History of Rocky Flats

While cleaning up the office this week, I found a book on the History of Rocky Flats.

	I worked as VP Program Management in the Information, Communications, and Technology organization, where we used PeopleSoft ERP to manage the efforts of 5,000 works in the cleanup of the second-worst toxic waste site on the planet - Chernobyl was number one. We deployed eXtreme Programming in the development of custom software in support of the cleanup operations for databases, site monitoring, and management system, secure networks, and our own private cell phone umbrella, with encrypted wireless and hard-wired networks.
	Here's the link to the scanned copy Rocky Flats History, Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, 10808 Highway 93, Unit, B, B115, Golden Colorado, 80403-8200 United States Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Agency
	The book describing how Rocky Flats was closed and the people and processes that did that work is Making the Impossible Possible: Leading Extraordinary Performance, The Rocky Flats Story In this book, the concept of Heliotropic Abundance is presented, which described the process used to successfully deliver the project in a way that can be applied to any project in any domain.

This program used eXtreme Programming, long before Scrum came along to develop software to support the cleanup of the site, the scientists, engineers, and cleanup workforce in an iterative and incremental manner since we had an ever-evolving set of requirements while operating inside government procurement regulations. 

Here's a summary of how Heliotropic Abundance was applied at Rocky Flats

I have several blogs, papers, and presentations about Rocky Flats or where Rocky Flats is mentioned, including Agile Software in Government environments

• Management of Complex Programs Through Change Management
• Plan of the Day
• Making Agile Development Work in a Government Contracting Environment
• Management Improvement - A Project or Operations View
• Plan the Work - Work the Plan
• Agile Project Management Methods Meet Earned Value Management
• Earned Value, XP, and Government Contracts
• Software for Our Minds
• What Does Done Look Like?
• Using Portfolio Management to Manage ICT Projects at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site
• Using Balanced Scorecard to Build a Project Focused IT Organization
• From Arms Race to Green Space: PPM at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site
• Creating the Foundation for IT Project Portfolio Management at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site
• Managing Agile Development Work in a Government Contracting Environment

and

• Interview with me about how Rocky Flats successfully applied coached our teams through complex, high priority projects.
• Stay on Top of Your Work interview

When you hear some agile pundits talk about #NoEstimates, no distinct job roles, no planning needed, and other conjectures without any domain or context, the Rocky Flats approach to agile software development was based on:

• A fixed deadline to close the site - first two weeks in November of 1992.
• A fixed budget - $7.5 Billion of the entire site, and a fixed IT budget. The closure of the site came in $500 Million under budget
• Specifically defined roles - cybersecurity, software testing with verification and validation, project managers, IT operations.
• Three layers of management - CIO, VP's, Directors