. What is of value and what can anyone in the oil and gas industry do to participate in this new economy and rebuild their lives?

I think the new economy is going to be based on "rights". Where access too, or ownership of, rights is the basis of how an individual earns a living. At least that is my theory and I'm sticking to it. The right to use the People, Ideas & Objects software is subject to license in which the rights to the ideas of using the Joint Operating Committee are available to everyone who chooses to make a living in oil and gas. These rights and the associated software are provided for free to those who provide services to the oil and gas producer, in their own service based offering. People, Ideas & Objects revenues are sourced by those that benefit from the sales of oil and gas. Oil and gas producers and governments which have the need for the people to manage and organize their assets and provide the most profitable means of oil and gas production. Creating an environment of dependency and mutual support between those that work in oil and gas, the producer companies and government agencies that collect royalties, and the software development process and application itself.

Please, join me here in this necessary and worthwhile cause.

Technorati Tags: People's Economics Change Energy Software

Former Talisman CEO Jim Buckee

I have always valued energy based on the potential price of gasoline. My projected $600.00 / barrel translates into approximately $5.00 / liter of gasoline, which includes taxes. This would be the deal of the century if it were not for the current price of oil is around 5% of my projected $600.00 price.

This qualifies as the deal of the century on the basis of the mechanical leverage we have achieved for each barrel of oil, as calculated in the book "Profit from the Peak", is 18,000 man hours per barrel. On that basis the $600.00 / barrel replacement cost is only $0.03 per man hour. 

Along comes Jim Buckee, former CEO of Talisman Energy in January 15, 2009 Calgary Herald suggesting the price of a liter of gasoline will reach $20.00 / liter. This would make the replacement cost of one hour of man labor escalate to $0.12, what is he thinking? Dr. Buckee's reputation in the oil and gas industry is unimpeachable. Building Talisman up to approximately 500,000 barrels per day of production, $20.00 / liter is a legitimate and serious claim. 

We can all assume that the types of claims made by a former CEO would be different then one that occupies that office. Those that are the CEO's of today's organizations are guarded in their comments and would never be able to make such a claim. Shareholders and the public would run scared and frightened. A former CEO carries the credibility of the office, yet has the ability to speak the truth of the situation that they are familiar with. 

What is difficult to comprehend is the scale in which we have become dependent on 86 million barrels of oil per day. Energy production provides for our way of life and standard of living as a result of not having to be occupied with the menial tasks of our ancestors. Who amongst us will be the first to volunteer to reduce their consumption by 2% (1.72 million barrels per day). And if we can find the willing volunteers for that I am certain that we can find the volunteers for the next years 3% decline. This is a slippery slope where the end doesn't necessarily involve our survival. 

My aim is not to frighten people. I want people to join me in solving this problem by building the software that will identify and support the type of energy producers necessary to sustain, and expand our standard of living. Needless to say I find this to be an important task and would welcome those that are able to help, to please join me here. 

Technorati Tags: People's Call-to-action Energy Change

World Energy Outlook

Fatih Birol, Chief Economist and Head, Economic Analysis Division, International Energy Agency (IEA) makes a speach that is broadcast on YouTube. This speach addresses the Annual IEA Report released in November 2008. The audience for this speech is the Council of Foreign Relations. The discussion is predominately about the climate impact of CO2 produced from the use of energy. This is a disappointment as the scope of the IEA is on energy. Climate change has its own custodians and is not really an appropriate topic to take the time away from the discussion abut energy supply and demand. The energy issues alone have the potential to obscure all of the issues mankind faces. If we are faced with those dire energy related problems, will we be able to look to the IEA for the answers? Not in my opinion. If the topics of discussion are continually diverted away from energy supply to travel down obscure bunny trails such as climate change and alternative energy, we most certainly will suffer the consequences of an inadequate supply of energy.

The first part of his speech deals with the current pricing situation. Making the assertion that the supply of oil is not benefited by the decline in prices. Based on the IEA Report there is a risk of permanent damage to the supply of oil if many of the larger projects are not completed. Particularly, Mr. Fatih Birol raises his concern over the accelerating decline of existing known oil and gas reserves. Suggesting this accelerated decline risks the ability to meet market demand in the long term.

At 47:39 an excellent question is asked by "Sally  " of Columbia University. She comments that the current IEA report is a "radical departure" from thirty years of reports that suggested the supply would rise to meet the demand. The IEA Report suggests that their is a supply problem and asks if it is possible to keep supply at these levels in light of the issues that the accelerating decline curve reflects.

Who knows what the future holds. As I have mentioned before my training and experience in oil and gas is in management. I do not understand the particular nuances of what reserves are produceable or which are of value. Limiting my upward mobility in the industry. I do know, however, the amount of time, energy, money and most important of all "ideas" it takes to find a barrel of oil in the current industry environment. I also know the demand from China and India on top of the high demand levels of the advanced economies will challenge the industry on the demand side of the equation. 

I also know that SAP and the current crop of ERP systems that are in use in the industry, are inadequate to approach this problem. Supporting and cementing the bureaucracy in its well established rhythms, as is SAP's success, is the impediment to innovation, adequate supply of energy and the ability to continue on as a civilization. 

The energy supply problem is a long and difficult task for the industry to undertake. We need to take the first steps in making this happen. We live in an advanced economy where the division of labor requires thousands of people to undertake the smallest of transactions. These people are unable to know all of the necessary connections to make these transactions successful. The role of software is critical in identifying and making these people function at the optimal performance. I am suggesting we first and foremost organize the producer in a fashion that meets the needs of the industry. Now is the time to develop these systems and unleash the human resources necessary to solve these critical problems. We need to begin this new approach to the industry by changing our organizations to instill the innovation and performance that this new environment demands. Please review the  Draft Specification, and join me here. 

Technorati Tags: People's Energy IEA Innovation Peak-Oil