Professional Competency

Within the petroleum industry, there are a number of distinct roles for petroleum engineers.
While all rely on the same basic engineering principles that are taught in school, being a
successful drilling engineer may require a different set of skills than a successful reservoir
engineer. SPE established a Task Force to define the appropriate skill set to meet and exceed
minimum competency requirements. These are defined in a series of matrices specific to the
differing types of engineers in our industry.
Engineers in the early years of their career, or those who have moved to a different area of
operations, can use these professional competency matrices to guide their professional
development. If they discover areas where they need development, they can seek educational
opportunities or project experience to gain the relevant skills.
Defining minimum professional competency standards also protects public welfare. Since oil
and gas activities can impact the land and residences in the vicinity of a well or facility, it is
important that those charged with activities have the skills to execute them properly. The
professional competency guidelines can be used by companies in evaluating their personnel.
Knowing that those involved in a project meet professional standards adds to the level of trust
and credibility.

Advancement of the Petroleum Professional

The role of the engineer is constantly evolving. Considering the industrys expanding
technology, as well as its changing environmental, safety and legislative issues, the
responsibilities of an engineer are in a constant state of development.
In an effort to consistently maintain engineerings professional standards, the SPE Task Force
on Minimal Competency was established to define the levels of proficiency required for
petroleum engineers. It was also tasked with collecting data necessary in setting guidelines for
professional development and coordinating curricula required in petroleum engineering degrees.

Resources Used in Defining Competency Guidelines

This task force was assembled by T. Scott Hickman, former SPE president, who recruited top
experts from both industry and academia. These selected professionals began reviewing the
practices used to set competency levels in various organizations. Aside from simply researching
the competency standards from the engineering arena, the group also looked at methods used
by industries such as medicine, law and accounting.

Development Principles
Protecting public welfare is a key reason for the development of minimum competency
standards. It is vital that petroleum engineers are versed in a variety of areas ranging from basic
production principles to environmental awareness and safety factors. Another basis for
emphasizing competency criteria is to effectively promote the engineering industry. By helping
create quality professionals, the SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency is intent on

increasing the levels of trust and credibility for engineers. With that, it is equally important that
professionals are extremely knowledgeable regarding industry standards, multiple engineering
disciplines and technical trends.

The Matrix
A set of tools used in determining the minimum aptitude levels for petroleum engineers is the
competency matrices. This system is structured to assess the minimal competency levels
required at various stages of an engineers career. It also is used to establish future industry
standards.

Definitions
The following terms are necessary to the definition of competency for engineering professionals:
Breadth: the basic knowledge common to all areas of petroleum engineering needed by each
and every engineer to demonstrate minimum competency after four to six years of practical
experience.
Depth: the knowledge needed by petroleum engineers to demonstrate minimum competency
within their primary area of practice after four to six years of practical experience.
Petroleum engineering sub-disciplines: drilling, completion/production/facilities, formation
evaluation and reservoir. All sub-disciplines share common knowledge and related tasks as
defined above in the "Breadth" category, and each sub-discipline requires specialized
knowledge accumulated through experience as defined in the "Depth" category.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all committee members of the SPE Task Force on Minimum
Competency as well as the NCEES, TSBRPE, and the Chauncey Group for participating in this
important effort to improve the petroleum engineering profession.

Professional Competency Matrices (Revised 2/2010) follow:

Competency Matrix for General Petroleum Engineering

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE/SKILL*

Understand and use petroleum

engineering terminology.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand general terminology of all
sub-disciplines.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Understand terminology specific to
the sub-discipline.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Understand terminology in areas of
expertise.

Identify and use relevant industry and

company design standards.

Identify what design standards exist

in all sub-disciplines.

Maintain regulatory compliance.

Identify what regulatory bodies have

jurisdiction and where to find
documentation of the applicable
regulations. Understand the essential
rules relevant to the work project.
Identify what technical software and
informational databases exist in all
sub-disciplines.

Understand and use conventional

design standards specific to the subdiscipline.
Complete necessary regulatory
compliance permitting and reporting
specific to the sub-discipline.

Help create design standards as well

as apply standards to nonconventional applications.
Work with regulators on rule changes
and exceptions.

Understand and use conventional

technical software and informational
databases specific to the subdiscipline.

