UCalgary business students influence software selection in energy sector

Without the right software, outdated or poor-fit systems can slow workflows, disrupt data processing and increase the risk of human error, making oil and gas operations costly, inefficient or even unsafe.

That’s why students from a Business Technology Management (BTMA 455) field course at the Haskayne School of Business worked with data-science firm Chirality Research to help improve how companies choose the right tools for tasks like managing field crews, day-to-day activities, and integrating data including safety compliance, equipment readings, worker logs and inspection results.

Helping optimize software selection for oil and gas operations

Many companies pick software based on familiarity or partial considerations from surface-level sales pitches, not strategic fit or long-term value, says Laura Naaykens, managing partner with Houston-based Chirality, which also has an office in Calgary. 

“Few people have the time or expertise to know how to pick a software that is removed from bias,” she says.

UCalgary alum Ravjot Kaur, MBA’24, a data solutions project specialist at Chirality, shared the Haskayne field project opportunity with the firm, which then connected with the university to participate in the course. Naaykens says Ravjot helped guide the students through their tasks.

Students Wajia Rahman; Parnian Radmand, BComm’25; and Sania Hetavkar helped the firm build a smarter way for oil and gas companies to choose the software they use to manage tasks such as fieldwork, safety inspections and equipment tracking. 

The students researched what features matter most in these tools; organized the findings into a large, easy-to-use database; and developed a working framework to test how well it supported real-world decision making.

Their work is outlined in the article, Data‑Driven Framework Provides Systematic Approach for Software Selection, recently published in the Journal of Petroleum Technology.

Building a software library

“We started off with building a software library,” says Rahman. “Then we developed a toolstack [a kit of digital tools] to present this library in a user-friendly environment that was both dynamic and scalable.”

Radmand says the finished tool saves project managers significant time and boosts confidence with real data. “It also shows the numbers and statistics behind the choice to justify the selection,” she says.

Naaykens says the massive library of categorized criteria is really important, especially as stakes can be high for companies choosing operations software.

“These decisions are potentially multi‑million-dollar,” she says, adding one wrong piece of software could derail a project. “People either hesitate because they don’t have enough data, or they rush it and later realize, oh, we didn’t think of that.”

A fulfilling, real-world consulting student opportunity

Rahman says the article’s publication adds professional depth to her group’s academic work. “We were genuinely invested in solving the problem,” she says. 

Rahman says their journey, full of learning and growth, is a “unique and interesting story that’s now reflected in a technical, professional way.”

Both Radmand and Rahman say the field project course, led by adjunct professor Tim Chan, was a great opportunity to potentially influence work in oil and gas.

“I truly believe our final solution will bring value not only to the company, but potentially to the industry, as well,” says Rahman.

Chirality Research plans to build the evaluation tool into a standalone software product and continue collaborating with UCalgary students in the future.

“I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the students’ work and their engagement,” Naaykens says. “It was so well done. I’d look forward to another project.”