Statements of works (SOW) is a formal document that captures and defines the work activities, deliverables, and timeline a vendor must execute in performance of specified work for a client. SOW is developed as a contract negotiation between client and vendor. Agile manifesto teaches us, that the customer collaboration over the contract negotiation. Therefore, you find a lot of book tell us to create a good customer collaboration rather than create contract negotation.
Business is still business, it might be happens that your client doesn’t know about Agile. It might be happens that your client need a SOW, even your team is Agile veteran. This article will discuss how to combine SOW in Agile process.
Microsoft Solution Framework for Agile (MSF-Agile) has a good starting points to create a SOW. It has a ready to use template that can be used to help your team create comprehensive agile documentation. You can download the template here. The template has key activities for Agile team which are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Agile Key Activities
In Table 1, it is shown that the first activity that just like “SOW creation” is creating project backlog. Project backlog is a set of stories that related with the need of client. The key activities is creating project vision. In MSF, the output of this activity is a document called vision and scope document. Therefore, you can give your customer with vision and scope document if they need a SOW. However, please be carefull since you need provide additional argument to make your vision and scope document is accepted. Here are some arguments
Vision and Scope document has an executive summary that cover client business need and proposed solution in a glance
Vision and scope document has a proposed solution that contains scope and approach to create the solution
Vision and scope document provides project timeline that show when the project is finished, and how long the solution is developed
Vision and scope document has project governance approach that covers communication plan, risk management, and configuration management. This section works just like collaboration commitment
Vision and Scope covers project organization and staffing. it is developed to make sure that our client confident that your team is a proper team to do the job.
Vision and scope covers the investment of the project. It tell your client how to change their invetsment into their productivity
Vision and scope covers project assumptions a model that show your commitment within the proect.
In the end, you can make an effort to propose this document as vision and scope / project proposal documents. Good luck
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