Help create technical software and

informational databases as well as
apply technical software and
informational databases to nonconventional applications.
Apply project management skills in
larger projects and across subdisciplines.
Apply geoscience principles across
sub-disciplines.

TASK

Identify and use technical software

and informational databases.

Use project management skills .

Understand and apply geoscience

principles.

Understand the elements of project

management (costing, scheduling,
contracting, logistics, etc.).
Understand geoscience principles
(e.g., fracture gradients, well bore
stability, pore pressure prediction).

Apply project management skills to

projects within sub-discipline.
Understand and apply geoscience
principles within sub-discipline.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
TASK

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand decision and risk analysis
concepts and the value of contingency
planning.
Understand basic
monitoring/optimization techniques.
Carry out directed well optimization
plans or programs.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Conduct risk assessments within subdiscipline and prepare contingency
plans to manage risks.
Perform conventional operations
monitoring and engineering design
specific to a sub-discipline and make
optimization recommendations.

Evaluate economics of project.

Understand basic economic principles

(PV analysis, lease vs. purchase, etc.).

Perform economic evaluations of

projects within the sub-discipline.

Participate in a multidisciplinary/cultural team.

Understand the purposes and value of

a multi-disciplinary/cultural approach
to a project.
Demonstrate the ethical code of
behavior for the general practice of
engineering.
Maintain membership in technical and
professional societies and pursue
professional license/certification.

Perform all the conventional duties of

the sub-discipline team member.

Perform decision and risk analysis

and contingency planning.
Monitor operations and optimize
performance.

Perform duties in ethical manner.

Promote engineering professionalism.

Demonstrate ethical behavior in subdiscipline.

Participate actively in technical and
professional societies and obtain
professional license/certification.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Conduct risk assessments across subdisciplines for a project and prepare
contingency plans.
Perform operations monitoring in
areas of expertise or across subdisciplines and make
recommendations to optimize system
performance.
Perform economic evaluations across
sub-disciplines or in specialty areas
within a sub-discipline.
Lead a multi-disciplinary/cultural
team and be able to perform the duties
of two or more sub-disciplines.
Demonstrate ethical behavior and
Provide leadership in ethical behavior
across disciplines.
Encourage others in industry to join
and actively participate in technical
and professional societies and to
become licensed or certified.

Competency Matrix for Drilling Engineering

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency
Drilling Knowledge/Skill*
Drilling Task
Maintain well control.

Develop casing program

(sizes, setting depths).

Design casing.

Maintain regulatory compliance.

Select the mud program.

Minimum Competence
Breadth
Calculate mud weight necessary to
maintain well control and volume of
mud required to fill the hole while
tripping out.

Develop a casing program based a

provided pore pressure/frac gradient
plot.
Understand relationship between
desired production flow rates and
tubing/casing configuration.
Understand basic design principles
(burst, collapse, tension in the
pressure/temperature environment
that the casing will encounter).
Understand requirement to protect
fresh water with surface casing setting
depth/cement and requirements on
directional programs to stay within
lease/block boundaries.

Calculate the minimum mud weight

required to balance formation
pressure for each hole interval.

Minimum Competence
Depth
Design and/or implement procedure
to successfully circulate out an influx.
Determine fluid type of influx with
data collected after influx.
Understand relationship between
geologic depth reference and drilling
depth reference.
Determine the surface casing setting
depth required to protect fresh water
sands. Prepare pore pressure and frac
pressure versus depth plots.

Above Minimum
Competence
Design and/or implement procedure
to successfully control an
underground blowout.

Optimize the number and depths of

protective casings. Optimize the size
of the casing strings and liners.

Design surface, intermediate and

production casing/liner to maintain
well integrity.

Design Select optimal

casing/connections for hostile
environments (HPHT, H2S, salt, etc.).

Understand the process required to

comply with regulatory requirements.
(e.g., design an abandonment
procedure to isolate zones per
regulation or that may cross flow,
know what regulatory applications to
prepare, and how to verify
compliance).
Design mud program to maintain well
control considering casing programs
and formation integrity. Select
acceptable mud types. Specify mud
properties (e.g., density and fluid loss
requirements).

Calculate emissions from rig

operations (air pollutants from engine
exhaust rates, % oil on cuttings, etc.).

