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Rolling Wave Planning

5 minutes 5 Questions

Rolling Wave Planning is an incremental and iterative planning approach used in project management, which involves planning in detail only for the activities that are in the near future. As the project progresses, additional activities are added to the schedule and planned in more detail. This method accounts for the uncertainties and potential changes in project scope and requirements by allowing project managers to adapt to changing needs and prioritize tasks accordingly. Rolling Wave Planning emphasizes schedule flexibility and continuous planning, which is particularly valuable in situations where project requirements are continuously evolving, such as software development and research and development projects.

Complete Guide to Rolling Wave Planning for PMP Exam

Importance:
Rolling Wave Planning is a crucial component of the PMBOK Guide Seventh Edition. It's a project management technique used for extended planning horizons. It's advantageous for situations where tasks can’t be defined accurately far in advance due to the fast-changing environment or due to uncertainties.

What it is:
Rolling Wave Planning is a form of progressive elaboration planning where the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is sketched at a high level. It's a schedule development factor that deals with the planning schedule activities of a project.

How it works:
The details of the work to be performed are planned as the work nears. As more details become available, the work packages for future periods are decomposed into scheduled activities.

Exam Tips:
Understanding the concept: Examiners want to see that you understand the mechanism and the scenario when to use Rolling Wave Planning. Be sure to clarify its use in the context of uncertain or dynamic projects.
Application: Expect to answer questions how Rolling Wave Planning applies, with given scenarios. The key is to identify that work packages for the foreseeable future are detailed, while those for later stages are at a higher level.
Variations: Some questions might come from variations of Rolling Wave Planning, like its use in agile methodologies.

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PMP - Scheduling Techniques Example Questions

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Question 1

You are part of a team working on a year-long infrastructure project. The first phase progress has revealed new hurdles for the next phase. How should you utilize Rolling Wave Planning?

Correct Answer: Re-assess the plan based on Phase-I learnings and adapt planning for Phase-II accordingly.

The correct answer is 'Re-assess the plan based on Phase-I learnings and adapt planning for Phase-II accordingly.' This is applicable under Rolling Wave planning, which is an iterative planning technique that allows a project team to define and plan their work as the project evolves and more details become clear. Hurdles discovered from Phase I will be taken into account to refine the plan for Phase II. 'Carry on with the existing plan and ignore the hurdles' is wrong because it goes against the principle of project management which insists on addressing and managing risks, not ignoring them. 'Stop the project until all hurdles are resolved' is also incorrect because in reality projects, especially large-scale infrastructure projects cannot be halted completely due to issues. Instead, the project team should try to find ways to work around the problems. 'Start planning from scratch for the second phase' is not an efficient approach. In rolling wave planning, the initial plan isn't totally discarded but is adapted based on new insights and learnings.

Question 2

You are in charge of a rapid response team for disaster management. The range and extent of disasters that may strike are varied and uncertain. How would Rolling Wave Planning be relevant in your operations planning?

Correct Answer: Use high-level plans for initial response and detailed plans for specific actions as more information about the disaster becomes available.

Rolling Wave Planning is an iterative planning technique that allows you to plan for the future but detailed enough only for the short term as the future is unkown. In the case of a disaster management, you often have to deal with situations that are inherently unpredictable in nature. Therefore, it becomes important to plan in a way that allows for flexibility as developments unfold. Thus, the most appropriate approach in the case of disaster management would likely be to use high-level plans for initial responses and detailed plans for specific actions as more information about the disaster becomes available. A detailed plan for all possible disaster scenarios (although have their merits) could be inflexible and might not cater to the complex and dynamic nature of disaster scenarios which are constantly changing. Neglecting the planning phase altogether is clearly not a good option as it might lead to unorganized and ineffective response. Applying only high-level plans without going into details even when more information is available will make the response not effective and efficient as it could be with more detailed planning.

Question 3

You are managing a project to develop a new vaccine. The research outcomes are uncertain and may significantly alter subsequent phases. How should you apply Rolling Wave Planning in this scenario?

Correct Answer: Develop detailed plans for the next phase while keeping later phases at a higher level

The best approach for applying Rolling Wave Planning in this scenario is to develop detailed plans for the next phase while keeping later phases at a higher level. This is the essence of Rolling Wave Planning, which is particularly useful in projects with high uncertainty, such as vaccine development.

Rolling Wave Planning involves creating detailed plans for near-term work while maintaining a broader, less detailed plan for future work. This approach allows for flexibility and adaptability as new information becomes available.

In this scenario:

1. Detailed planning for the immediate next phase ensures focus and clarity for upcoming work.
2. Keeping later phases at a higher level acknowledges the uncertainty in research outcomes and allows for adjustments based on new findings.
3. This balance enables effective management of current tasks while remaining adaptable to potential changes in subsequent phases.

The other options are less suitable:

Creating a comprehensive plan for the entire project upfront is not advisable due to the high uncertainty in research outcomes. This approach lacks the necessary flexibility.

Focusing solely on the current phase and planning the next phase only after completion doesn't provide enough foresight for resource allocation and long-term strategy.

Developing detailed plans for all phases simultaneously is impractical and inefficient, given the potential for significant changes based on research outcomes.

Rolling Wave Planning strikes the right balance between detailed short-term planning and flexible long-term planning, making it ideal for projects with uncertain outcomes like vaccine development.

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