7 Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro

There are many ways to approach writing a Statement of Work (SOW) for projects that involve vendors.

This series explore the seven steps that will lead you through the process of writing any SOW. These seven are not necessarily sequential, but it should be possible to move backward/forward to the previous/next step depending on the amount of information available.

This post will introduce the seven steps at a high level. Future posts will explore each step in detail.

The seven steps are:

Step 1: Plan

In this step, you will:

  • Identify the objectives of the SOW
  • Assemble your SOW development team
  • Develop a preliminary timeline for completing the SOW.

Step 2: Formatting the SOW

You will decide how you will organize your SOW so you can assign research and drafting tasks to the appropriate members of your team. Your organization may have a standard and/or a template for Statements of Work. Make sure you use them from the start of your effort, so you can avoid rework later.

Step 3: Collect and Analyze Requirements

You will identify all the requirements and deliverables that the SOW will address. One option is to organize tasks and deliverables based on the project lifecycle. Most projects involving vendors will go through a variation of the following lifecycle:

  • Phase 1 – Plan and Preview
  • Phase 2 – Analyze and Design
  • Phase 3 – Configure and Develop
  • Phase 4 – Test and Train
  • Phase 5 – Deploy and Optimize

Step 4: Conduct Market Research

If you have not yet identified a vendor, find out what’s available in the market so you know what to ask for and how much it should cost.

The information you gain from market research will enable you to ask the right questions. This will help you include appropriate information so your vendors can develop and accurate technical and cost proposal.

Step 5: Compile and Categorize the Work to be done

Organize tasks, deliverables, and milestones in a meaningful order taking into account the needed resources, dependencies, and constraints.

Step 6: Write the SOW

Draft versions of the SOW and circulate them for review and feedback. As a guiding principle, do your best to communicate to the vendors what is expected of them so they fully understand what they must do to complete the work to your satisfaction.

Step 7: Finalize the SOW

Complete the SOW development process by seeing that all the required authorities within your organization and the vendor’s approve the final version. It is important that everyone impacted by the project had a chance to review and voice their concerns or objection. It is better to deal with these issues before the contract is signed with the vendor, to avoid changes to the contract and potentially additional costs to your organization.

The next posts will explore each step in detail and provide tips and tricks for writing effective SOWs that keep your project out of trouble.

See Tips for Effective Statements of Work for more information.

For more information on Statements of Work, sign up now to download our free ebook:

“Seven steps to writing effective Statements of Work”

Sign up and get your free report now

You may unsubscribe anytime

5 Responses to 7 Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro
  1. Tips for Effective Statements of Work
    September 1, 2010 | 12:16 am

    […] Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro for more […]

  2. […] my previous post “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro” , I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. In […]

  3. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Curry, quasutra. quasutra said: Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro http://j.mp/d4o4de #pmot by @samadaidane […]

  4. […] my initial port in this series “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro”, I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. Step 1 […]

  5. […] my initial port in this series “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro”, I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. Step 1 […]

7 Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro

There are many ways to approach writing a Statement of Work (SOW) for projects that involve vendors.

This series explore the seven steps that will lead you through the process of writing any SOW. These seven are not necessarily sequential, but it should be possible to move backward/forward to the previous/next step depending on the amount of information available.

This post will introduce the seven steps at a high level. Future posts will explore each step in detail.

The seven steps are:

Step 1: Plan

In this step, you will:

  • Identify the objectives of the SOW
  • Assemble your SOW development team
  • Develop a preliminary timeline for completing the SOW.

Step 2: Formatting the SOW

You will decide how you will organize your SOW so you can assign research and drafting tasks to the appropriate members of your team. Your organization may have a standard and/or a template for Statements of Work. Make sure you use them from the start of your effort, so you can avoid rework later.

Step 3: Collect and Analyze Requirements

You will identify all the requirements and deliverables that the SOW will address. One option is to organize tasks and deliverables based on the project lifecycle. Most projects involving vendors will go through a variation of the following lifecycle:

  • Phase 1 – Plan and Preview
  • Phase 2 – Analyze and Design
  • Phase 3 – Configure and Develop
  • Phase 4 – Test and Train
  • Phase 5 – Deploy and Optimize

Step 4: Conduct Market Research

If you have not yet identified a vendor, find out what’s available in the market so you know what to ask for and how much it should cost.

The information you gain from market research will enable you to ask the right questions. This will help you include appropriate information so your vendors can develop and accurate technical and cost proposal.

