Start Here: Who's on This Deal?

• In one sentence, what is the primary decision this engagement needs to support (e.g., acquisition bid, reserve booking, development go/no-go)?
• Which internal roles will be directly responsible for reviewing and approving the technical work (select all that apply)? Options: VP Reservoir Engineering, Asset Development Director, Production Manager, Subsurface Team Lead, Commercial/Finance Lead, Legal/Compliance, Other
• Which external stakeholders must be satisfied by the deliverable (select all that apply)? Options: PE Sponsor / Investment Team, Board or Investment Committee, Lenders/Underwriters, Regulatory Body, Joint Venture Partners, Buyers / Bid Committee, Other
• Who is the single person with final sign-off authority for reserves or the investment decision? Please name role and, if comfortable, a contact.
• How have similar sign-off decisions been reached in the past at your organization (short description of process, common stalls, or fast-tracks)?

Who's Really Holding the Keys?

• When deals have stalled before, whose concern was the decisive reason—sponsor, technical reviewer, or someone else? Options: PE Sponsor / Investment Team, Technical Reviewer / Committee, Operational Leadership, Legal/Compliance, External Lender/Buyer, Other
• What specific objections do those stakeholders typically raise (technical assumptions, commercial exposure, timeline, governance, or credibility)? Options: Model assumptions, Data quality/availability, Turnaround time, Methodology transparency, Financial sensitivity, Governance/authority concerns, Other
• Tell us about one example where a technical reviewer changed the transaction outcome—what was their sticking point and what ultimately satisfied them?
• How do relationships between the operator’s asset team and the sponsor typically influence decision momentum on your projects? Options: Sponsor-driven, Operator-driven, Collaborative, Frequent misalignment, Varies by deal
• How confident are you that an independent consultant’s methodology will be accepted without rework? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Unsure, Not confident

Where the Clock Is Ticking

• Which fixed deadline would cause the most damage if missed—deal close, board meeting, regulatory filing, or financing milestone? Options: Deal close, Board/investment committee, Regulatory deadline, Lender/financing milestone, Investor roadshow, Other
• Please list the hard dates we must align to (deal close, board review, lender deliverable, regulatory milestone).
• Which of those dates, if any, are flexible? If flexible, by how much (days/weeks)? Options: Not flexible, Flexible by days (1–14), Flexible by weeks (2–8), Flexible by months (1+), Unsure
• If time required compresses the scope, which deliverable would you deprioritize first (reserve report, sensitivity runs, non-technical investor slides, detailed history matches)? Options: Reserve report, Sensitivity/scenario runs, Investor-ready slides, Detailed documentation/assumptions, None—scope cannot be reduced
• When work has been rushed previously, what were the real consequences (e.g., rework, lost credibility with sponsor, delayed close)?

When Independent Validation Isn't Optional

• If a sponsor demands a different reserve number than the operator, how would that affect the ability to close or move forward? Options: Deal pause or renegotiation, Materially changes valuation, Requires further independent work, Minor impact, Depends on other factors
• Who has explicitly requested independent validation for this engagement (role and expectation)? Options: PE Sponsor, Board / Investment Committee, Lender / Underwriter, Operator C-suite, Regulator, Other
• What form of independence is required or preferred: an audit-style review, a full re-model using operator data, or a referee report that tests key assumptions? Options: Audit-style review, Full re-model, Referee/assumptions audit, Methodology sign-off only, Unsure / open to recommendations
• Are there formal standards or reporting frameworks the deliverable must meet (e.g., PRMS, SPE guidelines, lender templates, SEC-style requirements)? Options: PRMS, SPE/industry best practice, Lender-specific template, Regulatory standard, No formal standard, Other
• How will acceptance of our independence be demonstrated—explicit sign-off, independent auditor endorsement, or acceptance by third-party counsel? Options: Written sign-off by sponsor, Independent auditor endorsement, Acceptance by counsel/board, Implicit by use in decision, Other

