definition of sow
In a freelance marketplace for telecom engineers, Statement of Work (SOW) holds of paramount importance so as to comprehend better before initiation.
Still asking yourself “What is SOW exactly? The Scope of Work (SOW) is a tool that allows the business of all sizes, calibers, and niches from telecommunications to construction to communicate such vital business details with employees, vendors, contractors, and freelance workers.
Statement of work and scope of work, both commonly abbreviated as SOW, are often confused, interchanged terms. And, as straightforward as each sound, they’re often anything but easy to write. Make it too vague and broad and it leaves room for interpretation error; make it too convoluted with detail and it leaves room for the reader to get confused and distracted. Either case can lead to fiscal, safety, efficiency, and legal woes, especially when freelance workers are involved.
Statement of Work and Scope of Work: What is SOW?
What is a statement of work (SOW)? Effectively, it defines the specific goals for a project; what needs to be delivered, and the performance criteria. This is often confused with the scope of work as they’re both abbreviated to SOW. With the scope of work, you’re looking at all the specific tasks that a particular project manager has to perform to reach all the objectives. While both are important, the statement of work is the more critical of the two.
It’s not uncommon to see both terms abbreviated as SOW, but they’re actually two different entities.
The statement of work is a formal document used by project managers to broadly describe the project scope of work to be completed, responsibilities, and expectations within a particular project. It’s a commonplace tool for the management of vendor and freelance work on a project.