How to plan a project that survives contact with reality
A good plan is not a prediction. It is a way to notice quickly when things change.
The Workspace team · September 29, 2026 · 8 min read
Start with the outcome, not the task list
Most plans begin by listing tasks. The ones that hold up begin by naming the outcome: what is true when this project is done, and how will anyone know?
Write the outcome in a sentence a stranger could check. Everything else — phases, tasks, dates — is a route to that sentence, and routes can change without the destination moving.
Break the work into phases you can finish
A phase should end with something you can show or decide. 'Research' is a vague phase; 'Research summary agreed' is a finishable one.
Keep phases to a handful. If you need twelve, you probably have two projects.
Plan for change, not against it
Leave room: a plan with every hour allocated has no way to absorb a surprise. Hold some capacity back, and decide in advance what you would drop first if time ran short.
Then review the plan weekly, briefly. The goal is not to be right; it is to find out early when you are not.