Voices and Evidence: How Decisions Get Made

• Which type of analysis most changes minds in your investment committee—robust type curves, downside sensitivity, geologic uncertainty narratives, or clear upside scenarios? Options: Type curves / EURs, Downside sensitivity, Uncertainty narrative and scenarios, CAPEX/OPEX impacts, Upside-entry cases, Other
• Which committee members rely most on narrative explanation versus quantitative tables and why? Options: Finance / Sponsor (quantitative), Technical reviewers (quantitative + narrative), Board members (narrative), Legal/compliance (methodology), Other
• What level of methodological transparency do non-technical decision-makers expect in the slides or executive summary? Options: High—clear step-by-step assumptions, Moderate—key assumptions only, Low—top-line conclusions with appendices, Unsure
• How much time will reviewers realistically spend on the deliverable—deep read, skim + Q&A, or only an executive summary and a brief presentation? Options: Deep read (hours), Skim + Q&A (30–90 min), Executive summary + brief presentation (15–30 min), Depends on stakeholder
• Do you require investor-ready slides and talking points tailored to non-technical stakeholders for board or lender meetings? Options: Yes—detailed investor pack, Yes—executive slides only, Maybe—depending on outcome, No
• If a committee member questions an assumption, who will be empowered to resolve the dispute and what evidence will carry weight?

What Keeps You Awake at Night?

• Which single modeling assumption would, if wrong, most change the economic recommendation (EUR, decline behavior, deliverability, recovery, price)? Options: EUR / Recovery, Decline modeling, Deliverability constraints, Price assumptions, OPEX/CAPEX / facilities, Other
• How have prior model assumptions diverged from realized performance, and how long did it take to recognize that gap?
• How do operational uncertainties (drilling schedule, facilities, downtime) influence how conservative you want our base and downside cases to be? Options: Very influential, Moderately influential, Minor influence, Not considered
• Who on your team needs to feel reassured about downside risk versus who wants a persuasive upside case? Please name roles.
• What reputational or financial consequences would follow if reserves were materially revised after deal close? Options: Material financial loss, Sponsor relations impacted, Regulatory scrutiny, Minor reputational hit, Other

Agreeing How We'll Work Together

• If we could design an alignment process that removed last-minute surprises, what is the one non-negotiable governance element you would insist on?
• Which governance cadence do you prefer for this engagement—weekly technical checkpoints, milestone approvals, or ad-hoc deep-dives? Options: Weekly technical calls, Milestone approvals only, Ad-hoc deep-dive sessions, Combination (weekly + milestones)
• Who should be included on recurring checkpoints (roles or names) to ensure timely reviews and decisions?
• What specific acceptance criteria would make sign-off straightforward (examples: <=X% variance from operator forecasts, documented history match quality, agreed scenario envelope)?
• Are there confidentiality, embargo, or commercial constraints we must observe when sharing interim models or investor materials? Options: Full embargo until sign-off, Limited distribution to named stakeholders, No special constraints, Other
• What commercial terms or contract triggers would you expect before the work starts (payment milestones, deliverable gating, liability caps)? Options: Payment milestones, Deliverable gating, Liability caps, Change-order process, Other

Starting with Your Data Story

• To get us started, what’s the single most important decision you expect this study to inform (e.g., reserve booking, bid/no-bid, development pace)? Options: Reserve booking validation, Acquisition underwrite, Development plan optimization, Decline/forecast reconciliation, Regulatory filing, Other
• Who on your side will be the day-to-day data steward for this engagement (name, role, and best contact)?
• How would you describe your current confidence in your subsurface data inventory—do you feel like you can hand it to a consultant and have them run with it? Options: Very confident — largely turnkey, Moderately confident — some cleanup needed, Low confidence — many gaps or unknowns, Unsure
• Are there internal timelines or deal deadlines we should lock to when planning data transfer and model build (please state dates and critical milestones)?

