A work plan is a named period of work with an objective — what you are setting out to achieve between a start date and an end date.

Tasks, lists and goals are attached to it, so the plan is the place where scattered work is gathered into one intention. Plans can be reviewed, which is how a manager sees what a period was for rather than only what happened in it.

The objective is the part that matters. Written well, anyone reading it at the end of the period can tell whether it was met; written vaguely, the plan is just a folder with dates on it.