Statement of Work (Template)

This is our reusable SOW skeleton. Copy it, replace every <placeholder>, delete what doesn’t apply. The negotiated terms are the source of truth once signed — this page is the starting shape, not the contract.

SOW structure

flowchart TD
  S["Scope in / out"] --> AS["Assumptions"]
  AS --> AC["Acceptance criteria"]
  AC --> MS["Milestones &<br/>payment schedule"]
  MS --> PR["Pricing model"]
  PR --> CR["Change-request clause"]
  CR --> WT["Warranty terms"]
  WT --> HO["Handover on<br/>final payment"]

Template — copy from here

# Statement of Work — <Client Name> / <Project Name>
Date: <date>   |   Prepared by: <PM name>   |   Version: <v0.1>

## 1. Scope — In
- <Feature / deliverable 1>
- <Feature / deliverable 2>
(Ties to the MoSCoW "Must" and agreed "Should" items.)

## 2. Scope — Out
- <Explicitly excluded item 1>
- <Explicitly excluded item 2>
(Anything not listed in Section 1 is out of scope.)

## 3. Assumptions
- Client provides <access / content / accounts> by <milestone>.
- Third-party <system/API> is available and documented.
- <Environment / hosting> is provided by <us / client>.

## 4. Acceptance Criteria
- Each deliverable meets its Definition of Done and passes UAT.
- Sign-off = written client approval per milestone within <N> business days.
- Silence beyond <N> business days is deemed acceptance.

## 5. Milestones & Payment Schedule
| Milestone | Deliverable | Payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| <M1: Kickoff> | <Project start> | <__%> |
| <M2: ...> | <...> | <__%> |
| <M-final: Go-live> | <Handover> | <__%> |

## 6. Pricing Model
- Model: <Fixed-price | Time & Materials | Hybrid>.
- Estimate: <range> — quoted as a PERT range, not a single number.
- <T&M only: rate = <__/hr>, billed <weekly/monthly> against actuals.>

## 7. Change Requests
- Any change to Section 1 scope is handled as a written change request.
- Each CR is re-estimated (PERT range) and priced before work begins.
- No CR work starts without written approval.

## 8. Warranty & Support
- 30-day post-go-live bug-fix warranty (defects against agreed acceptance criteria).
- After 30 days, support moves to a paid retainer with a business-hours SLA.
- New features are not warranty — they are change requests or retainer scope.

## 9. Handover
- Source code, credentials, and access are handed over on receipt of final payment.
- Handover package: <repos, environment access, docs, credentials vault>.

Caution

Two clauses are load-bearing and non-negotiable in our defaults: warranty is 30 days then paid, and handover is tied to final payment. Change them only with CTO/PM sign-off.

Estimates come from Estimation & Scoping; the signed SOW feeds Kickoff.