If Your Data Could Surprise You, Where Would It Hurt Most?

• What assumptions are you making about the completeness or accuracy of your static and dynamic datasets that, if wrong, would most change the study outcome?
• Which data type worries you most right now—static (wells, logs, cores, maps, seismic) or dynamic (production, pressures, PVT, completion records)—and why? Options: Static data, Dynamic data, Both equally, Neither/Unsure
• Can you give a recent example where a data gap or inaccuracy materially impacted a technical or commercial decision?
• How frequently do you discover new or corrected data during diligence periods, and how does that typically affect timelines? Options: Almost always — frequent updates, Occasionally — some updates, Rarely — data is stable, Unsure
• If we found a surprise in the data during modeling, how would you like us to surface and escalate it (format, recipients, and cadence)?

What’s Missing That Keeps You Up at Night?

• Where do you suspect the biggest gaps are in your current dataset (pick all that apply)? Options: Well logs, Core measurements, Seismic attributes, Completion records, Production history, Pressure/transient tests, PVT/fluid data, Geologic interpretations/maps
• For each gap you selected, how material is it to reserve or forecast uncertainty—minor, moderate, or critical? Options: Minor (cosmetic), Moderate (affects scenarios), Critical (blocks conclusions)
• Are there legacy data formats, handwritten logs, or scanned PDFs that require digitization or conversion before they’re usable? Options: Yes — many scanned/handwritten, Some — a few legacy files, No — digital and ready, Unsure
• Would you be open to a short, paid data triage sprint so we can quantify the gaps before committing to full modeling work? Options: Yes — recommend pricing, Maybe — need more detail, No — not necessary

Who Owns What — and Can We Get It?

• List the primary custodians of the datasets we’ll need (e.g., asset team, operations, land, third-party providers). Options: Asset team / Reservoir, Operations/Production, Land / Commercial, GIS/Mapping team, Third-party vendors, PE sponsor archives, Data room
• For each custodian you rely on, how quickly can they produce the requested files once asked? Options: Within 48 hours, 1 week, 2–4 weeks, More than a month, Varies by dataset
• Are any datasets held by third parties or vendors that require separate purchase or licensing approvals? Options: Yes — third-party licensed, Some — vendor fees anticipated, No — all internally owned, Unsure
• Who in your organization typically signs off on external data releases (role and contact), and are they aligned with this timeline?
• Have you previously encountered internal resistance to handing data to external consultants? If so, what were the main concerns?

Licensing, Compliance & Transfer Windows (Deal Clocks Don't Wait)

• Are there licensing, JV, or confidentiality constraints that limit how data can be copied, stored, or shared externally? Options: Strict — cannot leave secure environment, Permitted with NDA, Permitted freely, Third-party license restricts transfer, Unsure
• What security controls must we meet to receive data (e.g., on-prem access only, VPN, encryption standards, badging)? Options: On-prem only, VPN + MFA, Encrypted S3 with keys, Data room access, Standard NDA only, Other
• When is the latest acceptable cutover for final data transfer so we meet your deliverable or regulatory deadlines? Options: Within 48 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3–4 weeks, Longer/negotiable
• Have you had prior audits or regulatory reviews where data handling was questioned? What were the findings?
• If a data transfer requires legal or land-team approvals, what is the expected approval lead time? Options: <48 hours, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, >1 month, Unsure

Quality, Formats & The 'Can We Use It?' Moment

• Which technical file formats do you currently store (pick all you have): LAS, DLIS, SEG-Y, Eclipse/CMG schedules, tNavigator, Petrel, Excel CSVs, scanned PDFs, other? Options: LAS, DLIS, SEG-Y, Eclipse/CMG/model files, tNavigator, Petrel/Interpretation, CSV/Excel, Scanned PDFs/images, Other
• How standardized are your headers, units, and naming conventions across wells and datasets? Options: Highly standardized, Moderately consistent, Poorly standardized, Completely inconsistent/unknown
• Do you maintain a centralized data catalog or metadata registry we can query (and if so, how is it accessed)? Options: Yes — catalog + API, Yes — manual catalog, No — informal spreadsheets, Unsure
• Are there known time-series problems in production or pressure records (gaps, duplicates, timezone errors)? Please describe the most common issues.
• Would you prefer we attempt cleaning/conversion ourselves under an agreed scope, or have your team deliver a cleaned set before modeling begins? Options: We clean and deliver, You perform cleaning per scope, Hybrid — you clean priority items, Unsure

