Concepts
When preparing for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exams or implementing agile practices in your organization, it’s essential to understand the importance of planning at multiple levels. Agile methodology acknowledges that planning is an ongoing, continuous process, which is why it incorporates strategic, release, iteration, and daily levels of planning.
Utilizing techniques like Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration are excellent tools for balancing predictability and flexibility. They allow teams to adapt to changes and exploit opportunities effectively while maintaining a clear direction towards the project’s ultimate goals.
I. Strategic Planning in Agile
Strategic planning in Agile anchors the overall direction of the project. It comprises long-term plans, such as defining the project vision and scope, aligning the project with the organization’s strategic goals, and setting up the project’s high-level timeline.
This level of planning is crucial because it sets the groundwork for the successive planning levels. It ensures that everyone understands the ‘big picture’ of what needs to be achieved.
II. Release Planning
After the strategic planning level, Agile teams move towards a more detailed level of planning: the release planning level. At this level, which is usually quarterly, the team plans what should be delivered in each release of a product. A release is a coherent set of features that provides value to the customer.
Release planning ensures that all team members understand what they need to work on during each release.
III. Iteration Planning
Also known as sprint or cycle planning, iteration planning is a more detailed level where teams plan what they would deliver in each iteration. Iterations usually last between one to four weeks. At this level, teams will understand the requirements for each feature, divide these features into tasks, estimate the effort for each task, and define the acceptance criteria.
IV. Daily Planning
Daily planning or stand-ups are short, usually 15-minute meetings where team members quickly discuss what they did the previous day, what they plan to do today, and any challenges they are facing. These daily plans allow teams to stay synchronized, address any challenges swiftly and keep up with their commitments.
Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration in Agile
Rolling Wave Planning is an iterative planning approach that allows a team to plan for future activities based on the knowledge acquired from the past and present stages of a project. This strategy acknowledges the inherent uncertainty and unpredictability of projects by dividing the work into “waves.” As the project advances, and more information becomes available, subsequent waves are planned, which gradually increases the plan’s resolution.
On the other hand, Progressive Elaboration focuses on refining the project’s details as more information becomes available. This approach accepts that initial project plans are rough estimates and will be elaborated upon as the project progresses.
In Agile, Progressive Elaboration often happens during Release and Iteration Planning, where the team progressively refines and adds details to the features and tasks at hand.
Planning Levels and Techniques in Agile
| Level of Planning | Associated Technique | Contribution to Project Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Planning | Rolling Wave Planning | Sets direction, balances long-term goals with flexibility |
| Release Planning | Progressive Elaboration | Defines releases, balances predictability with opportunities for change |
| Iteration Planning | Progressive Elaboration | Defines iterations, balances detail with responsiveness to change |
| Daily Planning | N/A | Keeps team aligned, balances daily tasks with arising challenges |
Conclusion
In conclusion, when preparing for the PMI-ACP exam or leading an Agile team, understanding multiple planning levels and incorporating strategies like Rolling Wave Planning and Progressive Elaboration can dramatically increase the team’s ability to manage predictability and exploit opportunities in a balanced way. These practices make Agile methodology flexible yet reliable, suitable for managing the fast-paced, continuously evolving projects of today’s industries.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: Rolling wave planning does not allow the execution of one increment of the plan to inform the planning for the next increment.
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Rolling wave planning is a technique that involves planning for the near term in detail while planning for the far term at a higher level. As one phase of a project gets executed, the next phase becomes clearer and can be planned in more detail.
A strategic plan is:
- a) a long-term vision of the product
- b) the short-term goals of a product
- c) what the team accomplishes on a daily basis
Answer: a) a long-term vision of the product
Explanation: A strategic plan outlines the overall vision and mission of the project or product, and typically focuses on a time frame of around five years.
In the context of agile planning, what does “progressive elaboration” refer to?
- a) breaking tasks down into smaller pieces
- b) refining and clarifying product requirements over time
- c) completing tasks in a certain order
Answer: b) refining and clarifying product requirements over time
Explanation: Progressive elaboration is the concept of continually refining and enhancing details for an aspect of a project as more information becomes available.
Which of the following is considered a level of planning in an agile project?
- a) Iteration planning
- b) Risk planning
- c) Daily stand-up planning
Answer: a) Iteration planning
Explanation: Iteration planning is a part of the agile planning process where the team determines what they can deliver during the upcoming sprint.
Multiple select question: Rolling wave planning is:
- a) a planning technique that breakdown work into waves
- b) used to plan at a detailed level for the near future and at a higher level for the far term
- c) progressively elaborated
Answer: a) a planning technique that breakdown work into waves, b) used to plan at a detailed level for the near future and at a higher level for the far term, c) progressively elaborated
Explanation: Rolling wave planning is all about breaking down work into waves, planning in detail for the near term while maintaining a higher level view of the far term, and being progressively elaborated or updated as the project evolves.
True or False: A release plan specifies the timeframe in which a complete feature or set of features will be delivered.
- True
Answer: True
Explanation: A release plan provides a high-level timetable for the release of working software and covers several iterations of work.
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of using rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration?
- a) Increased flexibility
- b) Improved predictability
- c) Delayed decision making
Answer: c) Delayed decision making
Explanation: These techniques actually facilitate efficient and timely decision-making. Delayed decisions due to insufficient information can be a drawback to a project.
In what kind of planning do Agile teams plan their work for the next day?
- a) Strategic planning
- b) Iteration planning
- c) Daily planning
Answer: c) Daily planning
Explanation: Agile teams use daily planning for managing their daily work, often done in daily stand-up meetings.
Which one of the following is a rolling wave planning technique?
- a) Pre-planning
- b) Gantt charts
- c) Earned value management
Answer: b) Gantt charts
Explanation: Gantt charts are commonly used in rolling wave planning to visualize tasks and their dependencies along a timeline.
Progressively elaborating the product backlog is part of which of the following planning levels?
- a) Strategic planning
- b) Release planning
- c) Iteration planning
Answer: b) Release planning
Explanation: During the release planning, the team progressively elaborates or refines the product backlog items into user stories.
True or False: Rolling wave planning negates the possibility of exploiting new opportunities as they arise because the plan is set and cannot be modified.
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The principle of rolling wave planning is to provide flexibility to exploit new opportunities as they arise. While one part of a project is in motion, the planning for the other phases may be adjusted based on the ongoing developments.
Combined with rolling wave planning, progressive elaboration can help balance which two factors?
- a) Cost and Quality
- b) Predictability and Flexibility
- c) Speed and Accuracy
Answer: b) Predictability and Flexibility
Explanation: These techniques allow for a combination of short and long term planning thus balancing predictability of outcomes and flexibility to exploit opportunities.
I found this blog post very insightful. Rolling wave planning is an excellent technique for handling changes during project execution. Thanks for sharing!
Great read! Could someone elaborate on how rolling wave planning can be applied in an Agile framework specifically?
This is perfect for PMP-ACP preparation! Progressive elaboration is often overlooked, yet it’s crucial for balancing predictability and flexibility.
How does rolling wave planning differ from progressive elaboration when applied in Agile?
Thank you for the detailed explanation of strategic, release, iteration, and daily planning levels. This will definitely help in my PMI-ACP exam prep.
Can anyone share real-world examples of how these planning techniques have been successfully implemented?
This article really helped clear my doubts! Appreciated.
Good post, but it could have included more case studies or real-life scenarios.