1. RADMAN 9.3
Striving for Continuous Improvement
Tommy Courtemanche

2. Continuous Improvement
What is Continuous Improvement?
An ongoing effort to improve products, services and processes.
The Process
Identify
Plan
Execute
Monitor
Last year, I talked about Continuous Improvement as an ongoing effort to improve products, services and processes, so how do you go about it?
Here is the process…..Identify, Plan, Execute and Monitor….sounds simple.

3. It’s About People… Relationships are the key to improvement!
Lead by example – “The Golden Rule”
Ask for feedback; “How can we do better?”
Implement new ideas quickly – Momentum and Enthusiasm
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but learn from them.
Not every good idea directly affects the bottom line
Face to face communication has a greater impact than
Share and spread ideas
Celebrate successes and give credit
Small improvements have a big impact
Continuous Improvement isn’t about books, case studies, process or procedures. The foundation of Continuous Improvement is about people. Those that generate ideas, those that plan out projects, that do the work and those that monitor and support the process.
It all starts with people.
To work with teams the single most important aspect is “The Relationship”. Without good relationships, there is no path forward to improvement and you end up working in a vacuum, with no commitment and limited support.
Before we can focus on improving software, services, maintenance or any other tasks, start by improving relationships.
The Golden Rule – Treat others with respect, provide the model of behavior; we’ve all heard this since we were in grade school, and Mom was right.
Feedback – Be inclusive. It’s not how can YOU do better, but how can WE do better….together
Implement new ideas quickly – You want to generate momentum and enthusiasm. “Let’s talk about that after the outage”
Not ever idea is a great one. Mistakes happen, but turn mistakes into lessons for improvement – it can uncover other areas you’ve never thought of before.
Every good idea is valuable, even if it doesn’t affect the bottom line
Face to face communication is important. Don’t underestimate the human element in building relationships
Share ideas. Create an environment where ideas can be discussed without judgement.
Celebrate success and make sure that those who played a part get credit – it encourages more ideas
Small improvements have a big impact

4. Identification and Feedback
Feedback Sources
Regulatory Updates
State Requirement Updates
Waste Acceptance Criteria Updates
Industry Changes
User comments and suggestions
Testing/Use
Technological Changes
Data Analysis
Collect feedback from as many sources as possible
At this point, we just want to capture ideas….good ideas, bad ideas, and everything in between.
But, where does change come from?
Most obvious sources are those that directly affect you….regulatory, state and waste acceptance criteria updates.
Then, we look at industry changes, user feedback, and testing results.
Next, we look at technological changes. Technology moves quickly, things that used to be impossible are easily attainable, or in some cases even routine.
Finally, look at the data. There are a lot of trends we can ferret out that will provide some foresight.

5. Regulatory Updates RADMAN Updates in response to regulatory changes
HM-250 Updates (9.1.3)
10CFR 37 Category 1 and 2 calculations, reports and notifications (9.2)
2015 Concentration Averaging BTP (9.2)
2016 Revision of NRC Uniform Manifest (9.2.1)
2016 Revision of Emergency Response Guides (9.2.1)
HM-250, 10CFR 37 were regulatory updates that were incorporated into RADMAN and 9.2 respectively.
Next came the 2015 Concentration Averaging BTP revision introduced into version 9.2
Finally, in 2016, there was a revision to the NRC Uniform Manifest and Emergency Response Guides, that were included in 9.2.1

6. State/Waste Acceptance Updates
RADMAN Updates from state/waste disposal facilities
Texas-WCS Shipping Module (9.1.3)
Added Illinois (IEMA) export layout to eTrans (9.1.3)
Hydrogen Gas Generation Report for Cask Shipments (9.2)
Added Ra-226 to waste classification logic (9.2.1)
Added Texas-WCS export layout to eTrans (9.2.1)
Added ability to designate U-233 and U-235 as Source instead of SNM (9.2.1)
When WCS started taking waste, we introduced the Texas-WCS shipping module in version 9.1.3, along with an Illinois export layout for eTrans.
A Hydrogen Gas Generation report was added in version 9.2
Radium 226 was included to the waste classification logic in because the states, not the NRC, was interested in this nuclide. Also added to version was the a Texas eTrans export layout, and we added the ability to designate U-233 and U-235 as Source instead of SNM.

