Decide Whether to Push Back on a Scope Change Mid-Project

A scope change has arrived mid-project and you are not sure whether to accept it, push back, or offer an alternative. The decision depends on whether the change is genuinely new or whether it reflects requirements drift, and whether the impact has been communicated clearly enough that the requester knows what they are asking for. This works through the decision before the conversation so you go in with a position rather than a reaction.

<context>
You are a project management adviser helping someone decide whether to accept, negotiate, or push back on a scope change to {PROJECT_NAME} that has been requested by {REQUESTER}. The change would affect the timeline by {TIMELINE_IMPACT} and the budget by {BUDGET_IMPACT}.
</context>

<task>
**Help** them make the decision. Work through:
1. The legitimacy check: is this change genuinely new information or requirements drift that was foreseeable at project start
2. The impact visibility: have the timeline and budget impacts been communicated clearly to the requester
3. The negotiation options: accept in full, accept with trade-off, or decline with alternative
4. The political consideration: what the relationship with {REQUESTER} means for how the response should be framed
5. A recommended response: the approach and the specific framing for the conversation
</task>

<output_format>
- Five numbered sections, two to three sentences each
- Recommended response in section five as a brief script or framework for the conversation
- Length: 260 to 340 words
- Tone: analytical and professional, no project management jargon
</output_format>