Access Logistics: People, Platforms, and Pain Points

• Which platforms or environments will we be expected to use or mirror (e.g., your Petrel/Eclipse licenses, a secure cloud workspace, or our environment)? Options: Use customer licenses/environments, Use consultant cloud workspace, Hybrid (some on-prem, some cloud), Unsure
• Who are the non-technical gatekeepers we should expect to coordinate with (IT, legal, land, data ops) and what friction points have arisen previously?
• Does your IT team require a security assessment, vendor questionnaire, or SOC/ISO evidence before granting access? Options: Yes — full assessment required, Yes — questionnaire only, No — standard NDA is enough, Unsure
• What is your preferred method for bulk data transfer (pick all that are acceptable)? Options: Secure S3 bucket, SFTP, Encrypted hard drive/physical shipment, Secure data room (DPR/Dataroom), API/streaming, Other
• If access will be staged, what would you like to see first in the initial tranche to accelerate modeling (e.g., well tops & production history, key logs, completion records)? Options: Well tops + production history, Key well logs, Completed intervals/completions, Seismic headers/attributes, PVT and pressures, Other

If Data Were Perfect, How Would Decisions Change?

• Imagine we had validated, end-to-end data tomorrow—what critical analysis would you prioritize first and why?
• Which stakeholders (PE sponsor, asset team, technical reviewer, CFO) must be convinced by the final deliverable, and what do they each need to see to be comfortable? Options: PE sponsor, Asset/reservoir manager, Technical reviewer/auditor, CFO/finance, Operations/field, Other
• How would clearer data reduce your uncertainty on capital allocation or reserve booking—quantify if possible (e.g., +/-% on reserves or NPV impact)?
• If we deliver models that materially change your baseline forecast, how do you want that communicated and by whom? Options: Technical workshop then exec summary, Written report only, Presentation to investment committee, Ad-hoc briefings, Other
• What would be a reasonable acceptance test for data readiness before we begin full modeling (specific files, QA checks, date ranges)?

Small Commitments That Unlock Big Progress

• Which of these quick actions could your team commit to in the next week to accelerate data handoff? Options: Provide list of custodians/contacts, Share initial production history snapshot, Grant temporary S3/SFTP access, Approve NDA and security checklist, Allocate a technical SME for clarifications
• If we offered a 3–5 day paid data triage to produce a 'go/no-go' readiness report, how likely would you be to take it? Options: Very likely, Somewhat likely, Unsure, Unlikely
• What success metric would make that triage feel worth the cost (e.g., % of datasets validated, estimated hours to clean, list of fatal gaps)?
• Are there short windows where we must avoid data transfers (e.g., regulatory blackout, year-end audits, operations campaigns)? Please list dates or periods.
• Finally, what is the best way for our team to re-engage in 48 hours with a concrete next step (preferred contact, preferred format: call, email, or shared workspace)? Options: Email summary + action items, 30-minute kickoff call, Shared workspace invite (S3/Teams), Send security questionnaire to IT

Quick Snapshot: Where Are We Right Now?