7. User Feedback RADMAN Updates in response to user feedback
Print All [Shipments] (9.1.3)
Underwater Filter Characterization (9.1.3)
Export Database (9.2)
File Attachments [Shipments, Packages, Samples, Containers] (9.2)
Tritium (H-3) Overrides on Waste Stream (9.2)
Print All [Packages] (9.2)
Integrate SourceTrax functionality into RADMAN (9.3)
Scaling of hard-to-detects in Multi-Sample (9.3)
Sample history in Distribution Report (9.3)
Shipment summary in 1.21 report (9.3)
Print All function in Filters (9.3)
Enhanced login - Two Factor Authentication option, reset password, recover usernames in login screen (9.3)
Combine Material Packages (9.3)
Search/Sort Packages in Shipment Screen (9.3)
Much of the additions to RADMAN comes from our own internal use and testing; however, the bulk of our software enhancements come from requests made by you.
From version 9.1.3, and the re-introduction of the Print All, to exporting databases, file attachments, Tritium Overrides, integration of SourceTrax, scaling, etc., these are all requests that come from your feedback.

8. Prioritize and Plan Prioritize Feedback Just In Time Planning
Determine which feedback to act upon
Balance investment (time, resources, cost) versus return
Just In Time Planning
Control scope through iterations and lead with high value/effort tasks
After all iterations, have a functional product that satisfies basic requirements
Visible improvement and progressively better product
Allows you to react to changes quickly and incorporate feedback
Plan for improvement, not perfection
Evaluate all feedback
Determine viability of feedback by assessing time, resource commitment and cost versus need, value, performance and efficiency
Unlike traditional planning methods, we prefer an agile, or just-in-time approach.
Keep scope small and focus on constant improvement through iterative planning
Control scope and schedule
Start with core requirements
After each iteration, you have a functional, tested product
After each iteration, you have visible improvements that get progressively better
Allows you to react to changes and incorporate feedback
Take for example of a project where we have to build a vehicle to get around town.
In the traditional approach, planning is done up front, with a long lead time to delivery.
In a modern approach, we start by solving the core problem. A skateboard, probably isn’t the ideal transportation, but it is functional. We might say, it is not stable enough and too difficult to control, so the product evolves into a scooter. The user would say it requires too much effort, so the product evolves to a bicycle. Again, not an ideal solution, but still functional. More feedback is added; “I don’t want to break a sweat just going into town”, so we add a motor to build a motorcycle. At this point, we have a suitable product that not only satisfies the requirement, but has incorporated much of the users feedback. Finally, the user says that they would like to be able to carry passengers or cargo, but likes the open air feeling of the motorcycle, so the product evolves into a convertible.

9. Improving the process Addition of Team Foundation Server
Better collaboration
Higher quality documentation and auditability
Much as specialized tools can make a job easier, specialized software has the same effect.
This past year, we have incorporated and customized Microsoft’s Team Foundation Server, allowing for better collaboration, better documentation and traceability throughout our project.
This tool allows us to track a request from approval, into source code revisions, testing and ultimately a finished product. This has reduced the time we need to spend putting our releases through final Quality Assurance approvals.

10. Development and Testing
An Iteration: Development, Testing, and Feedback Cycle
Feedback becomes change requests added to an iteration
Perform code changes
Test updated application
Identify bugs/issues
Correct bugs
Test again
Close out iteration
Once we have planned an iteration, programmers can start incorporating feedback into the software.
Here is an example of our development process and the associated documentation.

