Rolling wave planning is the process of planning for a project in waves as the project becomes clearer and unfolds. It is important in such projects to at least highlight in the initial plan the key milestones for the project.
Rolling Wave Planning
Rolling Wave Planning acknowledges the fact that we can see more clearly what is in close proximity, but looking further ahead our vision becomes less clear. Rolling Wave Planning is a multi-step, intermittent process – like waves – because we cannot provide the details very far out in our planning. Depending upon the project – its length and complexity – we may be able to plan as much as a few weeks or even a few months in advance with a fair amount of clarity. This involves creating a detailed, well-defined Work Breakdown Structure for that period of clarity, but just highlighting the milestone for the rest of the project.
Progressive Elaboration
Progressive Elaboration is what occurs in this rolling wave planning process. Progressive Elaboration means that over time we elaborate the work packages in greater detail. Progressive Elaboration refers to the fact that as the weeks and months pass we have planned to provide that missing, more elaborated detail for the work packages as they now appear on the horizon.
"Feasibility Study" Projects
Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration are similar concepts. They acknowledge the fact that in many projects, what must be done is unknown, but based upon past experience the project will unfold itself as it progresses. Thus, it is a plan to do more planning when that plan is possible, with the confidence that it will be. We will see more clearly what is ahead of us as we learn from the work that we do in earlier phases.
One question that often arises in project planning, in this area, is whether to actually create separate projects that will in the end produce a product that elaborates what is to be done on another project and taken as a whole these projects essentially are one larger project. Breaking them into separate projects enables budgets to be able to be allocated and provides decision points as to whether to even move on to the next project, or to stop and perhaps even go a different way.
This is sometimes what is done with "Feasibility Study" Projects. Often times an organization may have some good ideals that they would like to pursue, but before they make the total commitment they want to study the Feasibility of what it might take to do the project, or also what impact the project might have. This in essence is a bit of a different approach to progressive elaboration or rolling wave planning.
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John Reiling, PMP
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8 responses so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Feb 21, 2008 at 6:26 am
Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration…
Rolling Wave Planning acknowledges the fact that we can see more clearly what is in close proximity, but looking further ahead our vision becomes less clear….
2 sk-rt.com // Feb 21, 2008 at 7:48 am
Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration…
Rolling Wave Planning acknowledges the fact that we can see more clearly what is in close proximity, but looking further ahead our vision becomes less clear….
3 ipopu.com // Feb 25, 2008 at 5:02 am
Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration | Project Management Insights, Ideas, and Analysis…
Rolling Wave Planning acknowledges the fact that we can see more clearly what is in close proximity, but looking further ahead our vision becomes less clear….
4 pligg.com // Feb 25, 2008 at 6:22 am
Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration | Project Management Insights, Ideas, and Analysis…
Rolling Wave Planning acknowledges the fact that we can see more clearly what is in close proximity, but looking further ahead our vision becomes less clear….
5 Are Project Managers not needed with Scrum? « Quality Software Development with Ease // Nov 25, 2009 at 3:12 am
[...] All of this presents challenges to both Project Managers and the organizations they work for. It requires a change in the way they used to work, a change in mindset. The business is accustomed to completely defining cost, time and scope at the beginning of a project. To deal with uncertainty and risk, Project Managers have to acquire new skills in techniques such as rolling-wave planning or progressive elaboration. [...]
6 Are Project Managers not needed with Scrum? « what we think // Nov 25, 2009 at 3:54 am
[...] All of this presents challenges to both Project Managers and the organizations they work for. It requires a change in the way they used to work, a change in mindset. The business is accustomed to completely defining cost, time and scope at the beginning of a project. To deal with uncertainty and risk, Project Managers have to acquire new skills in techniques such as rolling-wave planning or progressive elaboration. [...]
7 Planificación Gradual (Rolling Wave Planning) : GreatComments!!! // Jan 7, 2010 at 3:39 pm
[...] John Reiling, PMP. “Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration” http://pmcrunch.com/project_management_process/rolling-wave-planning-and-progressive-elaboration/ [...]
8 dgomes // Jan 29, 2010 at 1:51 pm
I believe all projects use “Rolling Wave Planning” for the following 2 reasons:
1) Project Managers expect changes and implement processes to keep change managed and controlled. And changes could mean new work packages in the plan (Standard of Program Management, page 10, table 1.1)
2) New risks identified along the project could motivate new work packages as the risk response plan. And new risks are identifed throughout the entire project
Based on those 2 assumptions above, can we think of any project that we can antecipate up-front all details and work packages that will come up?? Do we have enough information in the beginning for that?? If one does, that means he is doing a prophecy and not a planning
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