• In one sentence, what outcome from this engagement would make you consider it an unqualified success?
• Which phrase best describes where you are in preparing for handoff and deployment? Options: Data compilation ongoing, Data compiled but not handed off, Internal models exist and need external validation, No models yet—scope and PO approved, Procurement approved, awaiting PO
• What is the firm external deadline we must meet (deal close / regulatory / board meeting)? Please give a date or range. Options: Within 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–3 months, 3–6 months, No fixed deadline / rolling
• Who will be our primary technical contact for day-to-day decisions during deployment? (name and role)
• How would you rate internal stakeholder availability for the next four weeks? Options: Fully available, Mostly available with occasional conflicts, Spotty—critical reviewers limited, Hardly available / on travel

What Could Blow the Go‑Live?

• If something went wrong tomorrow, what single issue would be most likely to cause us to miss the deadline?
• Which of the following failure modes feel most likely given your recent projects? Options: Data transfer delays, Missing or incompatible licenses, Key reviewer unavailability, Significant data quality issues, IT/security clearance delays, Regulatory hold, Budget freeze, Other
• Tell the story of a past project where a similar problem occurred—what happened and how did it get resolved?
• What formal contingencies do you already have for those risks (for example, buffer time, escalation path, parallel workstreams)? Options: Built-in schedule buffer, Parallel validation stream, Formal escalation path, Standby internal resource, No formal contingency, Other
• If that risk materialized now, what would the immediate business impact be (operational, financial, reputational)? Please quantify if possible.

Who Holds the Keys?

• Who today has the authority to block data transfer, model deployment, or final acceptance if they raise an issue? Options: VP Reservoir Engineering, Asset Development Director, PE Sponsor/Board, IT/Security, Legal/Compliance, Data Owner, External Auditor, Other
• For each stakeholder you selected, what is their primary worry about handing off models and data?
• Which team will be the operational owner of the models after handover? Options: In-house reservoir team, Central engineering group, Operations/production team, Third-party operator or vendor, Shared ownership, Undecided
• Who is accountable for first-line support in the 30 days after delivery (name/role)?
• Do you require a formal governance checklist or board approval to accept the deliverables? Options: Yes—formal board/committee sign-off required, Yes—internal sign-off checklist only, No formal sign-off required, Unsure / depends on reviewer
• If formal sign-off is required, please list the key acceptance steps or committees we must navigate.

Is the Data Actually Ready?

• Think about your most recent data handoff—what unexpected detail surprised you and caused extra work?
• Which datasets will be included in the final handoff to us? Options: Well logs & LAS, Core measurements, Seismic volumes and horizons, PVT and fluid analyses, Production history and meter data, Surface facilities and utilities, Completion & intervention reports, Well schematics and trajectories, Other
• What transfer methods and file formats does your IT/security team allow for third-party consumption? Options: SFTP, Secure cloud share (AWS/GCP/Azure), Encrypted physical drive courier, VPN-based transfer, Proprietary vendor portal, Email (restricted), Other
• Are there licensing or third‑party usage restrictions (e.g., seismic vendor licenses, operator confidentiality) we should be aware of? Options: Yes—explicit restrictions, No restrictions, Unsure—need to check
• If restrictions exist, please list the datasets affected and the practical limits on their use.
• How confident are you in the completeness and QA of the datasets being handed off? Options: High—minimal gaps expected, Moderate—some known gaps, Low—significant cleanup expected, Unknown
• How long has the current level of data quality persisted—was this a one-off issue or an ongoing pattern?

Engineering Environments & Tools: Fit for Purpose?

• Will the models we deliver need to run in the exact environment your reviewers will audit, or will translation be acceptable? Options: Must run in client on‑prem environment, Cloud environment is acceptable, Hybrid—some runs on each, Translator/exports acceptable with caveats
• Which simulation platforms and formats must be supported or supplied? Options: Eclipse (UN/IMEX), CMG (GEM/IMEX), tNavigator, Petrel/RE model files, MRST/Matlab inputs, CSV/ASCII exports only, Other
• Do you require runnable containers, scripts, or turnkey project files to reproduce runs in your environment? Options: Containers + scripts, Scripts only, Project files only, No reproducible artifacts required, Undecided
• What version control, naming conventions, or provenance tracking do you expect for model deliverables? Options: Strict model registry and Git history, Basic file versioning with documented changelog, Ad-hoc naming conventions, No formal version control required
• What security constraints must we respect when running simulations (network restrictions, sandboxing, remote desktop only)?
• Do your systems require specific license keys or executors that we need to coordinate access for? If so, please detail.