Optimize the cost of the mud systems

by altering the inhibitive nature of the
mud systems. Establish the critical
minimum inhibition requirements.

Competency Matrix for Drilling Engineering

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

DRILLING KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
DRILLING TASK

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand the relationship between
difficulty and lateral displacement.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Select appropriate kickoff points,
build rates, required hole angles and
bottom hole assemblies.

Specify equipment.

Recommend wellhead/BOP ratings to

maintain well integrity. Understand
performance properties of drill string
and BHA components.

Develop procedure to implement

formation evaluation program.

Understand hole considerations for

successful open hole logging.

Determine BOP stack arrangements,

establish test requirements. Calculate
ton miles to slip and cut drill line.
Calculate slip crushing forces on a
landing string.
Understand interaction between mud
composition, hole integrity and types
of logs that can be run successfully.

Develop hydraulics program.

Understand basic principles of fluid

mechanics and non-Newtonian fluids.

Develop solids control program.

Understand regulatory requirements

for pits. Understand operations of
basic solids control

Design cementing program.

Understand regulatory requirements

(fresh water protection, zone
isolation, etc.). Understand
application of basic cement additives.

Design a directional well path

(including horizontal/multilaterals).

Calculate pressure drop through the

system and optimize bit hydraulics.
Understand principals of equivalent
circulating density.
Size standard solids control
equipment (shaker, desander, and
desilter) for mud and hydraulics
programs.
Design cement slurries and
procedures with sufficient pump time
and other characteristics to
successfully complete a job.
Understand application of specialty
cement additives.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Optimize the directional program and
casing design to avoid key seating.
Evaluate casing wear and develop
designs to mitigate the problem.
Develop a horizontal or multilateral
drilling program.
Design equipment components for a
fit-for-purpose rig to optimize cost.

Design well testing operations

procedure for hostile environment
(e.g., HPHT, mobile marine drilling
unit).
Integrate hydraulics program with
geological setting and mud program.

Design closed loop system with zero

discharge.

Design cement jobs for special

situations (shallow water flow,
underground blowout, etc).

Competency Matrix for Drilling Engineering

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

DRILLING KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
DRILLING TASK
Monitor drilling operations and
optimize drilling performance.
Conduct fishing operations.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Identify drilling parameters important
to monitor.
Know basic fishing tool types and
applications.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Monitor drilling parameters,
recognize problem areas and
recommend improvements.
Calculate stuck point based on stretch
measurements.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Coach inexperienced personnel in
monitoring and optimization
techniques.
Recognize clearances necessary to
conduct fishing operations.
Determine the maximum safe
tensional and torsional loads on the
drill string. Determine the maximum
safe hoisting load for the derrick.
Establish time limits for jarring and
fishing attempts.
Determine the optimum recovery
procedures. Design specialty fishing
tools.

Competency Matrix for Formation Evaluation

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

FORMATION
EVALUATION
TASK
Determine formation properties
(porosity, saturation, net pay) from
well log interpretation.

FORMATION EVALUATION
KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Determine properties from log
readings in clean sands.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Determine properties from log
readings in both clean and shaly
sands. State most common water
saturation models.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Be able to depth-shift and normalize
in complex lithology, multiwell field.
Be competent in log evaluation
software.

Determine lithology from combination

of porosity log readings in sands with
mixed lithology.
Given a set of property values needed
from a given reservoir, specify the
tests available to measure those
properties.

Be able to depth-shift and normalize

then determine lithology in complex,
multiwell field.
State what can be learned about a
well and reservoir from conventional
and the state-of-the-art well testing
procedures, and specify the optimal
tests available to determine a desired
set of properties.
Determine duration of well tests,
flow rate(s), general and specialized
testing equipment to measure most
possible responses in situations with
poorly defined well and reservoir
characteristics.
Determine formation properties for
multi-phase flow of gas, oil, and/or
water in buildup or multirate flow
tests. Reservoir boundaries can be
closed, partially sealing, or constant
pressure. Formation can have
complex heterogeneities, be
anisotropic, and have fluid contacts
within the area of influence of the
test.

Determine lithology from well logs.

Determine lithology from combination

of porosity log reading in clean sands.

Specify objectives of well test

program.

