What are the elements in “Scope of Work”?

A scope of work document is a contract that specifies the work you'll do on the project. Deliverables, a timeline, milestones, and reports are all part of a project manager's scope of work. Let's take a closer look at each of these elements in turn.

• Deliverables

Of course, this is what your project provides. It's the reason you're executing the project for your customer, stakeholder, or sponsor, whether it's a product or a service. Whatever the deliverable is, and it could be a document or report, software, a product, or a build (or all of the above), you must clearly identify each item here. This step can be aided by creating a work breakdown structure.

• Timeline

Consider a timeline to be a road that runs from the beginning to the end of a project. It's a section of the document that breaks down the project's major phases over the course of its duration. It should also indicate when your deliverables are ready at various points throughout the project. As you might expect, scoping out the overall plan of any project is critical. This is best presented visually, such as in a rolled-up Gantt chart plan, so that all stakeholders can see the big picture.

• Milestones

Projects can be lengthy and complicated, which is why they're organised on a timeline and broken down into smaller chunks called tasks. A milestone is a term used to describe the end of a project's larger phases. It's a way to keep track of the project's progress and make sure it's on track to meet your deadline. In the Scope of Work document, include project kick-offs, meetings, hand-offs, and other key milestones.

• Reports

Throughout the project, you'll be creating these and delivering them to your team, customer, stakeholder, or sponsor. Status reports, progress reports, variance reports, and other reports are examples. They're a formal record of your project's progress, but they're also a way of communicating beyond whether or not the project is on track. There's a wealth of data that can serve a variety of audiences depending on how you customise them. Define how you'll report on the project, as well as when and from whom the stakeholders can expect it.

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