Why Do People Think a Project Plan Is Just Admin?
I’ve always been fascinated by this question. As a Project Manager and a person who likes organisation, I love a project plan. For me life is all about writing to-do lists, deadlines and the joy of ticking things off ✅. So I get it - I’m biased.
But lots of people, in all sorts of jobs would benefit from having a project plan and just (to my mind) refuse to acknowledge this. They either don’t want to plan - they just want to start. Or they think it is something optional that they have been given by a manager somewhere, and which they can ignore, only logging into the system their company is using once a quarter when forced to by said manager. At which point they can’t remember how it works and blame their software because they don’t know what they are doing… sigh.
But this is the wrong approach. The plan is literally the Job!
There’s a strange (and slightly infuriating) belief floating around in some teams:
“The project plan is just admin.”
“We don’t really need it.”
“Let’s just get going — we’ll figure it out.”
And look — I get it. You’re excited. You want to move fast.
But skipping the plan because you think it’s “admin” is like trying to build IKEA furniture without looking at the instructions… and then blaming the shelves when they fall over.
Let’s be clear: The plan is not admin.
It’s the actual work.
Planning is how we:
Understand what needs to happen
Agree who’s doing it
Estimate how long it’ll take
Spot risks, dependencies, and resource gaps
Prevent absolute chaos three weeks in
The “just get started” mindset is great… for experiments.
But for delivering real outcomes? It’s risky, expensive, and often ends in 🤯.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
The project plan isn’t just for you
It’s how:
Management gets visibility without micromanaging
Other teams understand where you’re at
Dependencies get coordinated
Stakeholders trust delivery dates
When you respect the plan, you’re respecting the people around you.
Remember - you are most likely one cog in the machine - and all the cogs ⚙️ need to work together, in unison.
“But it’s too much work to keep it updated!”
Actually… it’s less work.
If everyone regularly updates their tasks and uses the built-in features in tools like Asana, ClickUp or Notion:
You stop wasting time chasing people
You avoid the “just checking in” email pile
You reduce confusion over what’s happening
You make meetings about real things - blockers, ideas, strategy - not timelines
Your plan becomes a living, breathing source of truth. And that’s when the magic starts to happen.
And if the plan’s wrong? Great.
Change it!
Fix it.
Update it.
Make it reflect reality - not wishful thinking.
It’s your plan. It should show what’s really happening.
Why do people think it’s just admin?
Here’s my theory:
They’ve seen bad plans - too detailed, outdated, irrelevant
They’ve been in environments where planning was a tick-box exercise
They associate “project plan” with soul-crushing Gantt charts from 2009
No one ever showed them what good planning actually looks like
A good plan is alive.
It evolves.
It’s collaborative.
It’s visible.
It drives the work.
And it should live in your tools - not in a dusty Excel file called
“Final_V3(UseThisOne)PLEASE.xlsx”
Remember: If you’re not planning, you’re guessing.
And guesswork leads to:
Missed deadlines
Confused teams
Burnout
Budget blowouts
Stakeholder “surprises” (the worst kind)
Let’s flip the narrative:
🧠 Planning is thinking.
🗺 Planning is navigating.
🧰 Planning is how you make delivery possible.
It’s not admin. It’s leadership.
TL;DR:
Project plans aren’t red tape — they’re roadmaps.
Keeping them updated reduces work, not adds to it.
And if your plan is wrong? Make it right. It’s yours.
So yes — planning is your job.
And the teams who get that?
They’re the ones who deliver.
What us to help you plan your work? It’s a service we offer - Project Management, when you need it, how you need it - why don’t you book in a free 30 minute call👇. There is no obligation - but it could lead to something great.