Accountability, Validation, and Acceptance — Who Signs Off?

• If I handed you a technically perfect model today, who in your organization would still push back—and what would they say?
• Which of these acceptance criteria are non‑negotiable for reserves, type curves, or the final report? Options: History match within agreed tolerances, Clear, auditable assumptions and inputs, Reproducible runs in client environment, Regulatory‑compliant reserves documentation, Independent peer review sign‑off, Investor‑ready presentation deliverable, Other
• What numerical fit criteria or metrics do you expect us to meet (examples: cumulative production match, RMSE, watercut tolerance)?
• Do you require an independent third‑party validation or auditor review prior to acceptance? Options: Yes—independent validation required, Optional but preferred, Not required
• Who will own the investor‑ready presentation for non‑technical committees—your team, ours, or a joint effort? Options: Client prepares, Consultant prepares, Jointly prepared, Undecided
• How many formal review cycles do you anticipate before final sign‑off, and what would you expect each cycle to produce? Options: 1, 2, 3, More than 3, Undecided
• What concrete evidence would convince your PE sponsor or board that reserve booking is defensible?

If We Miss the Deadline, What Breaks?

• Is the deadline a hard cliff (regulatory/filing) or a negotiable milestone you can trade scope against? Options: Hard cliff—no flexibility, Negotiable with scope tradeoffs, Phased delivery acceptable, Unsure
• Which downstream decisions depend on our deliverable being in place on day X? Options: Reserve booking, Deal close / acquisition, Regulatory filing, Investor reporting, Tax calculations, Development plan approval, Other
• What is the approximate financial or strategic cost of a delay (ballpark $ or percentage impact)?
• Which stakeholders are most likely to escalate if the timeline slips? Options: PE Sponsor, CEO/CFO, VP Reservoir Engineering, Asset Director, Board members, Regulator, Other
• What is the maximum slip in days you could tolerate before risk becomes critical? Options: <3 days, 3–7 days, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, >4 weeks
• Would you accept phased delivery or a minimum viable model to protect the firm deadline? If yes, what would need to be included in that MVP? Options: Yes—MVP with history matched key wells, Yes—MVP with executive summary only, No—must deliver full scope, Undecided
• How do you prefer to be alerted about schedule risk—email escalation, an immediate call, a steering committee, or portal status updates? Options: Immediate call to named contacts, Email escalation with action items, Steering committee meeting, Portal status updates only, Other

Practical Next Steps — What Would Make You Comfortable?

• What single action from our team in the next 48 hours would most increase your confidence that we can meet the deadline?
• Which milestones should appear on a mutual readiness checklist to consider deployment green? Options: Final data handoff complete, Model environment provisioned and tested, Key stakeholder sign-offs obtained, Security clearances completed, First successful history match run, Draft reserves report submitted
• What communication cadence and format will make you feel most comfortable during deployment (pick one)? Options: Daily standups (15 min), Twice-weekly technical updates, Weekly steering meeting, Ad‑hoc as issues arise, Portal / ticket updates only
• Who should be invited to a 30‑minute readiness alignment meeting (list names and roles)?
• Are there contractual or commercial prerequisites we must resolve before starting (PO, signed SOW, NDA, licenses)? Options: Purchase Order (PO), Signed SOW, NDA, License agreements, None, Other
• Be candid: what would make you hesitate to proceed right now?

Who’s in your corner today?

