The thesis presents the development of a discrete description of the drilling process (i.e. the process of physically constructing a wellbore), based on a four-tier system. Core- and subprocesses are described, further broken down into detailed activities and supported by start/stop definitions and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each process step. Planning/definition methodologies are discussed for the presented four-tier approach (strategic/tactical/detailed/machine) and evaluated against their impact on standardizing/optimizing execution processes. Finally, the impact of automated recognition of drilling unit operational conditions on enhancing operational performance is demonstrated. Removing human bias from the definition of time coding and performance benchmarking provides a more solid foundation for assessing and improving operational performance.