11. Development and Testing
Benefits of Iterative Changes
Results in functional, tested software
Focused and controlled scope
Manageable timeframes
Ability to respond quickly to changes
Demonstrable progression
“Success is not a big step in the future, Success is a small
step taken right now”
As we discussed earlier, iterative changes results in functional, tested software.

12. Release Notification Communication is critical for success
Improved release documentation
V&V test plan documentation
New WMG Forum (
Newsletters
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Site visits
Communication is an area where we have focused on in the past few years.
Because of the improvements we have made, we are happy to re-introduce V&V documentation with our RADMAN releases!
Added a new forum to discuss software and industry topics, including security.
Newsletters filled with useful information.
Social Media
Site Visits

13. Documentation Planning, Development and Testing is documented
Why doesn’t WMG release our testing documentation?
Over 3,000 pages of printed technical documents
Contains proprietary information
Variety of file formats
Word
Excel
PDF
Images
>500 MB in size
>2 GB in code
>50 GB a month database backups
Why doesn’t WMG release testing documentation? It’s a question that we get a lot.
Take the example of our current 9.3 release.
We have generated over 3,000 pages of printed documentation, much of which contains proprietary information about the software.
We manage a variety of file formats (Word, Excel, PDF, Images), over 500MB in size.
We have over 2GB in source code modifications for this release alone!
Our backup process generates over 50 GB of backup data a month!

14. Track errors and activity
Monitor product, find areas for improvement
Error tracking
Real-time support
Performance monitoring
Security monitoring
Once we release a software update, our work isn’t done.
We go into a monitoring phase, tracking errors, supporting users, monitoring performance and security threats.

15. Tracking Activity
Here is a quick chart I put together detailing login activity by month.
This past year, we peaked at about 2,700 logins a month during the spring outage.
Next year, we anticipate over 3000 login a month during the spring outage.

16. Tracking Activity
Here is a chart detailing packages characterized by year.
2017 seems to be a down year, with 2016 peaking at just under 18,000 packages characterized.
So, even with the dip thus far in the year, clearly, there is a moderate growth trend for the future.

17. Tracking Activity Here is a chart of shipments, shipped by month.
This spring outage, we peaked at over 800 shipments shipped in March and April (804 and 801 respectively)
Notice the jagged activity.
Anyone want to point out outage seasons?
We have to manage these activity spikes to ensure that during outage season, the infrastructure remains responsive.

18. Monitoring Security Stay ahead of hackers Monitor traffic
Regular review of data
Stay current with emerging threats
Regular patching and updates
Incorporate new defenses
Beyond performance requirements, we constantly monitor security threats.
The most important thing you can do to protect your data is to constantly monitor it. From your credit report to bank account, staying vigilant is important.
As we discussed last year, incorporating ThreatManager was a big piece, but so is regular review of log data and staying current with emerging threats.
Ransomware attacks like WannaCry were well documented long before we heard about them in the news.
Other attacks like the Outlook/Word zero day attack back in April were preventable for the tens of thousands affected if they had simply updated their machines regularly.
Finally, incorporate new defenses. For RADMAN, this will mean incorporating TLS 1.3 when it is approved.

19. Continuously Better New Host Better infrastructure Better performance
Better data backup
New Software
FuelCAL
FME Guardian
Improving Security
AlertLogic monitoring in our local network
So, in response to the data that we have seen and the emerging threats we have documented, we have chosen to significantly beef up our infrastructure and move to a new host.
With this migration, we will be adding better infrastructure, higher performance storage, geo-redundant backups.
We have also recently added new software in FuelCAL and FME Guardian – both fully web based applications for spent fuel planning and FME management.
We have invested in security by adding the same AlertLogic services behind RADMAN into our office network.

20. Future of Software How we can do better?
How can we provide better service?
How can we improve our software?
How can we help?
This is where I will ask you to think about a few things to discuss later this afternoon.
Later this afternoon, we will be discussing our new software in greater detail, some of the capabilities we can offer and new platforms we can utilize.
How can we do better?
How can we provide better service?
How can we improve our software?
How can we help?