Ten Years ago

["Prevette, Steven S" <Steven_S_Prevette@rl.gov>]

[Moderator's Note:  For about 6 months, I worked in the same Department of Energy environment that
Steve works in and I *know* the resistance I faced.  I also know that Steve's work has had an impact
on this community far beyond his Hanford location - so I salute him (and Phil & Coop) for their
10 year journey! ]

On the evening of June 8, 1993 I had just finished working on the swing
shift as a manager in training.  I had been hired in January 1993 by
Westinghouse Hanford to be a maintenance supervisor at the tank farms on the
US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford site.

A few weeks prior, I had met Phil Monroe and Bill Cooper at a training
session they gave on control charts and excel spreadsheets.  I had been sent
by Westinghouse management since I had an operations research degree, and to
appease calls by the DOE to set up control charts of tank farms maintenance
data.  I attended the two day session and hit it off well with Phil and
Bill, and then went back to my "real job".

On the morning of June 9, 1993 a meeting occurred between the DOE and
Westinghouse management.  DOE once again requested Westinghouse to provide
control charts of maintenance data.  The Westinghouse manager responded that
Westinghouse did not have anyone who knew how to do control charting, nor
how to retrieve data from the maintenance system.  Phil spoke up and said
"Yes, you do, and his name is . . ."

Bill tells me this went all the way up to the head of the site and back down
again within a few hours.  Not knowing any of this, I was awoken at noon by
my wife.  She said that my boss was on the phone.  I picked up the phone
rather groggily, and was told "Get in here now and start making control
charts".

------

The rest has been quite an interesting path.  I would like to thank Phil and
Bill for getting me started, and for their support and support of all of you
in DEN over the past years.  I do want to thank Myron Tribus for giving a
pep talk last year that has helped keep me going. And thanks to Jim for
keeping the DEN going.

I tell this story, not in the intent of "bragging", but with the intent of
saying strange things can happen, and sometimes grabbing an opportunity as
it presents itself pays off.  I will stay that at many points along the 10
years if I had "done what I was told", I most certainly would have been laid
off as not being credible or of value.  Sticking to a valid theory and
living to it has paid off.

Steve Prevette
Site Technical Authority for Statistical Trending
Safety and Health
Fluor Hanford, A Fluor Global Services Company
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer
steven_s_prevette@rl.gov
509-373-9371