• What is your role and which people or functions do you expect to involve from your side (names/titles if possible)? Options: VP Reservoir Engineering, Asset Development Director, Technical Advisor / Consultant, PE Sponsor / Investment Lead, Reservoir Engineer / Team, Operations Lead, Commercial / Finance, Other
• How many independent reservoir consulting engagements like this does your team run per year? Options: 0–1, 2–4, 5–9, 10+, Unsure
• When you’ve run these before, what’s the single biggest time-sink in the first two weeks? Options: Data ingestion / cleaning, Access & licensing approvals, Aligning decision-makers, Scoping disagreements, IT / environment provisioning, Other
• How do you prefer to receive project updates during diligence—high-level milestones, weekly checkpoints, or daily standups? Options: High-level milestones, Weekly checkpoints, Twice-weekly short syncs, Daily standups, As-needed ad-hoc

What if the reserves numbers didn’t behave?

• Imagine our independent model materially changed your booked reserves—how would your board or sponsor likely respond? Options: Immediate re-pricing/re-negotiation, Revise development plan, keep deal moving, Seek a third opinion / arbitration, Trigger pause until resolved, Unsure
• Tell us about a past situation where a reserve or forecast surprise affected a deal or budget—what happened and who had to step in?
• How often do historical forecasts (internal or external) deviate from actual production in your assets? Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never / don’t know
• What financial thresholds or metrics (e.g., PV10 change, NPV delta, IRR movement) would make a finding unacceptable without re-evaluation? Options: >10% PV10 change, >20% PV10 change, >$X absolute change (we'll specify), Change that moves decision band (buy/hold/sell), Other / unsure
• Who must be convinced for the updated numbers to be accepted—investor committee, asset lead, external auditor, or all of the above? Options: Investor / PE sponsor, Board / Investment committee, Asset Development Director, Technical reviewers / independent auditors, Regulator (if applicable), All of the above

Where the data gremlins hide

• What single missing or low-quality dataset has most often derailed your studies? Options: Incomplete well logs, Inaccurate production history, Missing PVT / fluid data, Poorly dated completions data, Ownership/licensing restrictions, Other
• Which of the following data sets can you make available quickly (or already have centralized)? Options: Well logs (LAS), Core and core analyses, Production history (daily/monthly), Completions & frac data, PVT / fluid analysis, PLT / test data, 3D seismic / attribute volumes, Well schematics / tubing info
• How would you rate the overall cleanliness and consistency of your production history and well data? Options: Very clean / consistent, Mostly clean with gaps, Patchy and needs work, Unreliable / significant reconciliation required, Don’t know yet
• Are there known licensing, third-party, or vendor restrictions that limit data transfer or use in independent models? Options: No restrictions, Some vendor restrictions (clarifiable), License requires aggregated-only sharing, Data escrow required, We need to check / unsure
• What is your preferred method for secure data transfer and access (SFTP, cloud workspace, on-prem handoff, API)? Options: Secure SFTP, Cloud workspace (AWS/Azure/GCP), Vendor portal, On-prem physical handoff, API / automated sync, Other
• How long after kickoff will the full, cleaned dataset be available to our team? Options: Immediately / within 48 hours, Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, Longer / uncertain

Who really holds the pen?

• Who in your organization has true veto power over study conclusions or reserve bookings—and how do they typically communicate concerns? Options: PE Sponsor / Investment Lead, Board / Investment Committee, Asset Development Director, CRO or CFO, External Technical Reviewer, Other
• Walk us through your decision-path: who reviews first, who challenges, and who signs the final memo?
• How long does your internal approval cycle usually take once a consultant delivers final findings? Options: <1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, Depends on deal / uncertain
• Do your sponsors require an independent third-party validation or a peer review before booking reserves? Options: Yes, required, Optional but recommended, No, not required, Regulatory requirement applies
• When disagreements arise between technical and commercial stakeholders, what process do you use to reconcile them? Options: Technical workshop + re-run, Third-party arbitration, Escalate to sponsor/board, Use conservative booking until resolved, No formal process
• Has a past study ever been stalled by a single stakeholder concern—what was it and how long did it delay the outcome?

