Scope of Work

Scope of work or statement of work is a narrative description of the work required for the project. The Scope of Work (SOW) is a formal document that describes the work activities, deliverables, timelines and milestones, pricing, quality requirements and governance terms and conditions etc. Whenever you draw up a contract with your customer or vendor, regardless of the industry you work in, the Scope of Work (or Statement of Work) agreement helps you clearly define what you can expect out of the contract. Whether you are a software project manager, a marketing professional or a government executive, you would be necessarily dealing with the external world for project contracts, vendor selection, sales and support, customer service and many other activities. The SOW gives both the vendor and the customer, a clear picture on the complete project requirements so that both parties are on the same page.

The Scope of Work (SOW) is a formal agreement document that specifies all the criteria of a contract between a service provider (vendor) and the customer. It clearly documents the project requirements, milestones, deliverables, end products, documents and reports that are expected to be provided by the vendor. It helps in the smooth functioning of a project/work contract wherein both parties can avoid ambiguities and situations leading to dispute. It is the first step to building a mutually beneficial collaboration between a vendor and his customer.

A standard Scope of Work document contains the following elements:

• Objectives /Purpose Statement
• Scope of Work
• Schedule
• Price
• Key Assumptions
• Acceptance

SOW is prepared by project office with inputs from all stakeholders. Complexity of SOW is decided by top management.