diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroScheduler.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroScheduler.java
index b0043e68c..39e1bdc72 100755
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroScheduler.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroScheduler.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.exceptions.UserException;
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.threading.ThreadPoolMonitor;
 
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.Queue;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
@@ -41,7 +42,6 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
      */
     private ThreadLocalOutputTracker outputTracker = new ThreadLocalOutputTracker();
 
-    private final Queue<Shard> traverseTasks = new LinkedList<Shard>();
     private final Queue<TreeReduceTask> reduceTasks = new LinkedList<TreeReduceTask>();
 
     /**
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
      */
     private Throwable error = null;
 
+    /**
+     * Queue of incoming shards.
+     */
+    private Iterator<Shard> traversalTasks;
+
     /**
      * Keep a queue of shard traversals, and constantly monitor it to see what output
      * merge tasks remain.
@@ -56,9 +61,6 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
      */
     private final Queue<ShardTraverser> outputMergeTasks = new LinkedList<ShardTraverser>();
 
-    /** How many total tasks were in the queue at the start of run. */
-    private int totalTraversals = 0;
-
     /** How many shard traversals have run to date? */
     private int totalCompletedTraversals = 0;
 
@@ -92,13 +94,11 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
         if (!( walker instanceof TreeReducible ))
             throw new IllegalArgumentException("The GATK can currently run in parallel only with TreeReducible walkers");
 
+        this.traversalTasks = shardStrategy.iterator();
+
         ReduceTree reduceTree = new ReduceTree(this);
         initializeWalker(walker);
 
-        for (Shard shard : shardStrategy)
-            traverseTasks.add(shard);
-        totalTraversals = traverseTasks.size();
-
         while (isShardTraversePending() || isTreeReducePending()) {
             // Check for errors during execution.
             if(hasTraversalErrorOccurred())
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
      * @return true if a shard traversal is waiting; false otherwise.
      */
     protected boolean isShardTraversePending() {
-        return traverseTasks.size() > 0;
+        return traversalTasks.hasNext();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -283,10 +283,10 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
      * @param reduceTree Tree of reduces to which to add this shard traverse.
      */
     protected void queueNextShardTraverse( Walker walker, ReduceTree reduceTree ) {
-        if (traverseTasks.size() == 0)
+        if (!traversalTasks.hasNext())
             throw new IllegalStateException("Cannot traverse; no pending traversals exist.");
 
-        Shard shard = traverseTasks.remove();
+        Shard shard = traversalTasks.next();
 
         // todo -- add ownership claim here
 
@@ -398,16 +398,6 @@ public class HierarchicalMicroScheduler extends MicroScheduler implements Hierar
 
     }
 
-    /** {@inheritDoc} */
-    public int getTotalNumberOfShards() {
-        return totalTraversals;
-    }
-
-    /** {@inheritDoc} */
-    public int getRemainingNumberOfShards() {
-        return traverseTasks.size();
-    }
-
     /** {@inheritDoc} */
     public int getNumberOfTasksInReduceQueue() {
         return reduceTasks.size();
diff --git a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroSchedulerMBean.java b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroSchedulerMBean.java
index 21a87963b..530285db0 100644
--- a/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroSchedulerMBean.java
+++ b/public/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/executive/HierarchicalMicroSchedulerMBean.java
@@ -17,18 +17,6 @@ package org.broadinstitute.sting.gatk.executive;
  * microscheduler is behaving. 
  */
 public interface HierarchicalMicroSchedulerMBean extends MicroSchedulerMBean {
-    /**
-     * What is the total number of shards assigned to this microscheduler?
-     * @return Total number of shards to process.
-     */
-    public int getTotalNumberOfShards();
-
-    /**
-     * How many shards are remaining for this microscheduler to process?
-     * @return Remaining number of shards to process.
-     */
-    public int getRemainingNumberOfShards();
-
     /**
      * How many tree reduces are waiting in the tree reduce queue?
      * @return Total number of reduces waiting in the tree reduce queue?