This white paper advocates cycle time analysis for assessing the efficiency of unconventional field development program by operators. Higher returns and increased cash flow can be achieved by decreasing the cycle time and optimizing the amount of work-in-process (WIP)in onshore field development programs. The Delaware basin was selected as an example to illustrate the potential opportunity to reduce capital tied up and decrease the time before first revenue is realized. The study found a wide range of average cycle times between different operators in the Delaware basin ranging from 110 days to over 200 days. Optimizing operations to minimize cycle time across the basin will make a significant impact to the economics of unconventional development programs.
