The strong links often found between resource creation and research, impact on planning. If resource creation is undertaken as part of a wider project, it will have to be planned and scheduled in conjunction with other activities, many of which will depend on or affect successful creation of the digital resource. For this reason, key resource creation activities more often than not tend to become part of a project's critical path (see Day 1995, 25-26). In order to minimise the likelihood of delays in these activities, which would affect the entire project, a distinction can be introduced between a minimum specification of the digital resource and its documentation and a full specification. The minimum specification includes essential requirements only; the full specification includes optional characteristics. By planning on the basis of the full specification, it becomes possible to 'fall back' upon a minimum specification when necessary. This approach reduces or even eliminates delays without having to make ad hoc decisions. This is one way of introducing slack or reducing the critical path. It shows how planning makes it possible to anticipate and accommodate circumstances which potentially endanger the progress of a project.

By effectively prioritising the scope and characteristics of the digital resource and documentation, resource creation projects become more flexible and effective in dealing with potential delays. The criteria for regarding elements of the digital resource and documentation as either essential or optional need to be chosen with much care, and should take into account how omission of particular resource or documentation elements will affect (re)usability. Section 3.2 will discuss this topic in more detail.