Estimate Project Cost

1/31/2021 Project Statement of Work

https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/mba/mba670/2211/learning-topic-list/project-statement-of-work.html?ou=541222 1/2

Project Statement of Work

By Adrienne Watt and bpayne

The statement of work (SOW), sometimes called the scope of work, is a definition of a

project’s parameters—factors that define a system and determine its behavior—and

describes the work done within the boundaries of the project, and the work that is outside

the project boundaries.

The SOW is typically a written document that defines what work will be accomplished by

the end of the project—the deliverables of the project. The project scope defines what will

be done, and the project management plan defines how the work will be accomplished.

No template works for all projects. Some projects have a detailed scope of work, and

some have a short summary document. The quality of the scope is measured by the ability

of the project manager and project stakeholders to develop and maintain a common

understanding of the products or services the project will deliver.

The size and detail of the project scope is related to the complexity profile of the project.

A more complex project often requires a more detailed and comprehensive scope

document.

According to the Project Management Institute (2008), the scope statement should

include the following components:

description of the scope

product acceptance criteria

project deliverables

project exclusions

project constraints

project assumptions

Learning Topic

1/31/2021 Project Statement of Work

https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/mba/mba670/2211/learning-topic-list/project-statement-of-work.html?ou=541222 2/2

The scope document is the basis for agreement by all parties. A clear project scope

document is also critical to managing change on a project. Since the project scope reflects

what work will be accomplished on the project, any change in expectations that is not

captured and documented creates an opportunity for confusion.

One of the most common trends in project management is the incremental expansion in

the project scope. This trend is labeled scope creep. Scope creep threatens the success of

a project because the small increases in scope require additional resources that were not

in the plan.

Increasing the scope of the project is a common occurrence, and adjustments are made to

the project budget and schedule to account for these changes. Scope creep occurs when

these changes are not recognized or not managed. The ability of a project manager to

identify potential changes is often related to the quality of the scope documents.

References

Project Management Institute, Inc. (2008). A guide to the project management body of

knowledge (PMBOK guide) (4th ed.). Project Management Institute, Inc.

Licenses and Attributions

Chapter 4: Framework for Project Management

(https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/chapter/chapter-4-framework-for-project-

management-project-management/) by bpayne and Adrienne Watt from Project

Management is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en) license. © 2014, Adrienne

Watt. UMUC has modified this work and it is available under the original

license. Download this book for free at http://open.bccampus.ca

(http://open.bccampus.ca) .

© 2021 University of Maryland Global Campus

All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity

of information located at external sites.