a) The success of an infrastructure project depends, to a large extent, on the quality of the needs assessment and planning of a project. In the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape provinces, scope changes were made subsequent to the start of and during construction as all the needs were not included in the projects' initial planning. The scope changes were effected during the planning phase, or variance orders were used, which resulted in higher project costs. The following serve as examples: