At Lens Digital, we help small businesses to get online. When we are running projects, the last thing we want to do is to overload our clients with a mass of project documentation. As most of our clients are Solopreneurs, we wanted to keep the paperwork to a minimum; enough that it was clear what was being delivered but not too much so that it wouldn’t be read.
For that purpose, we use a Statement of Work. One simple document that covers the whole of the project.
The SOW has the following sections;
Summary — An introduction to what the project is and what is included in the SOW.
Project Scope — In this section, we list the activities that will make up the deliverables.
Deliverables — What the client is going to get at the end of the project. Generally, a website plus training and a handover document.
Schedule — Timescales for the delivery of the project. Again, kept simple by using simple milestones.
Exclusions — What is not in the project. This is as important as the project scope.
Price — Needs no explaining.
Key Assumptions — A few simple statements listing what assumptions have been made, generally around the information given by the client.
Acceptance — If the client is happy with the SOW, they sign and return the document.
For most projects, this document is no more than a couple of pages. It is nice and simple so that it can be understood without overwhelming the reader.