Step 5: Compile and Categorize the Work to be done

Organize tasks, deliverables, and milestones in a meaningful order taking into account the needed resources, dependencies, and constraints.

Step 6: Write the SOW

Draft versions of the SOW and circulate them for review and feedback. As a guiding principle, do your best to communicate to the vendors what is expected of them so they fully understand what they must do to complete the work to your satisfaction.

Step 7: Finalize the SOW

Complete the SOW development process by seeing that all the required authorities within your organization and the vendor’s approve the final version. It is important that everyone impacted by the project had a chance to review and voice their concerns or objection. It is better to deal with these issues before the contract is signed with the vendor, to avoid changes to the contract and potentially additional costs to your organization.

The next posts will explore each step in detail and provide tips and tricks for writing effective SOWs that keep your project out of trouble.

See Tips for Effective Statements of Work for more information.

For more information on Statements of Work, sign up now to download our free ebook:

“Seven steps to writing effective Statements of Work”

Sign up and get your free report now

You may unsubscribe anytime

5 Responses to 7 Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro
  1. Tips for Effective Statements of Work
    September 1, 2010 | 12:16 am

    […] Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro for more […]

  2. […] my previous post “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro” , I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. In […]

  3. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Curry, quasutra. quasutra said: Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro http://j.mp/d4o4de #pmot by @samadaidane […]

  4. […] my initial port in this series “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro”, I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. Step 1 […]

  5. […] my initial port in this series “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro”, I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. Step 1 […]

7 Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro

There are many ways to approach writing a Statement of Work (SOW) for projects that involve vendors.

This series explore the seven steps that will lead you through the process of writing any SOW. These seven are not necessarily sequential, but it should be possible to move backward/forward to the previous/next step depending on the amount of information available.

This post will introduce the seven steps at a high level. Future posts will explore each step in detail.

The seven steps are:

Step 1: Plan

In this step, you will:

  • Identify the objectives of the SOW
  • Assemble your SOW development team
  • Develop a preliminary timeline for completing the SOW.

Step 2: Formatting the SOW

You will decide how you will organize your SOW so you can assign research and drafting tasks to the appropriate members of your team. Your organization may have a standard and/or a template for Statements of Work. Make sure you use them from the start of your effort, so you can avoid rework later.

Step 3: Collect and Analyze Requirements

You will identify all the requirements and deliverables that the SOW will address. One option is to organize tasks and deliverables based on the project lifecycle. Most projects involving vendors will go through a variation of the following lifecycle:

  • Phase 1 – Plan and Preview
  • Phase 2 – Analyze and Design
  • Phase 3 – Configure and Develop
  • Phase 4 – Test and Train
  • Phase 5 – Deploy and Optimize

Step 4: Conduct Market Research

If you have not yet identified a vendor, find out what’s available in the market so you know what to ask for and how much it should cost.

The information you gain from market research will enable you to ask the right questions. This will help you include appropriate information so your vendors can develop and accurate technical and cost proposal.

Step 5: Compile and Categorize the Work to be done

Organize tasks, deliverables, and milestones in a meaningful order taking into account the needed resources, dependencies, and constraints.

Step 6: Write the SOW

Draft versions of the SOW and circulate them for review and feedback. As a guiding principle, do your best to communicate to the vendors what is expected of them so they fully understand what they must do to complete the work to your satisfaction.

Step 7: Finalize the SOW

Complete the SOW development process by seeing that all the required authorities within your organization and the vendor’s approve the final version. It is important that everyone impacted by the project had a chance to review and voice their concerns or objection. It is better to deal with these issues before the contract is signed with the vendor, to avoid changes to the contract and potentially additional costs to your organization.

The next posts will explore each step in detail and provide tips and tricks for writing effective SOWs that keep your project out of trouble.

See Tips for Effective Statements of Work for more information.

For more information on Statements of Work, sign up now to download our free ebook:

“Seven steps to writing effective Statements of Work”

Sign up and get your free report now

You may unsubscribe anytime

5 Responses to 7 Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro
  1. Tips for Effective Statements of Work
    September 1, 2010 | 12:16 am

    […] Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro for more […]

  2. […] my previous post “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro” , I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. In […]

  3. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Curry, quasutra. quasutra said: Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro http://j.mp/d4o4de #pmot by @samadaidane […]

  4. […] my initial port in this series “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro”, I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. Step 1 […]

  5. […] my initial port in this series “Seven Steps to Writing Effective Statements of Work – Intro”, I provided a high level overview of the Statement of Work (SOW) development process. Step 1 […]