The project scope is defined in the goal setting, and planning stages of a project. It would be nice if the scope never changed, but the real world says that scopes change. The project manager must always be on the alert for changes to the scope and effectively manage those changes. Are the changes really necessary for project success or just nice to haves? What affect will the changes have on the budget and the schedule? Has everyone agreed that the change must be done? How are the changes tracked? Managing the scope is one of the more challenging parts of managing projects.