Rolling Wave Planning

in

Agile Project Management

Candi Rai

Tim Welker

@ PDD Columbus 2016

Agenda

Rolling Wave Planning

Agile project management

Rolling wave planning in Agile

Case Study

Rolling Wave Planning

Rolling Wave Planning is the process of project planning in waves as the project

proceeds and later details become clearer.[1]

Work to be done in the near term is based on high level assumptions; also, high level milestones are set. As the project progresses, the risks, assumptions, and

milestones originally identified become more defined and reliable.

References

1. Larman, Craig (2004). "Chapter 11: Practice Tips". Agile and Iterative Development: A Manager's Guide. p. 253. ISBN 9780131111554. Retrieved Oct 14, 2013.

Rolling Wave Planning

One would use Rolling Wave Planning in an instance where there is an

extremely tight schedule or timeline to adhere to; whereas more thorough

planning would have placed the schedule into an unacceptable negative

schedule variance.

Rolling Wave Planning

This is an approach that iteratively plans for a project as it unfolds, similar to the techniques used in Scrum (development) and other forms of Agile software

development. The concepts of Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive

Elaboration are techniques within the PMBOK Define Activities process[1] and it

also describes how the Project Management Plan evolves.

References

1.. "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge", section 6.1.2.2 pg 135".

Key Agile Principles

Focus on Customer Value

Small Working Increments

Integrated Team

Continuous Improvement

Agile Project Management

Enable project team to rapidly and reliably deliver customer value

Designed-to-fit with flexibility to change

Iterative and incremental delivery

Light-weight efficient processes

Continuous Improvement

Layers of Agile Planning

Make decisions at the last responsible moment, when the most possible

information is available to maximize flexibility and planning accuracy

Level of Planning Planning Event

Strategic business goals Project Rapid Alignment

Specific problems to solve Iterative Solution Scoping

Intermediate business goals Release Planning

Incremental functional goals Iteration Planning

Tactical organization & execution Daily Standup

Rapid Alignment

What business objectives will the project fulfill?

How to deliver these values incrementally?

Focus on quick alignment of expectations, solution, stakeholders,

and technical design

Iterative Solution Scoping

Use story

Architectural design

Focus on priority of customer value

Planning Releases

Story maps

Key customer milestones

Dependencies

Inspect & Adapt

Velocity

Predictability

Takeaways

Rolling Wave Planning is the process of project planning in waves as

the project proceeds and later details become clearer.

Agile project management enables the project team to rapidly and

reliably deliver customer value

Rolling wave planning in Agile allows for the iterative cycle in

developing code as the requirements are enhanced for the next cycle, enabling adjustments to be made as needed.

Q&A