Creating a plan is only a portion of the work in project planning. The team must believe in the plan. They must understand what it is, why it is there, and what the benefits are to them. As stated before, many people resist the planning process. The reason is that they really don't know what is in it for them. If people understood how the planning process benefits them, then they may be more prone to participate.

One of the key benefits to having a plan is not always being in emergency mode. A lack of planning will result in a lack of understanding of when your team is to perform their tasks. In the previous example, if your team member who was ordering the books for the book sale does not know when the book sale is, then a mishap is on the horizon. Imagine a plan with 1,000 tasks and forty resources. The when and where of a plan is very important.

Providing the resources (time, budget, materials) necessary to complete the project is another way that you, as a project manager, can help team members. With a good plan, you will know when each resource is needed, but you will also know how much is needed. This translates into operating efficiency and the overall improvement of team members' project experiences.

Understanding all of these factors can help you explain and garner acceptance of the plan. When your team first begins the planning process, they may be apathetic or skeptical. However, at the end of the process, they really start to see and understand why the process is so important. Following up with them one more time and garnering acceptance achieves two things: their commitment to accountability and their honest opinion of the plan. This helps you set the stage for selling the plan to the sponsors.