Rolling Wave Planning
DE: Rollierende Planung
Planning near-term work in detail, future work at a higher level.
Detailed Explanation
Rolling wave planning is an iterative planning technique in which work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while future work is planned at a higher level. As the project progresses, distant work packages are progressively elaborated into greater detail.
This approach acknowledges that early, detailed planning of all work is often wasteful because requirements change, unknowns are discovered, and estimates improve with experience. By planning in waves, the team invests detailed planning effort only when it will be accurate and actionable.
Rolling wave planning is a practical expression of progressive elaboration and is commonly used in both predictive and agile environments. In agile, sprint planning is essentially a rolling wave — detailed for the current sprint, rough for future sprints.
Key Points
- Near-term work planned in detail, future work at high level
- Detail increases as work gets closer in time
- Acknowledges that early detailed planning is often inaccurate
- Practical expression of progressive elaboration
- Used in both predictive and agile environments
- Reduces wasted planning effort on uncertain future work
Practical Example
A 12-month infrastructure project plans months 1-3 in detail (weekly tasks with resource assignments) and months 4-12 at the milestone level. At the end of month 2, the team plans months 4-6 in detail based on what they have learned. This continues throughout the project, always maintaining a 3-month detailed planning horizon.
Tips for Learning and Applying
Define your planning horizon — how far ahead do you plan in detail?
Schedule regular planning waves aligned with phase gates or iterations
Keep stakeholders informed that future plans will be refined
Use the WBS to show both detailed and summary-level work packages
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