How much uncertainty can you live with?

• Would you rather be conservatively biased and risk missing upside, or accept more upside with higher challenge from auditors/investors? Options: Prefer conservative bias, Prefer balanced approach, Prefer upside-seeking, Depends on sponsor / deal
• What confidence interval or probability threshold do you require for booking reserves (P90 / P50 / P10 / other)? Options: P90, P75, P50, P25, P10, Custom / layered approach
• Which success signals will convince you this engagement met its objectives (quantitative and qualitative)? Options: Validated reserves within target band, Clear rationale for development plan, Investor-ready presentation, Reproducible models and documentation, Actionable type curves & economic triggers
• What specific deliverables do you expect at close (pick all that apply)? Options: Reserves report (bookable), Model files (Eclipse/CMG/tNavigator), Type curves and decline models, Sensitivity scenarios and assumptions, Executive summary for investors, Data handoff manifest and QA logs
• How much narrative vs. technical backup do your investment committees need when we present findings? Options: Executive-focused (minimal tech), Balanced executive + appendix, Technical deep-dive required, Depends on committee composition
• Are there regulatory or audit milestones that define the end-state of 'acceptable' uncertainty? Options: Yes—regulatory filing date, Yes—auditor sign-off, No formal regulatory milestone, Unsure / need to confirm

What would zero-surprise handover feel like?

• If we handed over models and left tomorrow, what three things would make you sleep better about future operations and audits?
• Preferred delivery formats for models, runs, and documentation? Options: Native simulator files (Eclipse/CMG/tNavigator), Standardized aggregated datasets (CSV/Parquet), Cloud-based workspace with permissions, Dockerized / environment snapshots, Other
• How much hands-on transfer and training does your team need to confidently operate delivered models? Options: None—we just need files, Brief walkthrough (1–2 sessions), Hands-on training (3–5 sessions), Embedded support for months, Ongoing retainer preferred
• What documentation style is most useful—short executive playbook, full technical appendix, or both? Options: Executive playbook, Full technical appendix, Both (preferred), Other
• Who on your team will take model ownership, and what environment (licenses, servers, cloud) must be in place for them?

If we started tomorrow, what could stop us?

• What single missing decision, approval, or resource would derail the project before week two? Options: No NDA / legal hold-up, Data access blocked, Budget not allocated, Key stakeholder unavailable, IT/environment not provisioned, Other
• Do you have hard commercial or regulatory deadlines (deal close, SEC/OGC filing, audit) we must meet? If so, what are the dates and consequences of missing them?
• Are there external dependencies—third-party vendors, JV partners, or regulators—that typically slow these studies? Options: JV partner approvals, Vendor licensing windows, Regulator data access, Third-party seismic vendors, None / minimal
• What budget cadence and approval thresholds apply—does the project need single-signature signoff or board approval? Options: Single executive sign-off, Multiple approvals required, Board / investment committee approval, Pre-approved program budget exists, Unsure
• What commercial clauses or contract terms have blocked engagements in the past (indemnity, IP, liability caps, payment milestones)?

One small step that changes everything

• What immediate decision could we make today that would meaningfully reduce friction and unlock momentum? Options: Confirm technical scope, Sign NDA, Provide initial dataset access, Schedule kickoff workshop, Allocate preliminary budget
• How ready do you feel to start on the timeline below: kickoff in 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, or later? Options: Kickoff in 1 week, Kickoff in 2 weeks, Kickoff in 1 month, Later / need more prep
• Who should we invite to the kickoff workshop (name/role), and who will own action items afterwards?
• Which communication channel and cadence makes your team most comfortable for governance (weekly email summary, standing 30-min sync, shared workspace)? Options: Weekly email summary, Standing 30-min weekly sync, Twice-weekly short updates, Shared cloud workspace with comments, Ad-hoc as issues arise
• If we draft a one-page 'must-have' list for kickoff, which three items must appear on it?