When preparing for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam, it’s vital to understand how Agile project management effectively handles both the stability of goals and the spontaneous opportunities that may arise within the project lifecycle. To achieve this balance, Agile adopts two key planning techniques – Rolling Wave planning, and Progressive Elaboration. To delve deeper into these concepts, let’s observe how they function at multiple levels (strategic, release, iteration, daily) in Agile project management.
Rolling Wave Planning in Agile
Rolling Wave planning is an iterative planning technique that allows teams to plan their project as it unfolds. The project details are elaborated on a need-to-know basis. Detailed planning occurs for the tasks in the immediate upcoming iteration, and high-level planning continues for future iterations.
For the strategic level, the project vision, high-level goals, and possibly a product roadmap are defined, but details about specific features and user stories are vague.
At the release and iteration levels, the team starts to focus on the granular details of the backlog items planned for those periods. Prioritization, acceptance criteria, and detailed task breakdowns are all prepared.
Finally, at the daily level, team members plan their tasks for the day, often discussed in daily stand-ups or scrums. Team members self-assign tasks and discussions usually revolve around work progress and potential blocks.
Progressive Elaboration in Agile
Progressive Elaboration, on the other hand, is the process of continuously detailing and refining the project’s work as the project reveals itself. It allows for an increasingly precise understanding of, and control over, the project.
For example, at the strategic level, this involves the creation of an initial product backlog with broad features and epics. As the project progresses, these epics are broken down into smaller, more manageable user stories for release planning.
The release planning stage then further elaborates these user stories into more precise details, outlining the tasks needed to achieve each user story during the iteration planning.
When the work is being performed (iteration and daily levels), continuous integration, and frequent testing activities happen to ensure any emergent design, coding or testing tasks are captured and added to the backlog.
Balancing Predictability and Opportunity
The key value of using Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration in Agile project management lies in its capacity to balance predictability and exploit opportunity.
Rolling wave planning provides the necessary structure and predictability by charting out broad plans for the foreseeable future, allowing for both strategic alignment and operational possibly.
Progressive elaboration, by continuously detailing and refining projects deliverables based on emergent knowledge and changing environment, provides the flexibility to exploit opportunities.
For example, a new customer requirement might come midway through a release. This new requirement could be an opportunity to deliver more value to the customer, but it can also disrupt existing plans. In this case, the team can leverage progressive elaboration, adding the new requirement as a new story in the backlog, prioritizing it, and planning it for the next iteration if it’s high priority. If not, it can then be considered for the next release planning.
To sum up, by applying both Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration, Agile teams can maintain the stability of their strategic, release, iteration, and daily plans, while still maintaining the flexibility to seize new opportunities as they arise. This dual focus allows projects to be dynamic, responsive, and effectively managed – three key principles for any Agile practitioner preparing for PMI-ACP exam.
Practice Test
Rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration are agile techniques used to plan at multiple levels.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: a) True
Explanation: Rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration are techniques used in agile to manage the level of detail in planning based on the proximity of the work.
The strategic planning level in Agile involves high-level long-term goals.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: a) True
Explanation: Strategic planning in Agile involves setting the high-level, long-term goals and direction of the project or organization.
The daily planning level involves making updates to the product backlog and added granularity.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: b) False
Explanation: Daily planning in Agile generally involves the daily scrum or stand-up meeting to discuss work progress and any blockers.
Rolling wave planning assumes that you can foresee every detail of the project from the outset.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: b) False
Explanation: The rolling wave planning technique considers that details about future project activities are uncertain and become clearer with time.
The ability to exploit opportunities contributes to which aspect of planning?
- a) Ability to handle change
- b) Predictability of outcomes
- c) Both a and b
- d) None of the above
Answer: a) Ability to handle change
Explanation: Agile methods allow for flexible planning which can exploit new opportunities, handling changes effectively.
Progressive elaboration is the process of:
- a) Adding details to the plan as they become known
- b) Removing details from the plan as they become outdated
- c) Reworking the plan to fit new specifications
- d) None of the above
Answer: a) Adding details to the plan as they become known
Explanation: Progressive elaboration is an iterative technique for planning in which more details are filled in as more about the project becomes known over time.
Agile planning is a one-time activity executed at the beginning of the project.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: b) False
Explanation: Agile planning is a continuous activity, with regular updates and adjustments as the project progresses.
The release planning level involves deciding the goals and timetable for upcoming releases.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: a) True
Explanation: Release planning in Agile is a bigger-picture planning phase where you decide what you want to build for the next release, and when you will build it.
