scope-and-sow

name	scope-and-sow
description	Use when you need to write or change a statement of work — turning an agreed offer into a scope, deliverables, price, and terms that both protect the client and defend the agency's margin.

Scope and Statement of Work

Run this before work starts and again whenever the ask grows. The SOW is the line between paid work and unpaid work; if it is not written, the agency will do it for free and resent it. Clarity here prevents the fight later.

Steps

1. Write the deliverables as nouns. Concrete, countable things the client receives — "three campaign concepts, one produced," not "creative support." If you cannot count it, you cannot deliver it or invoice it.
2. Write the exclusions louder. What is explicitly not included, what costs extra, and how many rounds of revision are in scope. Exclusions prevent scope creep more than inclusions do.
3. State the assumptions. What must be true for the price to hold — client inputs by a date, existing brand assets, no more than N stakeholders. A broken assumption is a change order, not a favor.
4. Set the commercials. Price, payment schedule, and what triggers an invoice. Tie milestones to money so delivery and revenue stay in sync.
5. Define acceptance. Who signs off on each deliverable, against what, and how long they have to respond before it is deemed accepted.
6. Write the change path. Exactly how a change to scope becomes a change to price and timeline — a short written change, approved before the extra work starts. No verbal scope changes.
7. Route for approval. The account director owns margin and terms; nothing proceeds until the client has accepted the SOW in writing.

Quality bar

• Every deliverable is countable and has an acceptance criterion.
• Exclusions and revision limits are explicit.
• Each assumption, if broken, maps cleanly to a change order.
• Payment milestones are tied to delivery milestones.

Output format

SOW: <account / project>   VERSION: <n>   DATE: <date>
DELIVERABLES: <countable noun — acceptance criterion, each>
OUT OF SCOPE: <bulleted>   REVISIONS: <n rounds included>
ASSUMPTIONS: <bulleted — each one a potential change order>
PRICE: <amount>   PAYMENT: <schedule tied to milestones>
ACCEPTANCE: <who signs / against what / response window>
CHANGE PATH: <how scope changes become priced change orders>
APPROVED BY: <client signatory> — <date>