3.5 The Role of the Statement of Work

The statement of work defines the scope of the work and a general view of how the work is to be accomplished, including a general workplan and staffing assignments. The following is a sample outline of a statement of work, again from one of our previous engagements (with a little help from the RUP).

1. Scope

2. Objectives

3. Application overview

4. User demography

5. Constraints

6. Assumptions

7. Staffing and cost

8. Deliverable outlines

9. Expected duration

The statement of work becomes a contract between the IT group and the user department. It is also the tool that is used to define a contract between a consulting company and a customer.