It also includes commitments to implement systems engineering in not only the MWTF project but at the Hanford site in general. The final report of the headquarters-led review of systems requirements is over two months behind schedule due to the complexity and significance of the review s findings. The review found that the TWRS program baseline is very assumptive in nature and that the program poorly manages the risk and uncertainty associated with the assumptions. High level architecture decisions are not firmly based on systems engineering principles or on firm decisions made by headquarters. The program proceeds not only at great financial and programmatic risk but also at some risk to the public and environment from additional delay in remediation of deteriorating high level waste tanks.
Projects continue to be developed despite the lack of an approved technical baseline.
This course of action is reasonable if the risk and uncertainty are well understood and appropriate design measures are taken to ensure health and safety requirements are included in development of these projects. However, DOE-RL s and WHC s risk management program has not matured sufficiently to objectively support design of all current projects. The degree to which the risk and uncertainty are managed varies from project to project. For example, the MWTF project was never fully technically justified and is now being phased out primarily due to budget constraints. In contrast, the Tank Farms Restoration project has continued the systems engineering analysis started by the TWRS organization to a level where project requirements could be developed.