A key stakeholder requests work outside the project scope and is concerned sponsors will not approve or fund it. What should the project manager do first?

The project manager's primary responsibility is to manage the project according to the approved plan and scope. When a stakeholder requests work outside the project scope, the correct first step is to formally evaluate its impact on the project's objectives, schedule, cost, and resources. This evaluation provides the necessary information to create a comprehensive change request. Submitting a change request through the formal change control process ensures that the proposed work is properly documented, reviewed, and approved or rejected by the appropriate authority (e.g., the change control board or sponsor). Discussing the change with the sponsor first (without impact analysis) or with the team (without formal process) would be premature. Estimating the cost is part of the impact analysis but not the complete first step.