National Oilwell Varco: creating a single HSE management system

Last reviewed: 11 July 2026

This case study describes a historical Triaster implementation. Product names, screenshots and customer circumstances reflect the period of the original project.

National Oilwell Varco needed a single Health, Safety and Environment management system that could support a major safety initiative and help employees access the processes and documentation they needed.

The goal was simple to state but complex to deliver: create a one-stop shop for HSE processes and documentation that people could access through the company intranet.

The problem

In 2014, National Oilwell Varco introduced a key safety initiative called Capture Zero. The existing HSE system did not meet the requirements of the zero-incidents target the organisation had set itself.

The HSE Director needed a system that would:

• provide one place for Health, Safety and Environment processes and documentation;
• make that content accessible through the intranet;
• support employees in taking care of themselves and others;
• help the organisation work towards zero incidents;
• provide a business-wide platform for operational excellence.

The challenge was not only technical. It was also cultural. Business Process Management terminology was used at the time, but the underlying requirement was a management-system requirement: make the agreed way of working visible, accessible and governable.

The Triaster approach

After evaluating the options, National Oilwell Varco chose Triaster.

During implementation, an Operational Excellence group was created for Process and Flow Technologies. The group was tasked with introducing a structured process-led approach across the organisation.

Working with Triaster, the HSE and Operational Excellence teams agreed the structure and design for a Triaster Process Library that would support the wider company.

In modern QMS language, this is best understood as the process-library component of a management system: the place where processes and supporting documentation are organised so staff can find, follow and improve the agreed way of working.

What changed

The implementation gave National Oilwell Varco a single place to present HSE processes and documentation in a way staff could access through the intranet.

The project helped support:

• clearer access to HSE process information;
• stronger process visibility;
• a shared structure for processes and documentation;
• operational excellence activity beyond one local team;
• a stronger foundation for consistent working.

Why this matters for Quality and HSE leaders

Quality, HSE and operational excellence leaders often face the same underlying problem: the organisation has important procedures and controls, but staff do not experience them as one usable system.

A process-led management system helps by connecting the agreed way of working to the documents and evidence that support it.

For Triaster, this historical example shows the value of making the management system visible, accessible and structured around how work is actually done.

Current relevance

Today, Triaster QMS applies the same principle to Quality Management Systems built around the Process Approach.

The language has changed. The need has not.

Organisations still need a governed system that makes processes, documents, responsibilities and evidence easier to find, trust and use.