Requirements Gathering
Software Development
Software Testing
Technical Advisory Services
DevSecOps
19
10 months
Microsoft Azure
Python, Informatica
TIBCO Spotfire
Microsoft Power Apps
ARIES
Encino Energy sought to build a new software platform that could be a state-of-the-art operating system for the oil and gas industry automating much of their data input and analysis, so they turned to Calavista.
Encino Energy is a privately held natural gas company based in Houston, Texas that strives to be an industry leader in both financial and environmental sustainability. In order to accomplish this, significant planning and data analysis is required. However, like most such companies, Encino’s annual planning process that assessed operations and variables such as market drivers was arduous. In the months that it took to complete manually, many of the insights gained from this process became outdated. Encino recognized that in order to be an industry leader, they needed to change the way they dealt with data.
Encino sought to build a new EOS (Encino Operating System) that could be a state-of-the-art operating system for the oil & gas industry automating much of their data input and analysis, so they turned to Calavista. We helped Encino re-invent their processes and developed software that streamlined their data entry, analysis, and modeling. Along the way, we implemented new DevOps pipelines to create one-click, robust, and repeatable software delivery processes. Together, we created an industry-leading platform that allows them to efficiently compile and analyze data to inform baseline decisions for the company.
To deliver a custom Decision Support System, we created software with UI that allowed users to schedule data analysis runs for review within a week of the data being available. We collaborated with their IT team to integrate this new software with their existing interfaces and processes.
Without the state-of-the-art operating system, Encino’s team had to aggregate and analyze data from multiple groups and sources. This data was collected and entered into a spreadsheet where they could perform some limited quality assurance and quality control checks. Once the data was relatively accurate and complete, it could be used for predictive modeling and to generate corporate models covering the next five years of their business. These predictive models would be used by executives to make key business decisions.
This was a very manual and time-consuming process that required specialized knowledge. Calavista helped Encino create an automated workflow behind an intuitive user interface using their existing data repository that reduced the time and effort required to generate such influential data and projections.
Baron Unbehagen
CIO at Encino Energy
At the beginning of each partnership, a Solutions Director and Senior Architect from Calavista identify and onboard a custom development team to support the needs of the project. The team and resources provided by Calavista became part of Encino Energy’s team, providing them access to talented developers when resources were otherwise difficult to find across the industry. Once the teams were integrated, we started discussions about the UX/UI goals of their new EOS to get to the root of the true needs of the end users. This custom-tailored UI allowed other departments to easily fill in manual data, when necessary, while the automated workflow could handle the rest. These discussions were part of a detailed requirement gathering process led by Calavista’s industry veterans, who know what it takes to run a project successfully, including setting a strong foundation for expectations of the project.
DevOps is a key strategy utilized by Calavista on all our projects to ensure smooth delivery of software – while improving project collaboration, communication, and efficiency. Our DevOps pipelines significantly contribute to how we deliver effective code on time and on budget, and we freely share that expertise with our clients. For example, for this project we used Azure for serverless container implementation to speed up processes from the slow, error-prone python-based implementation Encino had been using. This new automated, dynamic environment allowed their team to focus on what mattered most, rather than waste time maintaining the infrastructure. We helped Encino develop a strong internal DevOps pipeline that they can use to maintain the software on their own.
When asked about working with Calavista on this project, Encino’s CIO Baron Unbehagen summarized that “success or failure on this type of project depends on developing and maintaining the relationship between the two parties… there was always trust between Encino and the Calavista team.” This is a core value of Calavista’s: Building strong teams that are not just reliable, but that can embed themselves seamlessly within our client’s team. This approach helps us to consistently deliver a strong product, with little drama. In the end, this not only helped the project run smoothly, but left Encino with a capable team and a platform that they could manage on their own.
We were able to transform Encino’s time-consuming manual data modification and processing strategy to one that is completely automated and UI-optimized.
We were able to transform Encino’s time-consuming manual data modification and processing strategy to one that is completely automated and UI-optimized. Not only did we leave them with software that could speed up their operations, but we helped them develop a DevOps framework that they can use to maintain and build upon their operating system even after our initial project concluded. Now, the Encino team is working on their own to continue beta testing as they launch EOS.
Our work with Encino is another example of our teams’ versatility. We are not limited to working within one or two specific tech spheres, but eagerly branch out to address anybody’s software needs, whatever they are. If you are considering a third-party developer like Calavista, please reach out to us at info@calavista.com, or subscribe to keep seeing case studies and blogs and get a better idea of what we do.
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