You've been there before. 

Scribbling notes while chatting on the phone. Making mental list after mental list. Having loved one ask if you are paying attention. Hacking a flow diagram in your home office on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 

Sometimes that fresh, world-changing, idea is so strong and so well formed in your mind that you. can't. stop. thinking. about. it.

The challenge is turning that world changing idea into reality. Converting distraction into execution and turning idle time from wondering "what if?' into asking aloud "what's next?" 

I subscribe to these 3 steps when I find myself consumed with an idea I am passionate about:

Step 1: Admit the idea is a Passion.  
Come on, be honest with yourself! Admitting its a passion will free you to show yourself and others around you how the idea lights a spark in you. It can be contagious and that will help as you explore an idea. I've learned that the more your inner circle understands about the ideas you are passionate about, the easier it is to follow through on execution. You never know where help or guidance may come from and often those closest to us can offer the most insight.

Step 2:  Idea  ???   Passion  =  Success
Understand that there is only one operator in the equation to find Success from an Idea and Passion: Hard Work. If is were easy, it would be done already. You must be willing to contribute time and effort to see any idea through. Often it begins with asking questions and working through the answers.

If you are a manager, how would you direct an employee to begin work on an idea?  What milestones would you set? How would you measure cost and performance?

If you are an employee, what tasks, tools, and resources would need to produce fruit from concept? Are the requirements understood and sound? 

If you are a consumer of this idea, how will it improve your world and compel you to engage?

Step 3: Start the Hard Work, NOW.
Its a rainy Saturday afternoon and the house is empty. Where am I? At the marker board executing my latest idea. No excuses. If you have idle time and the idea is swirling in your mind, stop dreaming about it and start executing!

What steps do you take to turn an idea about something you are passionate about into success?  

One of the most active departments in a corporate back office in the Upstream Oil and Gas industry is Division Orders.  This is where leases and partnerships are transformed into Cost and Revenue accounting transactions.  A Division of Interest (DOI) describes how working interest partners are sharing costs and how royalty owners will be paid.  

It's also one of Grande Innovations greatest strengths. My background started with Oracle Corporation and later P2 Energy Solutions building and maintaining the ownership modules in Enterprise Upstream. As a consultant, I have experienced implementations, data conversions, and integration development with all of the leading platforms in the market.  

DOIs are the lifeblood of a companies monthly processes. There are many challenges in maintaining silent period, prior period adjustments, and new setups during active drilling phases.  Over time, I have gained a deep understanding of how different companies are solving, or working around, these problems. Keeping up with ownership changes is resource intensive and requires a high degree of inter-departmental coordination.  

In 2014, we will be examining these challenges in greater detail and working with our technology partners to craft solutions that increase efficiency and decrease costs understanding ownership.  Stay tuned!

If you work in Division Orders, what are your biggest challenges?