State what can be learned about a well

and reservoir from conventional well
testing procedures.

Design well testing program to meet

guidelines.

Determine duration of well test

required to measure specific near-well
and reservoir properties in
homogeneous, isotropic reservoirs.

Determine duration of well test, flow

rates, and general testing equipment
required to measure specified nearwell and reservoir properties in
heterogeneous, anisotropic reservoirs.

Determine formation properties

(drainage area pressure, permeability,
skin, distance to boundaries) from
well test analysis.

Determine formation properties for

single-phase flow of oil or water in
buildup or constant rate flow tests.
Boundaries limited to single no-flow
boundaries. Formation homogeneous
and isotropic.

Determine formation properties for

single-phase flow of oil, gas, or water
in buildup or multirate flow tests.
Boundaries include single, multiple, or
complete closure. Formation can be
heterogeneous and anisotropic.

Competency Matrix for Formation Evaluation

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency
FORMATION EVALUATION
TASK
Specify objectives of wireline testing
program.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
State what can be learned about a
well and reservoir from wireline welltest tools.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Given a set of property values needed
from a given reservoir, specify the
conventional tools available to
measure these properties.

Determine fluid densities, fluid

contacts, and productivity from
wireline formation test analysis.

Determine gradients and thus densities

and contact location from pressure in
wireline formation testers. Estimate
productivity directly from test data.

Determine gradients and thus densities

and contact location from pressure in
wireline formation testing. Estimate
productivity using results of analysis
of transient test data.

Design bottomhole and surface

sampling procedures to obtain
representative reservoir fluids.

State the procedures commonly used

to sample black oil, volatile oil, dry
gas, wet gas, and gas condensate
wells.

Specify bottomhole and surface

sampling procedures to sample black
oil, volatile oil, dry gas, wet gas, and
gas condensate wells.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
State what can be learned about a
well and reservoir from conventional
and state-of-the-art tools and
procedures, and specify the optimal
tools and procedures available to
determine a desired set of properties.
Determine gradients and thus
densities and contact location from
pressure in wireline formation
testing. Estimate productivity and
desired well type from analysis of
transient data in multi-probe wireline
tester.
Design bottomhole and surface
sampling procedures to sample black
oil, volatile oil, dry gas, wet gas, and
gas condensate wells. Based on data
obtained in the field and in the
laboratory, state whether a sample is
truly representative or not.

Determine objectives of coring

programs and laboratory
requirements.

State the properties obtained in routine

and special laboratory procedures,
conventional laboratory procedures
used in these tests, and their
limitations.

State the properties obtained in routine

and special laboratory procedures,
conventional laboratory procedures
used in these tests, and their
limitations. State the applications of
this information to construct
geological and engineering models of
a reservoir.

Given the objectives of a reservoir

study, state detailed procedures to be
used in coring, amount of coring to
be done, the specific tests to be run
on the cores in the laboratory to
ensure that the reservoir study meets
its objectives. State how laboratory
measurements should be transformed
to data in the form needed for the
reservoir study.

Competency Matrix for Production Engineering

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

PRODUCTION TASK
Tubing Design for Dynamic
Producing/Stimulation Conditions

P&A Procedure

Fracture/Acidizing Treatments

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Awareness that tubing shortens or
lengthens because of changes in
pressures and temperatures during the
stimulation process and production life
Calculate proper kill fluid density,
demonstrate general awareness of need
to conduct operations safely, following
company and regulatory guidelines and
honor geometry of wellbore in
recommended steps.

Aware of basic fracture-gradient

models and key parameters. Calculate
basic system pressure drop due to
friction given all parameters and
bottom hole treating pressures.

PRODUCTION
KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Can calculate the specific length
changes or packer forces due to the
piston effect, ballooning, temperature,
helical buckling.
Possess specific knowledge of
sequential steps, e.g. safely kill well
and R/U for initial operations;
throughout all operations maintain
prudent well control; ability to properly
sequence operations with several
stages of operations including
equipment retrieval and zone isolation.
Calculate required flow rate accounting
for pressure losses and velocity
constraints. Vary perforating density
to direct fracture volume for a given
rate and fixed surface pressure to
different zones along with size and
strength considerations in proppant
selection. Also able to incorporate
desired P/I increases in job design and
economics.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Design same for high
temperature/pressure corrosive
environment, e.g. H2S, CO2,
impact on design.
Design same for difficult well
conditions, e.g. major fishing job,
casing collapse, underground
blowout, swabbing operations.

