Is it necessary to plan a project that constantly changes?
In a project management training, a client once told me:
“For me, schedules — I make them at the end. At least I'm sure they don't move.”
The remark, while amusing, raises an important and frequent question in project management: is it useless to plan because, anyway, projects keep changing? Or, on the contrary, is planning precisely necessary because the project changes all the time?
Is it useless to plan because the project changes all the time?
For many, making a schedule at the start of a project seems counter-productive. In uncertain environments, surprises abound, and the schedule quickly becomes obsolete. That can lead some to wonder whether the time invested in planning is really worth it, especially if the plan becomes wrong fast. To them, the cost of planning is high and the results seem useless once the first deviations appear.
But this perception is often tied to a limited view of the schedule. Those who advocate skipping planning often see it as a mere reporting of what was done — a kind of static “snapshot” of the situation. Like reading a months-old news article: it has lost its interest because the situation has moved on. By that view, the schedule loses relevance the moment a change occurs.
Is planning necessary precisely because the project keeps changing?
In reality, it's exactly because projects are in perpetual evolution that planning is necessary. The schedule isn't a frozen image — it's a compass guiding the team throughout the journey. The strength of a good schedule isn't its rigidity but its ability to adapt to ground realities.
For those who understand the importance of the schedule, it is above all a tool for decision and anticipation, oriented to the future. A schedule is dynamic — it lives and evolves with the project. Unlike a “snapshot” of the past, it lets you anticipate deviations, keep margins and steer progress proactively. Its added value lies in lighting the path, helping manage risk, and making decisions before problems become unmanageable.
Towards a pragmatic approach to planning
If the question arises, it's also because we constantly arbitrate between time spent on something and its usefulness. In a busy world, it's understandable to see planning as a costly exercise. However, it is entirely possible to adapt the methodology pragmatically. Rather than launching into complex, rigid planning, prefer a lighter but effective approach.
The real challenge is finding the right balance between the time spent planning and the value it adds. Even if the plan will evolve, it's better to spend a little time creating and steering it than to risk hitting a dead end without seeing the difficulties coming.
Conclusion: the cost of not planning is often higher
In the end, the question isn't whether planning is useless because the project keeps changing — it's recognising that planning is necessary precisely because the project keeps changing. With a flexible, adapted approach, you reap the benefits of planning while avoiding unnecessary heaviness. Better to spend some time anticipating and steering changes than to let the project drift uncontrolled.