diff --git a/e2e/hub_app/guestbook-app-set.yaml b/e2e/hub_app/guestbook-app-set.yaml
index aaf6e0c..adce241 100644
--- a/e2e/hub_app/guestbook-app-set.yaml
+++ b/e2e/hub_app/guestbook-app-set.yaml
@@ -11,11 +11,21 @@ spec:
           matchLabels:
             cluster.open-cluster-management.io/placement: guestbook-app-placement
         requeueAfterSeconds: 10
+  strategy:
+    type: RollingSync
+    rollingSync:
+      steps:
+        - matchExpressions:
+            - key: envLabel
+              operator: In
+              values:
+                - env-dev
   template:
     metadata:
       name: '{{name}}-guestbook-app'
       labels:
         apps.open-cluster-management.io/pull-to-ocm-managed-cluster: 'true'
+        envLabel: 'env-dev'
       annotations:
         argocd.argoproj.io/skip-reconcile: 'true'
         apps.open-cluster-management.io/ocm-managed-cluster: '{{name}}'
@@ -30,7 +40,5 @@ spec:
         server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
         namespace: guestbook
       syncPolicy:
-        automated:
-          prune: true
         syncOptions:
           - CreateNamespace=true
diff --git a/e2e/run_e2e.sh b/e2e/run_e2e.sh
index 8c1c7db..6bd85e3 100755
--- a/e2e/run_e2e.sh
+++ b/e2e/run_e2e.sh
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ kubectl -n argocd scale deployment/argocd-redis --replicas 0
 kubectl -n argocd scale deployment/argocd-notifications-controller --replicas 0
 kubectl -n argocd scale statefulset/argocd-application-controller --replicas 0
 
+# enable progressive sync
+kubectl -n argocd patch configmap argocd-cmd-params-cm --type merge -p '{"data":{"applicationsetcontroller.enable.progressive.syncs":"true"}}'
+kubectl -n argocd rollout restart deployment argocd-applicationset-controller
+
 sleep 60s
 
 echo "TEST Propgation controller startup"
@@ -131,6 +135,12 @@ else
     echo "Propagation FAILED: manifestwork does not contain appSet hash"
     exit 1
 fi
+if kubectl -n cluster1 get manifestwork -o yaml | grep RollingSync; then
+    echo "Propagation: manifestwork contains operation RollingSync"
+else
+    echo "Propagation FAILED: manifestwork does not contain operation RollingSync"
+    exit 1
+fi
 kubectl config use-context kind-cluster1
 if kubectl -n argocd get app cluster1-guestbook-app | grep Synced | grep Healthy; then
     echo "Propagation: managed cluster application cluster1-guestbook-app created, synced and healthy"
diff --git a/propagation-controller/application/application_status_controller.go b/propagation-controller/application/application_status_controller.go
index eb1ae74..e8b0d80 100644
--- a/propagation-controller/application/application_status_controller.go
+++ b/propagation-controller/application/application_status_controller.go
@@ -17,9 +17,10 @@ limitations under the License.
 package application
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
-	"reflect"
 	"strings"
 
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
@@ -102,40 +103,29 @@ func (r *ApplicationStatusReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Re
 			}
 
 			newStatus := make(map[string]interface{})
-			for k, v := range oldStatus {
-				newStatus[k] = v
-			}
 
-			_, ok, _ := unstructured.NestedMap(newStatus, "sync")
-			if !ok {
-				err := unstructured.SetNestedMap(newStatus, map[string]interface{}{}, "sync")
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Error(err, "unable to set sync")
-					return ctrl.Result{}, err
-				}
+			oldJSON, err := json.Marshal(oldStatus)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Error(err, "unable to marshal oldStatus")
+				return ctrl.Result{}, err
 			}
 
-			if cc.SyncStatus != "" {
-				err := unstructured.SetNestedField(newStatus, cc.SyncStatus, "sync", "status")
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Error(err, "unable to set sync status")
-					return ctrl.Result{}, err
-				}
+			err = json.Unmarshal(oldJSON, &newStatus)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Error(err, "unable to unmarshal oldStatus into newStatus")
+				return ctrl.Result{}, err
 			}
 
-			_, ok, _ = unstructured.NestedMap(newStatus, "health")
-			if !ok {
-				err := unstructured.SetNestedMap(newStatus, map[string]interface{}{}, "health")
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Error(err, "unable to set health")
+			if cc.SyncStatus != "" {
+				if err := unstructured.SetNestedField(newStatus, cc.SyncStatus, "sync", "status"); err != nil {
+					log.Error(err, "unable to set sync")
 					return ctrl.Result{}, err
 				}
 			}
 
 			if cc.HealthStatus != "" {
-				err := unstructured.SetNestedField(newStatus, cc.HealthStatus, "health", "status")
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Error(err, "unable to set health status")
+				if err := unstructured.SetNestedField(newStatus, cc.HealthStatus, "health", "status"); err != nil {
+					log.Error(err, "unable to set health")
 					return ctrl.Result{}, err
 				}
 			}
@@ -169,7 +159,13 @@ func (r *ApplicationStatusReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Re
 				}
 			}
 