Accommodate fluid
additives/rheology for high
temperature, high pressure
formations.

Workover Procedure Involving

Squeeze Cementing and Recompletion

Awareness of use of cement bond log

to define problem area, GR/cased hole
log to correlate zones, able to calculate
hydrostatic pressure involving two or
more fluids of different density, simple
cement yield volume, tubing capacities,
general awareness of need to conduct
operations safely following company
and regulatory guidelines and honor
geometry of wellbore in recommended
steps.

Possesses specific knowledge of

sequential steps, e.g. pumping schedule
for a walking squeeze or a balanced
plug. Ability to calculate appropriate
shot density/perforation size for desired
production conditions.

Design squeeze job for gas

channeling or horizontal laterals,
micro-annulus remediation.

Competency Matrix for Production Engineering

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

PRODUCTION
KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
ITEM
Nodal Analysis

Surface Equipment

Artificial Lift

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Awareness that the optimum
producing configuration is a function
of initial reservoir inflow
performance, wellbore pressure drops,
surface conditions and the wellbore
configuration will need to
accommodate changes in reservoir
performance and changes in produced
fluid constituents over the full life
cycle of production.
Awareness of the impact of pressure
and temperature changes on the
produced fluid constituents and basic
equipment to separate and provide
saleable quality hydrocarbons.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Able to design the appropriate
wellbore configuration given initial
and projected reservoir inflow
performance, surface conditions an
produced fluid constituents.

ABOVE MIMIMUM
COMPETENCE
Able to design the appropriate
wellbore configuration for surface
conditions such as subsea or deep
water operations or high pressure,
high temperature completions with
substantial non-hydrocarbon
components.

Ability to design surface equipment to

segregate produced fluids, treat the
fluids to saleable quality and/or
deliver those sales.

Awareness of the various options to

assist in lifting produced fluids; the
basic ranges of pressure and fluid
volumes for each lift option; and the
hydraulic and mechanical forces
associated with each option.

Able to select and design the

appropriate artificial lift system for
the typical range of pressure and fluid
volumes for conventional operations
including the use of various downhole
pumps with associated surface
equipment. Incorporate P/I
performance in design and economic
evaluation of completion/lift options.

Ability to design surface equipment

for high temperature, high pressure
operations with substantial nonhydrocarbon components or harsh
conditions such as arctic or offshore
operations.
Design the appropriate artificial lift
system for horizontal completions or
harsh conditions such as arctic;
offshore or subsea operations.

Production Logging

Production Surveillance

Awareness of the basic suit of cased

hole logs to assure mechanical
integrity, measure downhole
conditions, assess hydrocarbon
potential and support downhole
operations including completion,
remediation and P&A.
Awareness of the basics of field
production surveillance. Able to
access essential data and provide
ideas for improvements.

Able to interpret and incorporate data

from production logging operations
into the design and implementation of
completion, remediation and P&A
operations for conventional oil and
gas completions.
Able to provide specific performance
improvement recommendations.
Establish plans and procedures to
effect same.

Able to interpret and incorporate data

from production logging operations
into the design and implementation of
completion, remediation and P&A
operations for horizontal, high
pressure, high temperature or harsh
well control situations.
Develop near- and long-term
performance targets for large field
assets. Actively follow well
performance and provide solutions to
shortcomings.

Competency Matrix for Reservoir Engineers

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

RESERVOIR KNOWLEDGE/SKILL

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand the conventional lab
techniques for determining ,
permeability and fluid saturations and
know how to interpret the data.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Use routine core analysis data to
group/correlate core data and
determine permeability variation and
heterogeneity.

Perform reservoir characterization.

Understand how routine core analysis

is used to identify net pay and fluid
contacts.

Apply routine core analysis to

identify net pay and determine gasoil, oil-water and gas-water contacts.
Evaluate vertical sweep efficiency
from core/log data.

Conduct log analysis and

interpretation.

Understand the importance of various

well logs to well correlation of
petrophysical data.

Perform PVT analysis.

