Aps1001 Project Management
Rocky Flats Contamination Cleanup Project: Lessons Learned
Project Management, APS 1001H
Fall 2011
University of Toronto
Fall 2011
Table of Contents
Executive Summary iii Introduction, Background on the Rocky Flats Site Cleanup 1 Project Management Lessons Learned 3 Time, Cost and Performance Management 3 Risk Management & Planning 5 Quality Management 8 Knowledge Management 9 Communications Management 10 Human Resources Management 11 Regulation Management 13 Conclusions 14 Bibliography 15
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to give the readers an overview about the Rocky Flats Cleanup Project which was completed in 2005 by Kaiser-Hill LLC (K-H).
The Rocky Flats site was a United States governmental facility that produced nuclear weapons and weapons material; it operated for over thirty seven years. During its production life, accidents exposed significant amounts of radioactive material and permanently contaminated of buildings, grounds and ponds. The contamination issues were among the primary causes that led to closure of the facility in 1989 by the government authorities. A large amount of money was allocated for the cleanup project. K-H was selected as the contractor responsible for the execution of the project; they successfully were able to meet and exceed the expectations both in time and cost reduction. This Cleanup project received the “PMI 2006 Project-of-The-Year-Award” for its success in preparing a very detailed and well designed plan as well as for applying it very cautiously in different stages of the project. (Hunsberger, 2007)
The lessons mentioned here should be used for future cleanup projects since the effort has been made to provide general lessons easily applied to different industries. The lessons are divided into seven different categories which are: “Time, Cost and Performance Management” which address issues regarding the triple objectives of the project, “Risk
Project Management, APS 1001H
Fall 2011
University of Toronto
Fall 2011
Table of Contents
Executive Summary iii Introduction, Background on the Rocky Flats Site Cleanup 1 Project Management Lessons Learned 3 Time, Cost and Performance Management 3 Risk Management & Planning 5 Quality Management 8 Knowledge Management 9 Communications Management 10 Human Resources Management 11 Regulation Management 13 Conclusions 14 Bibliography 15
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to give the readers an overview about the Rocky Flats Cleanup Project which was completed in 2005 by Kaiser-Hill LLC (K-H).
The Rocky Flats site was a United States governmental facility that produced nuclear weapons and weapons material; it operated for over thirty seven years. During its production life, accidents exposed significant amounts of radioactive material and permanently contaminated of buildings, grounds and ponds. The contamination issues were among the primary causes that led to closure of the facility in 1989 by the government authorities. A large amount of money was allocated for the cleanup project. K-H was selected as the contractor responsible for the execution of the project; they successfully were able to meet and exceed the expectations both in time and cost reduction. This Cleanup project received the “PMI 2006 Project-of-The-Year-Award” for its success in preparing a very detailed and well designed plan as well as for applying it very cautiously in different stages of the project. (Hunsberger, 2007)
The lessons mentioned here should be used for future cleanup projects since the effort has been made to provide general lessons easily applied to different industries. The lessons are divided into seven different categories which are: “Time, Cost and Performance Management” which address issues regarding the triple objectives of the project, “Risk
Bibliography: 1. Hobbs, Farrel (2010). An Insider 's View of Rocky Flats: Urban Myths Debunked. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1460911471. 2. Lessons Learned at the Rocky Flats Closure Project and Their Applicability to the Emerging Cleanup of the United Kingdom 's Civil Nuclear Liabilities. Nany Tuor and Allen Schubert (Kaiser-Hill Company, LLC), ASME Conf. Proc. 2003, 743 (2003), DOI:10.1115/ICEM2003-4784 http://scitation.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal&id=ASMECP002003037327000743000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=yes&ref=no Accessed November 13th, 2011. 3. PMI 2006 Project of The Year, Finding Closure, Kelley Hunsberger, PM Network, 30-37, January 2007, www.pmi.org Accessed November 11th, 2011. 4. The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), Report to Congressional Requesters, Nuclear Cleanup of Rocky Flats: Department of energy Can Use Lessons Learned to Improve Oversight of Other Site’s Cleanup Activities, GAO-06-352, July 2006. www.gao.gov Accessed November 11th, 2011. 5. Status Update: Closing Rocky Flats By 2006, Nancy R. Tuor, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Allen L. Schubert, Director Strategic Planning, Kaiser-Hill Company LLC, 23-27, February 2003, http://www.wmsym.org Accessed November 27th, 2011 (http://www.wmsym.org/archives/2003/pdfs/164.pdf) 6. Rocky Flats Closure Legacy, Safety Integration, Bea Duran, 04, August 2006, Accessed November 27th, 2011 (http://rockyflats.apps.em.doe.gov/chapters/06%20-%20Safety.pdf) 7. Rocky Flats Closure Legacy, Accelerated Closure Concept, Bea Duran, 04, August 2006, Accessed November 27th, 2011 (http://rockyflats.apps.em.doe.gov/chapters/06%20-%20Safety.pdf) 8. Rocky Flats Closure Project: Planning for uncertainty, Larry F. Burdge, Vice President, Planning and Integration Kaiser Hill Company, LLC, and Joe Nolter, President, Project Analysis &Evaluation, Inc, 33-21, February 28 - March 9, 1999, http://www.wmsym.org, Accessed November 27th, 2011 (http://www.wmsym.org/archives/1999/33/33-21.pdf) 9. Programmatic Risk Assessment at Rocky Flats: A Tool For Technology Deployment Decisions, M. David Maloney, PHD, Director, Technology Kaiser Hill Company, LLC, 35-7, February 27 - march 2, 2000, http://www.wmsym.org, Accessed November 27th, 2011 (http://www.wmsym.org/archives/2000/pdf/35/35-7.pdf)