Rolling Wave Planning in Project Management
Rolling Wave Planning is a project planning technique that involves detailed planning of immediate tasks while simultaneously generally planning future actions that will be further refined over time. It is one of the tools of progressive elaboration, described in PMBOK® Guide 7th edition, p. 249.
📌 What is the method all about?
Rolling Wave Planning operates on the principle of "moving the planning wave":
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Current tasks: planned in great detail because specific data and requirements are available.
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Future tasks: planned in general, assuming that details will be filled in as more information becomes available.
This allows the project team to avoid being blocked by a lack of future data while efficiently operating in the present.
🔍 Key features of Rolling Wave Planning
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 🔄 Flexibility | Ability to modify plans as the project progresses |
| 🧩 Detail for "now" | Precise planning of activities in the short time horizon |
| 🌫 General for "later" | General planning of future elements, with updates over time |
| 📈 Progressive elaboration | Gradual filling in of information as it becomes available |
| 🛠 Tools used | Decomposition (for current tasks), Rolling Wave (for future tasks) |
🧠 When to use Rolling Wave Planning?
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In complex projects where not all information is known upfront.
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In environments with high uncertainty, such as innovative products, research, and development.
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In Agile or hybrid projects where details emerge from iterations.
🔨 Practical example
In a mobile app development project:
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The team detailed plans the first sprint: login and registration functionalities.
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Stages related to partner integration are currently broadly planned – they will be detailed once API requirements are known.
🎯 Benefits of using the method
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✅ Allows starting work despite incomplete data.
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✅ Increases team adaptability.
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✅ Minimizes the risk of wasting time planning something that may change.
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✅ Combines agile and traditional approaches – useful in both predictive and adaptive environments.
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