What is a statement of work and why is it important?
A Statement of Work is a legally binding document that specifies the scope of work for a service provider or vendor on a certain project. This includes the deliverables, standards, and other critical details about the who, what, where, and when of the provided work.
What is the process of SOW?
A statement of work (SOW) is a document that provides a description of a given projects requirements. It defines the scope of work being provided, project deliverables, timelines, work location, and payment terms and conditions.
Is a SOW considered a contract?
A good SOW functions as both a contract agreement and a project management tool. For example, if your company is hiring a freelance writer to create blog posts for your website, you might include an SOW with their contract to communicate expectations for a projects workflow, deadlines, and payment details.
Who writes an SOW?
The SOW is typically written by the client, but authors may vary, and more than one author may participate. This may include anyone from the project manager to a third-party contractor to the Chief Information Officer in the case of IT and software development projects.
Is a statement of work the same as a contract?
A statement of work is legally binding, but it is not the final, formal contract signed at the end of the contracting process. It can be thought of as the formal foundation of a final contract.
How do you start a SOW?
These are the steps you can take to create a simple, but well-defined statement of work. Introduce the project. Define the vision. Set the project requirements. Define the scope. Set the deadline of the project. Allocate key resources. Create the schedule. Specify the terms of payment and due dates.
What is SOW writing?
A statement of work (shortened as SOW, SoW, or sow) is an essential component of a client-vendor contract. It ensures the project follows expectations and agreed-upon guidelines. It also summarizes whats within and out of scope to mitigate scope creep, and what the project cost covers, among other things.
Can statement of work be changed?
Any contract resulting from this Statement of Work (SOW) may be modified at any time to accommodate increases or decreases in the number of end users supported, the number of systems requiring support, and legislative changes that affect agency system and/or data requirements.
What is a statement of work sample?
The classic Statement of Work template serves as your supporting contract, the blueprint, the guide that ensures the project scope is on track and all deliverables are met on time and within budget.
Is a SOW legally binding?
A statement of work is a highly detailed, legally-binding contract, while a project charter is a shorter, high-level, non-legal overview. Youll often create project charters after the SOW.
