Newbie - Statement of Work

[RodsterB]

I have just been reallocated to I.S. as a financial systems Project Manager from being a very specific application super user and have been give as one of my 1st assignments to write a SOW for a new application installation.

Anyone have any examples of new software install SOWs that I could plagiarize & learn from?

 

[johnherman]

Internal software or external (vendor) software?

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was - Steven Wright

 

[PDQBach]

If you're a third party organization delivering something to contract then the work will be in the contract.

If you're internal then the work will be what the department has asked you to deliver.

So ... now you work back:

What criteria will be used to measure the success (or failure) of the project?

What are the deliverables that I must deliver?

What generically defined resources will I need to deliver those, uh, deliverables?

What departments will those resources come from? How long will they be needed?

What is the best way to get to the solution?

What is the business problem being solved?

What corporate strategic goal is met by solving the problem?

You start at the back because now you can validate your deliverables against the project objective. If your deliverables don't relate the project objective then you shouldn't be delivering them, should you? If your deliverables don't fully satisfy the project objective then you need more deliverables.

Now you start at the front when you prepare your document:

0. Background and current environment. (Organization and inudstry or, in a smaller scale, company and department)
1. Business strategic goal. (Open a new plant)
2. Business problem being solved. (Site location and plant construction)
3. You get the idea now.

Depending on your organization you may be expected to put in a tentative project schedule. If you must put it in then label it as "Preliminary, subject to revision" because as you move ahead you will definitely DEFINITELY change it (and you will need more resources and more time).

You may be expected to put in a tentative budget. Once again, "Preliminary, subject to revision" because the budget will depend on many things such as third-party quotes for some interim/final deliverables.

 

[RodsterB]

Thanks. - It is installation of external (vendor) software.