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1. Introduction
In the oil and gas sector, project practitioners are beginning to take responsibility for managing knowledge as a means to create value on projects, but still the sector has continued to face several performance challenges. One common performance challenge in the sector is that there is too much data and not enough information (Feblowitz and Vesset, 2013). The digital oilfield, the price and performance improvements in the sensor technologies, and the availability of broadband networks have maximised the volume, variety and velocity of data in the energy sector (Feblowitz and Vesset, 2013). Recently, Abel et al. (2005) showed that most of the data relevant for geological interpretation of oil reservoirs entails visual data that have no formal denomination and are learnt through an implicit process during training and field experience. The process of standardising and implementing a knowledge management (KM) based system can be particularly difficult for oil and gas companies, which has often viewed key business exploration, upstream and downstream production, refining as distinctly different (Ochieng et al., 2016). Creating a standardised KM model, which entails people and technology approaches, can be challenging (Secchi and Camuffo, 2016; Siemieniuch and Sinclair, 2004). To successfully implement a KM based system, key stakeholders from the core areas mentioned above must come together and participate in designing a KM system that is broad enough to capture all of the assets. Having a well-standardised KM based system linked to various business and project functions allows centralised knowledge and oversight, while giving flexibility in implementation. Within the context of this study, a KM based system is defined as an information database designed to assist the sharing and integration of project data. It is worth noting that a KM based system may be less automated in that they may require human activity in their operation (Ochieng et al., 2016). For many oil and gas organisations in developed and developing countries, achieving knowledge efficiency requires cultural transformation within the strategic, operational and project levels of the organisation (Wagner and Majchrzak, 2006). As established from the reviewed literature, the UK oil and gas sector is no exception when it comes to the gaps and shortcomings experienced as a result of efficiency related challenges of KM and project delivery (De...