There is a lot of big talk about how much MW and management value CTC but the constant underataffing and cuts say otherwise. CTC is the constant punching bag for management and it doesn't help the morale of the BU. We are so lean now we can barely operate. Beware of outsourcing as the quality is not great.
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I can tell after working here for a while and also reading a lot of these threads that the biggest problem with CVX is so many employees are only concerned with what others are doing, what others are earning, and whether or not others are adding value to the company rather than actually doing the job that they were hired to do. It's very simple and blatantly obvious.
The biggest problem with CVX for the past 15 years has been related to project selection and execution. PRC and certain BUs have been the main driver for us flushing billions and billions of dollar down the toilet. CTC certainly has its issues. It is bloated and has too many useless academics, but they are not the reason for CVX's current troubles.
With the exception of a few outstanding individuals, who have both book and practical knowledge( proper engineering) the remaining are simply employed to generate hours and give some hipots people to "manage".
If the engineering expertise was reduced to only proven competent folks say 25 across all disciplines CTC might be worth saving, but in its current form adds more cost to the company than value.
No one can deny CTC lost a ton of talent between 2015 and 2020, even more so lots of mid-career talent besides the retirees. It now depends on self-promoting charlatans whose only hope is jumping projects from BU to BU, trying to impress each time with academic credentials rather than actual accomplishments. Time is running out on them.
Hard to paint CTC with a broad brush, but here we go. Too much overhead. Too disconnected from BU. No consideration on the impact to BUs and the resources needed to execute “aspirational” goals. Standards and procedures are set to justify CTC billing hours. Some good and valuable SMEs, but the org needs to support BUs and provide measurable business value.
To be fair, I also hate CTC. Insecure academic’s desperately trying to validate their existence. Just watched them bully out BU into a project that all of us buy them know won’t work. So we’re going watch them peacock around the bonfire of money they set ablaze, claim some imaginary benefit, and then we’ll quietly undo the damage and do what needs to be done after that hipot moves roles in 3 months.
I personally enjoy watching the look on their faces when they find out I also have advanced degrees, and suddenly they have to walk back all their condescension.
The least successful project in modern history is very difficult to pick. It's probably a tie between CDB and EGTL. Probably give the nod to EGTL since we were able to get rid of much of our equity in CDB.
The most successful project in modern history was JSM, not Wheatstone. GOM immediately followed this achievement with Big Foot, The least successful project in modern history.
CTC’s problem is that a huge pool of their most experienced SMEs took packages during the last two major layoffs. Many of those at mid- levels remaining were only half-baked SME and were encouraged to focus only on unconventional plays, with inexpensive wells that really don’t require a whole lot of “big think”. The younger generation within CTC were left as completely untrained technicians due to work at home, and soon the smart ones realized management was their only advancement option (leveraging their expensive PhDs to get tagged as HiPo or at least no hopeless). Sr. Management thinks they can just buy technical advisors as needed, but if they ever develop another real CAP they just might find that in-house talent is key to success. When a development team does not even have the knowledge to judge and use the work of their outside expert hired g-ns, projects always run off their rails… every time!
Can anyone point out an actual success CTC has had recently? Not chevron vanity success, but true value creation?
@2xlw, paranoid much? I never worked in Wheatstone but can give credit where credit is due. At least they delivered a technically sound asset which is more than you can say about any other recent MCP. A good part of that is the project teams leveraging of CTC resources.
@2meh clearly worked on Wheatstone, hence the rosy assessment. Clearly didn't get the promotion they thought they so richly deserved. Truth of the matter is, Chevron glosses over virtually every failed project (whether technically or financially) in order to save the high-pots and managers involved. Anything in Angola, Brazil, Mexico. Narges saved Egypt, at least for the time being.
Wheatstone was technically successful because the plant was built and operated without the multiple ongoing disasters at Gorgon. But it was a business fiasco because it was $5 billion over budget and late on schedule because the Australian's couldn't work like hoped. The project economics were marginal to start with and with the cost overruns it is pretty terrible financially.
The most successful MCP we have had in modern history (Wheatstone) leveraged CTC heavily. Its too bad we spend so much time studying our failed projects and so little time studying our most successful project.
A successful project requires close interaction between BU and CTC, often over long periods of time.
I have used CTC as an advisor/technical expert on specific issues. I supplied them with as much information as possible; all the questions I need answered; a schedule than have call in meetings. I found that holding CTC's feet to the fire for answers or direction is the key. If you let them endlessly study a problem, they will never finish.
Let's not forget the BU's who also hate CTC...the arrogance, lack of practical knowledge, pushing thier preferd vendors and slow oh so slow responses. But we only advise you the BU have to make all the decisions CTC are not responsible for anything but booking hours. Get rid of the whole lot.....the good ones in the old ETC were all pushed out to make way for the yes men
The only people who think CTC is value are those who solely worn in CTC. Ask anyone outside - things get worse, and slow down, the second they’re involved. And, notice how rare it is for anyone who leaves to go back.
CTC only advises, provides strategy and researches new potential technology....advising goes so far when it comes to BU needed support on completing objectives or tangible work products such as project deliverables.
In all reality the BUs don't respect CTC. We have so few people to support their operations due to cuts but the demands keep coming. If you want to cut CTC so bad then you have to ask for less.
Management doesn't hate CTC. Management is results-driven, and CTC hasn't delivered tangible results in ages. OP obviously works in CTC. If you're not getting any sympathy or support from the BUs, then it's clear they don't value you either.
CTC suffers from so many problems. It's a hodge-podge of failed managers and expats who have no BU respect (many if not most were run off from BUs, or exhausted their expat assignments). Then they hire prima-donna Ph.Ds who are theory smart but devoid of practical skills. Then they deliberately don't run them through BUs where they would see real-world problems and timelines and would have real-world accountability. CTC "peaked" in the company around 2010, its reputation in the company has been in free-fall ever since. Expect the Hess buyout (Hess has no equivalent of CTC) to provide further incentive to downsize CTC even more.
If you think the US employee quality is bad, work with our outsourced contractors in India for awhile and you'll want things back in house
MW often says he has no idea what most of CTC does. He is not a tech guy.
You down with CTC, yeah you know me…
What quality? are you kidding?
Make CTC a standalone profit centre....no forced payments / gaureteed incone from BU's.
Then we will see the value of CTC.