Understand the significance of oil, gas

and water PVT data and
measurement, and application
techniques.

Apply well log results (resistivity,

FDC/CNL, gamma ray and sonic logs
in open hole completions; and CBL,
TDT, diplog, carbon oxygen and
production logs in cased holes) to
correlate porous and non-porous
lithologic members from logs and
cores. Interpret a production logging
survey.
Assess validity of PVT data, and
adjust results to correct errors.
Estimate PVT data from oil and gas
properties and correlations.

RESERVOIR TASK

Understand and apply basic and

special core analysis.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Understand and apply special core
analyses including capillary
pressure/saturation-height
relationships, correlation with well
logs, estimation of free water
level/transition zone, pore size
distribution and relative permeability.
Using core and RFT data, integrate
reservoir performance and well tests
with geoscience data to determine
reservoir layering and continuity.
Reconcile measured data with known
depositional environment.
Perform qualitative quantitative
interpretation and analysis in open
hole and cased hole environments.
Determine individual layer pressures
and contribution to the total flow from
each separate layer.

Calculate PVT data from oil and gas

compositional analysis using
correlations or non-EOS model.

Competency Matrix for Reservoir Engineers

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

RESERVOIR KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
RESERVOIR TASK

Understand and determine oil and

gas phase behavior.

Determine initial reservoir

conditions and fluid contacts.

Analyze single/multi-phase flow

under reservoir conditions.

Determine initial oil or gas in place.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand the principles of phase
behavior to distinguish the general
properties and behavior of black oil,
volatile oil, gas condensate and dry
gas reservoir fluids.
Estimate initial reservoir pressure
from static well pressure surveys.
Determine gas-oil, oil-water, gaswater contacts from pressure-depth
surveys.
Calculate Bo above bubble point
using oil compressibility.

Calculate original oil or gas in place

per acre-foot from rock and fluid
properties and geologic isopach maps.
Understand material balance
principles for determining initial oil
or gas in place for volumetric
reservoirs.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE

Understand the principles of Equation

of State and its use in fluid
characterization.

Determine/analyze compositional
effects.

Estimate reservoir pressure from

interpretation of RFT/MDT survey.

Estimate reservoir pressure from

interpretation of pressure transient
tests.

Assess the productivity effects of

relative permeability, imbibition,
heterogeneity and
gravity/capillary/viscous forces, fluid
flow calculations.
Apply material balance techniques,
including gas cap and water influx,
for determining initial oil and gas in
place.

Determine the productivity effects of

relative permeability, imbibition,
heterogeneity and
gravity/capillary/viscous forces.
Incorporate J-curve Sw vs. height into
oil and gas in place calculations.
Manipulate various forms of material
balance equations and determine most
appropriate form for use for any type
of situation to calculate original oil
and gas in place.

Competency Matrix for Reservoir Engineers

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

RESERVOIR

TASK

Use conventional well test analysis to

understand and perform reservoir
analysis.

Apply relevant oil and gas reserves

definitions.

Perform oil and gas recovery

estimates.

Understand fluid flow characteristics

of oil reservoirs and determine
reservoir performance.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand the principles of well test
design and analysis to evaluate well
performance and reservoir
characteristics.

Understand the differences between

different reserve categories, including
proved, probable and possible
categories.

RESERVOIR KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Apply conventional well test data
(including pressure build-up, draw
down, fall-off/injection) to determine
well performance and reservoir
characteristics.
Calculate vertical/horizontal well
productivity indices.
Assign reserves from the geologic
maps to the appropriate reserve
classification. Understand SPEPRMS and SEC definitions.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Be familiar with testing and data from
stimulated wells (hydraulically
fractured, acid) and the use of tracer
tests to analyze fluid flow paths.
Calculate cold water skin effect for
injection wells.

