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    The SOW Handbook
    The SOW Handbook
    The SOW Handbook
    Ebook163 pages1 hour

    The SOW Handbook

    By Wade Sarver

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In the SOW Handbook, you will learn;

    •What is a Scope (Statement) of Work (SOW),

    •Why write the SOW,

    •Who writes the SOW,

    •How do you write a SOW,

    •Know what details to attach to make it a success,

    •Make a difference in a good way!

    Let's face it, 2 things have to happen:

    1. The Customer must sign off on the work to pay you.

    2. Complete the work properly to get paid.

    The SOW Handbook will help you get to that final payment the right way.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWade Sarver
    Release dateDec 16, 2018
    ISBN9781386673347
    The SOW Handbook
    Author

    Wade Sarver

    About Wade Wade Sarver is a blogger and podcaster at www.wade4wireless.com and an author of several nonfiction tech books, a solutions consultant TechFecta, www.techfecta.com, as well as a solution manager for Nokia. To reach out to Wade you can email at wade4wireless@gmail.com or wade@techfecta.com or twitter @Wade4Wireless.

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      Book preview

      The SOW Handbook - Wade Sarver

      Here is what it does:

      □  Define what work you plan to do

      □  Outline the expected schedule

      □  Define payment terms and milestones

      □  Become part of the contract to get paid

      □  Outline the change request process

      □  Define in scope and out of scope work

      □  Guide the work

      □  Include the BOM and BOQ

      □  Define costs as outlined in the project

      ––––––––

      This is a SOW (Scope of Work) overview to show the reader a few things. You should understand the importance of the SOW because it affects getting paid. You will need to understand what to pull out of it and if you are writing one you need to know what to put in it. Understanding each SOW is different, even if you are working for the same customer. You need to know what the deliverables are, so you get paid. Understanding the entrance criteria is important, so the job is done correctly. No matter what your role is at the job site or in the company you should understand what to look for in the SOW. It matters because if it’s done wrong, then you may not get paid for the work.

      Many people have to put together a scope of work whether they know they are doing it or not. They may be business owners that have to figure out how to deliver a product. They may be a service company that has to figure out how to make repairs. It could be someone building a product for the first time. No matter where they are in the business, they have to figure out how they are going to perform a  service. Lawyers have to figure out their arguments and references, bankers and brokers have to figure out investment strategies, realtors have to figure out how to buy and sell houses. The difference between them and anyone doing service with a solid deliverable is that they don’t’ have to explain what they’re doing to the customer. If you’re reading this. The chances are good that you have to explain to the customer what you’re going to do and how you want to get paid.

      What is a SOW?

      A SOW is a Scope of Work or a Statement of Work. For the purpose of this book, let’s use a scope because it’s what we’re doing here. We’re identifying the scope covered. While it is a statement, it’s more than a statement; the scope covers all aspects which is what we’re covering here. We’re covering people, places, things, and services.

      The scope of work outlines what you will do and won’t do for a job, service, deployment, project, or whatever. A SOW is a document outlining the work that will be agreed upon by both parties for a specific job or project. This should become part of the work contract and should be signed by both parties so that both parties know what they have to do and what to expect.

      The scope may include additional documents, like a BOM, BOQ, MOP, schedule, and so on. It should have whatever is needed and agreed upon for the service.

      The service could be anything. Let’s look at construction and deployment services. Just keep an open mind that it could be anything. If you’re developing software, you may want to have the work and outcome defined ahead of time. If you’re doing a significant repair, you may want to outline what is included in the costs as well as what’s excluded. This could all be done in the SOW.

      This can apply to almost any service that is being requested. Even if you install a faucet or garage door. You not only want the thing installed, but you want it to work without any problems. While those jobs are very small, you won’t pay for them unless the thing is installed and working properly. Now, think of doing something like that 1,000 times. That’s real money and a large project. It would be nice that have the work, timeline, and results defined ahead of time. After all, maybe not all the places you’re doing work will be the same, will they? They may be different, and it may cost you more money to do the job. Will you eat it or pass it along? It would be nice to have the defined ahead of time, wouldn’t it? 

      If it is larger, it may include the milestones. It should outline the work to be done, have any associated work documents attached to it, and it should explain the work to be performed. One of the most critical parts of the SOW is the billing and compensation.

      While this document may not be the actual legal agreement, it may be attached to the agreement between the two parties, customer, and contractor. Please remember that you need to understand what the completion information will be to get paid or to pay.

      This document will define the work, the pay, and the timeline expected for each job, maybe even each task.

      Why write a SOW?

      Small business owners, estimators, contractors, and the end customers all have to explain what the work is going to be and how it should be done. This is not simple agreements but legally binding contracts. Someone has to explain how it gets done and how he or she will pay or get paid. Welcome to the work of SOWs. I was one of those people that had to explain what we’re going to do. It’s easy when you’re telling someone, but when you have to put it in writing it becomes a whole lot more complicated.

      I’ve been a solution manager, solution architect. field manager, vice president, and various positions in many technology and wireless companies in the last 30 years. I have been creating solutions for deployments, construction, and systems for years. I have been on all side, writing bids for contractors, responding to bids, making proactive offers, putting together the pieces of a broken project to make it whole.  The one thing I learned is that there has to be an agreement on what the final outcome will be, no matter what the project. The project needs to be put together in a document for all sides to agree on what and how it needs to be done. The project needs a solution defined so that all parties involved get it from a practical standpoint.

      Now it’s called solutioning by the big companies, but back in the day we just had to figure out how to get a solution to a problem. I didn’t have all the answers because I am no genius! It takes a team. When we all worked together, we figured it out.

      When people work together, they learn things because shared experiences of the past from different backgrounds helps put together new innovation. Things have changed so much that I feel its time to put all of those lessons into a book. Maybe I can help all of you avoid the mistakes I have made along the way. Why not take the shortcut?

      In all of these jobs, we hired contractors or our own people to do the work. There was a day when I would make drawings and say, this is what I want. That was a long time ago; now we need to have a contract in place, define terms, outline the tasks, define milestones, and define the delivery schedule. Change requests are a big deal as well; there needs to be a defined process. Companies always say they want to streamline, just remember, that’s all bullshit! What they really want is to cover their asses. So will you! Especially after you’ve been burned. To do that, it needs to be documented. We all want to do things faster, but we also want to be paid for what we do. It’s easier to get paid when the completion details are clearly defined.

      Hey, not all my SOWs were winners. Not all my projects made money. Not all of them gave us the desired result. Experience is a strict teacher. You win some, and you lose some. You have to walk away from some deals, or you have to take a hit hoping the next

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