Progressive elaboration helps hinder the predictability of outcomes.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: b) False
Explanation: Progressive elaboration actually helps to promote predictability of outcomes by adding detail to the plan over time as more knowledge about the project becomes known.
A detailed initial plan is more valuable than an adaptable plan in Agile.
- a) True
- b) False
Answer: b) False
Explanation: An adaptable plan is considered more valuable in Agile as it allows for the flexibility to respond to changes and opportunities.
Interview Questions
What is rolling wave planning in agile project management?
Rolling wave planning in agile project management is a planning technique that involves planning for shorter periods of time during an ongoing project while being open to elaborating on the future phases of the project as more details become clear.
Can you elaborate on what is meant by ‘progressive elaboration’?
Progressive elaboration in agile project management refers to the process of consistently revising, refining, and adding detail to a plan as more information becomes available over time, allowing for more accurate and detailed planning as the project moves forward.
How does progressive elaboration balance predictability and opportunity exploitation in project management?
Progressive elaboration allows project teams to balance predictability and opportunity exploitation by continually refining and detailing the plan as more information becomes available. This process creates a dynamic plan that can adapt to changes, thus offering avenues to exploit new opportunities that may arise while maintaining some level of predictability.
How can strategic planning be applied in an agile environment?
In an agile environment, strategic planning often involves setting the overall direction and goals for the project, identifying high-level deliverables, and setting a timeline for their delivery. The detailed planning then happens incrementally, in alignment with the principles of rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration.
What defines the ‘release’ level of plan in Agile methodology?
The ‘release’ level of planning in Agile methodology involves planning the tasks and features that will be included in a specific release of the product. This type of plan typically spans several iterations or sprints and includes higher-level planning and coordination.
Could you describe an ‘iteration’ in Agile planning?
An ‘iteration’ in Agile planning is a short, timeboxed period where a set of predefined work is completed. It involves detailed planning of the work to be completed within the iteration, typically one to four weeks long, with the goal to produce a working increment of the product.
What is the ‘daily’ level in Agile planning?
The ‘daily’ level in Agile planning involves the daily stand-up or Scrum meetings where the team discusses what they worked on the previous day, what they plan to work on in the current day, and any obstacles they are facing. It allows for immediate and relevant planning and adjustments.
Why is it important to plan at multiple levels in an Agile project?
Planning at multiple levels in an Agile project allows the team to balance long-term strategic goals with the flexibility to adapt to changes and challenges that may emerge on a daily basis. It enables the team to break down the project into manageable parts, prioritize them, and adapt the plan as necessary.
How do rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration complement each other in Agile project management?
Rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration complement each other by allowing project teams to initially plan high-level features and develop detailed plans as they get closer to working on them. This approach allows for more precise planning based on the most recent and relevant information.
What are the key benefits of rolling wave planning for Agile teams?
The key benefits of rolling wave planning for Agile teams include increased flexibility, adaptability to changes, and the ability to incorporate new discoveries or modifications into the project plan as they arise. It also reduces wasted effort on detailed planning for tasks that might change significantly or be deprioritized in the future.
What could be the potential risks of not using progressive elaboration in an Agile project?
Not using progressive elaboration in an Agile project can lead to inaccurate planning, as decisions are made based on assumptions rather than real-time information. It also limits the team’s ability to respond to new opportunities or changes, potentially leading to missed opportunities or inefficient work.
How can Agile teams ensure predictability in their outcomes?
Agile teams can ensure predictability in their outcomes by maintaining a consistent rhythm or cadence of releases, using past performance for future planning, continuously refining estimates based on complete work, and creating a shared understanding of goals and expectations within the team.
What strategies can Agile teams implement to exploit new opportunities?
Agile teams can exploit new opportunities by embracing change, using feedback loops to continuously adapt and improve, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation, and continuously refining their backlog to prioritize value-adding features or tasks.
How does rolling wave planning enable exploit opportunities in Agile projects?
Rolling wave planning enables Agile teams to exploit opportunities by allowing plans to evolve as the project progresses and new information emerges. This flexible planning approach allows teams to incorporate unforeseen opportunities, adapt to changes, and continuously refine their work to deliver the maximum value.
How does strategic planning aid in predictability of outcomes in Agile project management?
Strategic planning aids in the predictability of outcomes in Agile project management by providing a clear direction for the project and setting overall goals. When these strategic plans are coupled with iterative implementation and reviews, teams can predict project outcomes with greater accuracy.
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