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While businesses and their project managers begin every project with a desired result firmly in mind, they need to allow for all the events and circumstances that arise that might alter their timelines or their means of arriving at that desired result. As project managers, along with their teams, progress through the project, they need to continue to examine their approach and the overall scope, fine-tuning and making adjustments as needed.
The Definition of Progressive Elaboration
Progressive elaboration is a project management technique that allows for alterations, improvements and changes in direction as the project progresses. This is usually achieved by continually monitoring the project to note design modifications, new details and findings, or the need for additional materials, team members or consultants. This process allows for new versions of the originally sketched project plan. The desired result is that project managers ultimately achieve a more detailed project scope and more accurate project estimates.
References
- Become a Certified Project Manager: What is Progressive Elaboration?
- Project Management Knowledge: Progressive Elaboration
- Project Management Lexicon: Progressive Elaboration
- Project Management Essentials: Progressive Elaboration
- Project Management Institute. "Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey, Eleventh Edition," Pages 300–306. Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.
- Indeed. "How Much Does a Project Manager Make in the United States?" Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.
- Project Management Institute. "Project Management Professional (PMP)®." Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.
- International Project Management Association. "Certification Program Overview." Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.
- American Management Association. "AMA Certified Professional in Management™." Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.
Writer Bio
Melissa Cooper writes on topics including education, fitness and business, using her Bahelor of Arts in English at Ohio State University. An effective researcher in her expert subjects, Cooper has produced a newsletter and an internal office website that focused on fitness and well-being.