If you write a very simple admin tool very early on, you just have to maintain it and add features to it.

What would have been a script becomes a feature in the tool with just a slight more effort.

If you don't write it until everything is on fire all the time, it becomes a much bigger task. Plus all the time wasted when you didn't have it.

But perhaps from day one is too early, but it's a very high priority task.