-			if !reflect.DeepEqual(oldStatus, newStatus) {
+			newJSON, err := json.Marshal(newStatus)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Error(err, "unable to marshal newStatus")
+				return ctrl.Result{}, err
+			}
+
+			if !bytes.Equal(oldJSON, newJSON) {
 				err := unstructured.SetNestedField(application.Object, newStatus, "status")
 				if err != nil {
 					log.Error(err, "unable to set application status")
diff --git a/propagation-controller/application/helper.go b/propagation-controller/application/helper.go
index 6e7833f..f7feff5 100644
--- a/propagation-controller/application/helper.go
+++ b/propagation-controller/application/helper.go
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@ func getAppSetOwnerName(ownerRefs []metav1.OwnerReference) string {
 // - reset the meta
 // - set the namespace value
 // - ensures the Application Destination is set to in-cluster resource deployment
+// - ensures the operation field is also set if present
 func prepareApplicationForWorkPayload(application *unstructured.Unstructured) unstructured.Unstructured {
 	newApp := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
 	newApp.SetGroupVersionKind(schema.GroupVersionKind{
@@ -141,6 +142,12 @@ func prepareApplicationForWorkPayload(application *unstructured.Unstructured) un
 	newApp.SetName(application.GetName())
 	newApp.SetFinalizers(application.GetFinalizers())
 
+	// set the operation field
+	if operation, ok := application.Object["operation"].(map[string]interface{}); ok {
+		newApp.Object["operation"] = operation
+	}
+
+	// set the spec field
 	if newSpec, ok := application.Object["spec"].(map[string]interface{}); ok {
 		if destination, ok := newSpec["destination"].(map[string]interface{}); ok {
 			// empty the name
diff --git a/propagation-controller/application/helper_test.go b/propagation-controller/application/helper_test.go
index 433ac2e..158f096 100644
--- a/propagation-controller/application/helper_test.go
+++ b/propagation-controller/application/helper_test.go
@@ -314,6 +314,24 @@ func Test_prepareApplicationForWorkPayload(t *testing.T) {
 			"server": "originalServer",
 		},
 	}
+	app.Object["operation"] = map[string]interface{}{
+		"info": []interface{}{
+			map[string]interface{}{
+				"name":  "Reason",
+				"value": "ApplicationSet RollingSync triggered a sync of this Application resource.",
+			},
+		},
+		"initiatedBy": map[string]interface{}{
+			"automated": true,
+			"username":  "applicationset-controller",
+		},
+		"retry": map[string]interface{}{},
+		"sync": map[string]interface{}{
+			"syncOptions": []interface{}{
+				"CreateNamespace=true",
+			},
+		},
+	}
 
 	type args struct {
 		application *unstructured.Unstructured
@@ -344,6 +362,24 @@ func Test_prepareApplicationForWorkPayload(t *testing.T) {
 						"server": KubernetesInternalAPIServerAddr,
 					},
 				}
+				expectedApp.Object["operation"] = map[string]interface{}{
+					"info": []interface{}{
+						map[string]interface{}{
+							"name":  "Reason",
+							"value": "ApplicationSet RollingSync triggered a sync of this Application resource.",
+						},
+					},
+					"initiatedBy": map[string]interface{}{
+						"automated": true,
+						"username":  "applicationset-controller",
+					},
+					"retry": map[string]interface{}{},
+					"sync": map[string]interface{}{
+						"syncOptions": []interface{}{
+							"CreateNamespace=true",
+						},
+					},
+				}
 				return expectedApp
 			}(),
 		},
@@ -371,6 +407,13 @@ func Test_prepareApplicationForWorkPayload(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Errorf("prepareApplicationForWorkPayload() Spec = %v, want %v", gotSpec, wantSpec)
 			}
 
+			gotOperation, _, _ := unstructured.NestedMap(got.Object, "operation")
+			wantOperation, _, _ := unstructured.NestedMap(tt.want.Object, "operation")
+
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(gotOperation, wantOperation) {
+				t.Errorf("prepareApplicationForWorkPayload() Operation = %v, want %v", gotOperation, wantOperation)
+			}
+
 			if !reflect.DeepEqual(got.GetLabels(), tt.want.GetLabels()) {
 				t.Errorf("prepareApplicationForWorkPayload() Labels = %v, want %v", got.GetLabels(), tt.want.GetLabels())
 			}