To provide a method that enables a user to administer a dialing plan.

A PBX (Private Branch eXchange) or any other type of telephone exchange analyzes a dialing plan that it uses and then makes a recommendation for the dialing plan. In order to analyze the dialing plan, the PBX considers the usage characteristics of number-consuming objects which include the telephone numbers associated with the dialing plan. The PBX then identifies, for possible deletion, a list of inactive or underutilized objects such as unused telephone numbers. In some embodiments, the PBX also predicts the future availability of telephone numbers based on the usage characteristics that are part of analysis results. In at least some of those embodiments, the PBX is able to construct a dialing plan tree and identify a revised dialing plan.