Question

What are the steps of developing an SOW?

What are the common problems in writing an SOW?

Discuss  the keys to managing changes to the SOW

Answer 1

answer-

1- Steps to Prepare a SOW-

1. Establish a preliminary scope statement that identifies the project objective or purpose. Be sure to include a description of the type of work being performed including any boundaries associated with performance and duties.

2. List the tasks to be performed to indicate any performance requirements and all project requirements that the contractor must comply with during contract performance.

3. As much as possible, group similar or related tasks and organize each task in logical order.

4. Identify any resources that are necessary to complete each task that includes labor, equipment, or materials.

5. Identify project deliverables required for the project to be successfully completed.

6. Identify any time-sensitive milestones or deliverables.

7. Describe quality expectations and applicable deadlines in terms of quality, quantity, time and appearance. Performance deliverables should be realistic, objective, and measurable.

8. Determine how you will monitor the deliverables. Some methods used include random sampling, periodic inspections, and reporting.

2- following are some common problems-

INCONSISTENCY OF REQUIREMENTS

Ambiguities are usually the result of careless writing that causes inconsistencies in the SOW requirements. These inconsistencies occur,

CALLING A REQUIREMENT BY DIFFERENT NAMES

Ambiguities also occur when the same requirement is called by different names at different places in the SOW, making it difficult to determine if the description is one or two requirements.

CONFLICTING OR UNREASONABLE SCHEDULES

Ambiguities are often created when schedules conflict or are not reasonable. For example, an RFP for multiple presentations of 11 different procurement training courses was issued on June 3, with proposals due on July 3.

INCOMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

Ambiguities also occur when the SOW writer assumes that the prospective contractor will, or should, “intuitively understand” a requirement and therefore does not describe it fully. It is a mistake to rely on the contractor’s intuitive understanding, whether it is a sole-source SOW or a competitive procurement.

VAGUENESS AND GENERALIZED LANGUAGE

Ambiguities often result from vagueness in the SOW—when activities are alluded to but not clearly described, or when passive or indefinite wording is used. Phrases or sentences that are not clearly expressed (or perceived or identified) lack the preciseness needed in a good SOW. For example, the following describes a requirement in a fixed-price SOW for training services:

USE OF ABSTRACTIONS

Abstractions that are little more than sweeping ideas or fancy concepts that cannot be defined can cause problems. For example:

The requirements for preventive maintenance must ensure optimum system availability for continuous use….

UNNECESSARY COMMENTS

Unnecessary comments or nonessential statements can cause confusion. These most often occur when you try to “fill out” paragraphs that you think are too short. For example:

Several papers published by the Bureau of Mines bear witness to this problem and may represent useful guidelines for analysis.

What papers? The SOW didn’t identify them further. What does “useful guidelines” mean? Does the use of the word “may” indicate that maybe they will not represent useful guidelines? This kind of sentence causes more problems than it resolves.

POOR SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION

Poorly constructed sentences are always a problem. Have a competent editor or peer review your work.

OVERLY COMPLICATED VOCABULARY

It is essential that you do not get carried away with your linguistic abilities. Using big words or technical terminology may demonstrate your educational attainments but does little for effective communication.

3- keys to managing changes to the SOW-

Brainstorm first. Before a company begins writing Statement of Work documents, brainstorm the pieces of the project that should be included, and which details would be better negotiated during later phases of the project or contract management process.

Writing Statement of Work in the early stages of project development. Writing an SOW in this early phase, when most projects are still taking shape, can help define and develop the project itself.

Define success and failure. Make sure to clearly define what constitutes a successful or an unsuccessful project. The objectives/purpose and acceptance criteria sections should provide details about what the project’s goals are and what an acceptable end product should look like. If there are any criteria that would deem a project unacceptable, these should also be included (e.g., for a design project, acceptable criteria might be using the colors pink and black, and unacceptable criteria might be using the colors blue and orange, based on the client’s brand guidelines).

Include times for formal reviews. Scheduling times for reviews throughout the project lifecycle in the SOW is important for ensuring the work is on track. This gives the client a chance to verify that the contractor is meeting their specifications, and an opportunity to give the contractor guidance on what they’re doing right and what they can do better.

Use specific descriptions of project scope, requirements, and goals. The objectives/purpose, scope of work, and requirements and tasks sections are very important. The language used must be precise, so that nothing is misinterpreted after the work begins. If the client needs to include supplementary documents with more specific information, such as an RFP, SOO or PWS, make a note in these sections to refer to the attached documents. Avoid listing options or alternatives, since these leave room for interpretation—and misinterpretation—later on.

Agree on the details before writing the SOW. When writing Statement of Work it should not be used to negotiate project guidelines — it should document an agreement already reached between the two parties, or of the specifications already determined by the client.

Define any acronyms and potentially confusing terms. Make sure to spell out any acronyms used in the SOW, and avoid using overly technical or industry-specific terms. You want the language in an SOW to be as clear and straightforward as possible.

Involve the whole team. An effective SOW is a team effort, so get input from all team members who have a stake in the project. Have as many people as possible review the SOW and be prepared to update it as new information is discovered or becomes available.

Keep the SOW as brief as possible. While a good SOW should be able to capture all the necessary details, try to keep the SOW as brief as possible. Reason being, the other party will usually feel compelled to show the SOW to their attorney. This will cost the contractor unanticipated legal fees. The crazier the exclusions, clauses, and exceptions written in, the more concerned the contractor will be, and it could affect the final outcome needlessly.

*as per HomeworkLib policy, i can answer one out of multiple questions but i tried to answer all for your help.good luck.