Defining continuous planning through a multiple-case study

New and innovative approaches that support continuous development and planning throughout organisations are needed. Continuity is required in all levels of an organisation, from business strategy and planning to software development and operational deployment, as well as between these levels. Continuous planning is one of these activities. However, continuous planning is not commonly adopted and applied throughout organisations and currently involves only a certain level of planning, e.g., release planning. Based on the current literature, continuous planning is a relatively new and not yet fully studied field of research. To augment the knowledge relating to continuous planning, this paper presents a multiple-case study in which the various levels of planning, along with their timeframes, are explored. The research results point out the key activities, as well as the bottlenecks, of continuous planning.