According to the PMBOK Guide, Rolling Wave Planning is a specific tool and technique of the Define Activities process. This process involves identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.
* Definition: Rolling wave planning is an iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level.
* Progressive Elaboration: It is a form of progressive elaboration. As the project evolves and more information becomes available, the high-level " future " work is broken down into detailed activities.
* Application: This technique is particularly useful when the project scope is not fully defined at the beginning or when the project environment is highly dynamic. It allows the project team to start work on the immediate requirements without waiting for the entire project to be detailed out.
Comparison with Other Options:
* Precedence diagramming method (B): This is a tool and technique used in the Sequence Activities process. It is used to create a project schedule network diagram by showing the logical relationships between activities.
* Alternatives analysis (C): This is a tool and technique used in several processes, such as Estimate Activity Resources or Plan Scope Management, to evaluate different ways to achieve a requirement or perform an activity.
* Parametric estimating (D): This is a tool and technique used in Estimate Activity Durations and Estimate Costs. It uses a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables (e.g., square footage in construction) to calculate an estimate.