Projects would go much more smoothly if we laid out the scope and parameters at the beginning of a project and then never made any changes. But that’s not realistic and certainly not what happens in most real-life situations. Instead, there’s often scope creep — the gradual expansion of a project’s objectives, deliverables, or requirements beyond the initial plan. Handling scope creep is one of the most challenging — and important — aspects of a project manager’s role. This often means saying “no” when stakeholders request additional features or changes.