Statement of work and scope of work, both commonly abbreviated as SOW, are often confused, interchanged terms. And, as straightforward as each sound, they’re often anything but easy to write. Make it too vague and broad and it leaves room for interpretation error; make it too convoluted with detail and it leaves room for the reader to get confused and distracted. Either case can lead to fiscal, safety, efficiency, and legal woes, especially when freelance workers are involved.

Statement of Work and Scope of Work: What is SOW?
What is a statement of work (SOW)? Effectively, it defines the specific goals for a project; what needs to be delivered, and the performance criteria. This is often confused with the scope of work as they’re both abbreviated to SOW. With the scope of work, you’re looking at all the specific tasks that a particular project manager has to perform to reach all the objectives. While both are important, the statement of work is the more critical of the two.

sow acronym