When a company starts working on a project, it defines the scope of work at a very early stage because it lets everyone know about the specifics of the work. The project team also comes to know how much work it is supposed to do, as anything that lies within the scope is mandatory to be done, and if the work is outside the scope, accomplishment of it will not have any benefit to the team. Therefore, scope is the most critical factor to be taken into account whenever a new project is initiated.
What is the scope of the work template?
When you have to write down the scope of the project, you might often wonder how to define it. Even if you are clear about the boundaries of the work, you might not be able to communicate them to others. Therefore, a template has been designed.
This template is a very useful tool because it enables the user to input the main details, whatever the template needs, and at the end, the scope is ready to be read and understood.
What are the benefits of using the template?
Many people think it is not necessary to use a template when they can create and draft the scope without any help. It is the personal choice of everyone whether they are comfortable using the template or not. However, there are plenty of benefits one can reap. A few of them are listed below:
It helps you generate a professional document
After you have provided all the details to the template, you will see a comprehensive document generated by the template, which is called the SOW. You will feel proud to share that document with others because it completely looks like a professional document in which everything has been included.
It helps you communicate the boundaries
Every project has some boundaries because no project team is entitled to work endlessly on a project. When boundaries are clearly defined, there is no confusion because everyone knows how much work there is to do and then plans out how they will do it.
It helps in the timely delivery of a project
The biggest responsibility of every project team is to finish a project within a given time frame. There are different strategies used by professionals to achieve this goal. One of the most successful strategies is to have a clear scope of work. Then people know their part to play and are aware of their responsibilities; they try to fulfill all of them and make sure that they are never late in the delivery of the project.
What are the main elements of the template?
The main components that you can expect to find in a template include:
Overview of the project
The first and most important part of every scope of work template is a section where are user has to give a brief overview of the project. This section is for the understanding of the client as well as the project team. The overview is usually given briefly.
Boundaries of the work
In this part of the template, the user is required to define the work that is required to be done. Here, the type of work that is excluded and does not fall within the responsibility of the project team is also specified.
Then boundaries are communicated, the creeping of the scope can be prevented, and the project team will be saved from working beyond the scope of the project. This will consequently save time, energy, and many other valuable resources.
Details of important deliverables
Deliverables are usually those products and outcomes that clients usually expect after the project has been completed. Mentioning those deliverables also lets the workers know what an outcome looks like.
Timeline
If there are multiple deliverables, a timeline is created to show when each outcome will be delivered and after what interval. The timeline helps the client evaluate and determine the speed of the work.
Change control
Working on a project often leads to changing it. A little bit of change is acceptable. However, if the change goes out of control, the outcome will not be as expected. Therefore, how the change will be controlled is also specified.
