CIO Wisdom II: More Best Practices

Scope Documents and Statements of Work

Every contract should contain a statement or description of the work that the vendor must perform in order to be entitled to payment. However, for numerous reasons, parties often don't create a clear description of the work. The resulting lack of clarity gives rise to disputes when the parties disagree over whether the vendor has performed all of the items of the required work or whether a customer is requesting a vendor to perform work outside the original project scope. While it is usually impossible to eliminate all ambiguity in describing the scope for a complex project, there are techniques you can use to head off disputes and protect yourself in the event that a dispute arises.

Know Your Audience