Understand and be able to apply

statistical methods or reserve
estimation using probability using
appropriate ranges of uncertainty and
probability estimates.
Understand appropriate ranges of
Assess appropriate recovery factor
Determine appropriate and range of
recovery factors for given rock and
Develop techniques to improve
ranges and calculate recoveries for
fluid properties and drive mechanisms. field or reservoir applying
recovery factor for a wide range of
rock and fluid properties for various
conventional (deterministic &
recovery methods using a variety of
performance) methods and drive
techniques.
mechanisms.
Understand various methods of
Apply principles of drive mechanisms, Apply coning and multi-phase flow
assessing reservoir performance from material balance, pressure
analysis to oil recovery calculations
production data.
maintenance, recovery estimating,
and optimal field development.
decline analysis and volumetrics to
Recommend when to cease production
determine oil reservoir performance.
and recomplete a well.
Determine where to perforate
production and injection wells taking
into account degree of pressure
communication and impermeable
barriers.

Competency Matrix for Reservoir Engineers

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

RESERVOIR KNOWLEDGE/SKILL
RESERVOIR TASK

Understand fluid flow characteristics

of gas reservoirs and determine
reservoir performance.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand various methods of
assessing reservoir performance from
production data.

Analyze reservoir/fluid recovery

under secondary or improved
recovery mechanisms.

Understand the principles of water

flood/gas injection.

Analyze reservoir/fluid recovery

under tertiary or enhanced recovery
mechanisms.

Know the main enhanced recovery

mechanisms and have an
appreciation of their application.

Understand and apply recovery

processes to recovery from nonconventional gas reservoirs.

Know the main recovery processes

from non conventional gas
reservoirs, including shales and coal
beds.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Use drive mechanism, material
balance (gas and condensate) for
recovery estimation, decline analysis
and volumetrics to determine gas
reservoir performance.
Assess optimum waterflood/gas
injection based on reservoir zonation,
flood pattern analysis, injectivity and
flood design.

Understand the principles of

reservoir/fluid behavior and recovery
processes under miscible, chemical
flooding, steam based thermal and
combustion processes.
Calculate reserves and well/reservoir
performance for tight, fractured;
understand the principles of
production performance of coal-bed
methane gas reservoirs.

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Apply coning aspects of gas, back
pressure and isochronal testing and
tubing hydraulics and deliverability;
application of optimal field
development.
Calculate recovery for area/vertical
sweep, infill drilling, fractional flow
and frontal advance. Estimate
recovery from gas cycling in
retrograde gas condensate reservoirs;
determine optimum sweep efficiency.
Apply concepts of process design
(e.g. profile control, pressures,
temperatures, fluid composition,
injectivity etc.) to compute
incremental recovery performance.
Be familiar with Understand analysis
of gas recovery and water removal for
coal-bed methane gas production.
Assess recovery from CBM wells.

Competency Matrix for Reservoir Engineers

SPE Task Force on Minimal Competency

RESERVOIR KNOWLEDGE/SKILL

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
BREADTH
Understand and apply reservoir
simulation to analyze reservoir
performance and optimize reservoir
development.

MINIMUM COMPETENCE
DEPTH
Use basic reservoir engineering
principles, including flow through
porous media, relative permeability,
nodal analysis and multi-phase flow
to evaluate single well applications
and black oil or gas reservoirs.

Understand and apply decision &

risk analysis to estimate recovery
factor and reservoir performance
prediction.

Understand the concepts of decision

and risk analysis and have an
appreciation of the key factors that
control uncertainty in recovery factor
and reservoir performance.

Can determine the key reservoir

engineering and geoscience factors
that influence recovery factor, number
of wells required and production
profile.

Reservoir Surveillance

Awareness of reservoir surveillance.

Able to access essential data and
provide ideas for improvements.

Able to provide specific performance

improvement recommendations
through recompletions, new drilling,
injection pattern changes, etc.
Establish plans and procedures to
effect same.

RESERVOIR TASK

Evaluate reservoir performance

using reservoir simulation

ABOVE MINIMUM
COMPETENCE
Be familiar with specialized
simulation techniques (such as matrix
solution methods, numerical analysis,
vectorization, finite
element/difference analysis and
parallel processing).
Determine areas of the reservoir that
are unswept or inefficiently drained
and identify new well locations with
geological input.
Know and be able to use company or
commercial simulation software to
characterize the reservoir, history
match, and predict future
performance.
Can quantify reservoir engineering
uncertainties in the context of other
uncertainties using appropriate ranges
of uncertainty and appropriate
decision and risk analysis techniques.
Develop near- and long-term
production and reserve targets for
reservoirs. Actively follow reservoir
performance and provide solutions to
shortcomings from targets.