How to agree on a Statement of Work

July 15th, 2008 · View Comments · Communications, Social Media, Technical Writing

Question: I have an short term contract to develop Standard Operating Procedures but the statement of work is very light. Any suggestion on questions to ask in kick off meeting to assure preparing best documentation for client?

Hello,

As a contractor you need to cover your bases and ensures that what is ´expected´ by the client can be delivered.

If the statement of work is vague, then make sure that YOU are happy to progress but highlight with the client that there may be gaps in it and these will need to be addressed when (or if) they arise.

You could highlight that in in your experience, statement of works are generally more developed that what they have presented to you – of course, phrase this as diplomatically as possible.

After that, gather as much information as possible and keep them up to date with status reports every week.

Leave no room for ´assumptions´ on the client’s part as otherwise it may get into a blame game if what you deliver is not what they expected.

Finally, agree on a Standard Operating Procedure template or at least refine what they have. Provide some value add here if possible by offering suggestions, best practice guidelines etc.

Hope that helps.

Ivan