# Statement of work (SOW)

> A document defining a project’s objectives, scope, deliverables, schedule, responsibilities and acceptance conditions.

## What it means

What an SOW usually contains (objectives, scope, deliverables, schedule, acceptance criteria, assumptions, change process) and the searched comparisons: SOW vs contract, statement of work vs scope of work. Use a government procurement guide as the reference ; not legal advice. Why a clear SOW is the main defence against scope creep.

## A practical example

A consulting SOW names the interviews, findings report, due dates, two review rounds and the process for approving extra work.

## Put it into practice

- Name the concrete situation before applying the label. Statement of work (SOW) is useful only when it changes a choice, boundary or next action.
- Make the state visible: write the owner, time, source or stopping condition down instead of relying on memory.
- Review what happened. Keep the part that reduced ambiguity and change the part that added ceremony without helping the work.

## How it relates to Plexii

: draft it in a Document widget, which imports and exports Word files, on the client’s desk (/help/widget-document).