Statement of Work (SOW) is the most foundational part of a project. It's the result of the planning process happening in conjunction with your stakeholders, incl. your team and the client. It's the formal agreement on initiation of the project. It's the sales proposal for your client, and it's all of the main tasks and milestones necessary to build the end product. The SOW is essentially paving the way for you and your team to plan and work on the rest of the project.

Business Dictionary defines it as a ... 

"Detailed description of the specific services or tasks a contractor is required to perform under a contract. SOW is usually incorporated in a contract, indirectly by reference or directly as an attachment."

More specifically, the SOW should include:

• Scope of the Project
• Project Requirements
• Key Resources
• Milestones and Timeline
• Terms of Payment and Due Dates

For a full list and details, check out our article on 10 Steps to Make a Complete Statement of Work.

Other articles related to this subject:

• What is a Statement of Work?
• The Old vs. the Smart Way of Doing Statement of Work
• Utilizing the Statement of Work During Your Project
• 4 Steps to Avoid Scope Creep
• 9 Steps to Plan Your Way Out of Scope Creep