Agile manager keeps IT running at ExxonMobil

35 years ago, Joe Killalea had just graduated from the University of West Florida and was hired as an entry-level systems analyst by Exxon Company USA. Since 1980, his role has evolved from programmer to project manager within the ExxonMobil Information Technology (EMIT) organization.

35 years ago, Joe Killalea had just graduated from the University of West Florida and was hired as an entry-level systems analyst by Exxon Company USA. Since 1980, his role has evolved from programmer to project manager within the ExxonMobil Information Technology (EMIT) organization.

EMIT, a division of ExxonMobil Global Services Company, is a global functional organization with over 7,000 associates operating in over 50 countries. EMIT partners with the ExxonMobil business functions to set IT strategic direction, as well as providing a full slate of IT services to all ExxonMobil business lines, including:

• Infrastructure and applications delivery & support
• IT project management
• Architecture — technology incubation & strategic planning
• Business consulting & knowledge management guidance and planning

“EMIT operates as the IT service provider for all of ExxonMobil,” explains Joe. “With our size and technical expertise, we could be viewed as a stand-alone IT company, and like the other 11 operating companies within ExxonMobil, we function like ‘a company within a company.’”

Since the merger of Exxon and Mobil in the early 2000s, much of the current IT configuration was formulated to optimize efficiencies and reduce or eliminate redundancies in base operations, while at the same time meet the ever growing IT needs of the business units. These IT resources, including services and staffing, are aligned across the main areas of the upstream, downstream, chemicals and corporate functions of the corporation. Joe is currently assigned to an EMIT projects group which focuses on the Upstream businesses which includes:

• Exploration — Which identifies, pursues, captures and evaluates all high-quality oil and gas exploration opportunities on a global basis.
• Development — Works with host governments, joint venture partners and contractors to build the facilities needed to safely and cost effectively produce the oil and gas.
• Production — Operates the oil and gas fields for the life of the asset — often for many decades
• Gas & power marketing — Supports the capture of natural gas opportunities and positions our company to deliver these supplies to market
• Upstream research — Develops technologies and solutions for the upstream
• Upstream ventures — Coordinates activity related to the pursuit and capture of discovered resources

“In the Upstream, it’s all about finding, producing and selling the oil and gas,” Joe says. “Our upstream operations can be found in some of the most remote and challenging regions around the world. Having reliable IT services is a critical enabler to our operations.”

Joe has been part of the upstream IT effort for nearly a decade. As a project manager, which Joe describes as “a discipline unto itself,” he is responsible for working with a given business unit to scope out the resources necessary to achieve a desired solution.

“Let’s say the production company needs a particular solution. We work with the business to define the business problem and the scope of a potential IT solution. We assess solution options, example: is it a solution we can buy off the shelf or something that must be customized,” Joe explains. “We evaluate what type of integration is required and then shepherd the IT resources — people and infrastructure — to deliver and support the solution over the life of the system (which could be decades).”

When Joe manages a project, he oversees the life cycle of the effort, taking it from problem definition to solution delivery and handover to the support organization. The projects he manages can vary greatly in size and scope; one project might require just a project manager and a handful of resources, whereas another could necessitate input and participation from 100 plus associates across EMIT and the business.

Further, ExxonMobil is very dependent upon technology in every facet of operations. Whether it’s the upstream, downstream or chemical business, the pursuit of new technologies is vital to ExxonMobil’s long-term success and plays a critical role in developing new sources of energy and doing so in a safe, secure and environmentally responsible way. ExxonMobil makes substantial investments every year in research and development in order to unlock new resources, improve the efficiency of operations and increase the value of their products. ExxonMobil’s ongoing commitment to advancing science and technology leads to significant competitive advantage and strengthens their reputation in the industry.

“In EMIT we strive to stay abreast of new technologies and how they can be leveraged to enable the business lines to achieve their goals, while at the same time operating our IT organization as efficiently as possible.'" EMIT closely tracks technology usage trends and where they (ExxonMobil) sit on that technology trend curve and seek out how and when to apply new technologies that can improve business operations. “We have frequent dialogue with our business partners on what their business goals and challenges are and where new or existing technologies might be applied to deliver innovative solutions.

Joe admits he’s not an expert on every emerging technology, though he tries to stays abreast of the ever-changing tech environment. Instead, he focuses on exploiting trends in project management to inform his strategic approach to IT solution delivery. As a project manager, he emphasizes finding better ways to identify business requirements, become faster at delivery for the end user, and make sure what is delivered actually meets the true business needs.

“We embrace the agile approach as a project management and solution delivery methodology,” Joe shares. “We used to take a project all the way through to the solution, and in some instances, we’d find the solution wasn’t actually the right fit for the original problem. Now, we look at managing projects and solution delivery in segments and testing the solution along the way. Using an agile methodology, we can optimize the entire project management process by making adjustments during the life cycle of the project rather than at/near the end.”

That same agility is something ExxonMobil seeks in its future employees, and one of the many reasons Joe became involved with ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business. ExxonMobil has relationships with numerous universities across the U.S. and abroad, and recruits heavily from those whose curriculum and graduates have proven a good match for the company. Joe was invited to participate in ExxonMobil’s recruiting team for ASU nearly two decades ago and for the past nine years has captained a team of five associates responsible for identifying qualified internship and full-time candidates pursuing degrees in Information Systems (CIS/MIS), computer science/engineering (CS/CSE) and/or supply chain management (SCM).

“In prospective employees, we look at overall classroom performance, interpersonal skills, communication skills, relevant work and life experiences. With a company of our size and our immense global diversity, the ability to interface with people in person and virtually is critical,” offers Joe. “A student with a high GPA who can show us how he or she is applying their school and life experiences in problem solving is attractive to us.”

Joe’s own career path at ExxonMobil has been diverse because the company does not define each employee’s journey; the trajectory is driven by the individual, what that person is interested in and how those interests evolve as he or she is exposed to different environments and opportunities. For Joe, a clear set of project management skills emerged based on his professional and life experiences. Over time, he and the company worked together to hone those skills to prepare him for his current role.

“The successful employee at ExxonMobil is someone who is highly motivated to develop skills in a particular area of interest, but at the same understanding how their contributions fit in a broader perspective. When someone is driven to improve upon their skills, it benefits the company too,” says Joe. “While technical skills are important, especially in an IT organization, we also need individuals who can obtain a broad understanding of the ExxonMobil business and develop the skills to lead those technical resources. That’s what I like about project management, because it requires you to have and utilize both sets of skills”.

ExxonMobil’s alignment with the W. P. Carey School is further enhanced by its presence on a professional advisory board tied to the Department of Information Systems. There, company representatives like Joe can provide input and feedback on curriculum planning and other initiatives the department hopes to champion. The company also participates in sponsored classroom projects to help students give practical application to the theories they are learning.

“Our relationship with ASU is important on a variety of levels,” Joe explains. “Being on campus as a recruiting team allows us to stay in touch with students, seeing first-hand what they are learning and accomplishing, and how they are using technology. We also get a better understanding of what is being taught and can share with faculty how that is relevant to our company.”

ExxonMobil’s tradition of collaboration with ASU clearly demonstrates that finding the energy is a priority that extends beyond its upstream business units. With Joe’s leadership and ExxonMobil’s passion for developing successful employees, the company is finding the energy in the brightest IS and SCM future graduates.