Rolling-wave planning

It is not often possible to foresee the future activities in a project with consistent detail over the entire period of the project. Therefore, project managers faced with unexpected events employ a “rolling wave” approach to planning[1]. The rolling-wave Planning is a project management technique that requires iterative planning to “rolls out” detailed plans for the near term and reevaluate the plan regularly as the project proceeds.[2] The Rolling Wave Planning technique uses progressive elaboration, which is the act of elaborating the work packages in greater detail as the project unfolds. [3] It is necessary to provide key milestones and assumptions as they will help stakeholders see the reason of using Rolling Wave Planning and what to expect as the project progresses. [3] As the project progresses, the risks, assumptions, and milestones originally identified become more defined and reliable. [4] Rolling Wave Planning focuses the team on the short-term goals, course correcting as needed. The rolling-wave planning is particularly useful in projects with high uncertainty.[3] It’s a good idea to have an understanding of the “big blocks” without detailing exactly the scope of the project. The article will introduce the definition of the Rolling Wave Planning and provide the guidelines to develop it. The article will also provide a brief overview of the literature and area were the Rolling Wave can be applied, along with its limitations and benefits.