Statement of Work (SOW)

Phase: Pre-sales and initiation | Audience: Shared | Project: WEB-2026-01 Corporate Website Development

Understand it first

In simple words: The Statement of Work (SOW) is the legally binding agreement that says exactly what will be delivered, by when, for how much, and how the client will accept each deliverable.

Think of it like: The final signed agreement with the kitchen contractor, listing every item, dates, payments and what happens if something goes wrong.

How it connects to other documents

1. Its 7 deliverables (D1–D7) are tracked until the Project Acceptance form.
2. Its dates become milestones in the Schedule.
3. It refers to the Change Management Plan for any change.

The sample document

Below is the actual document for project WEB-2026-01. Read the purpose first, then go through each numbered section.

Issued by: [Your Company] Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Purpose: Binding description of the work, deliverables, responsibilities and acceptance process agreed between both parties. Issued under Purchase Order [PO number].

1. Parties and references

2. Scope of work

Design, development, testing and launch of a 10-page WordPress website as described in the Technical Proposal and Scope Statement (WEB-2026-01/SS). Items listed as exclusions in the Commercial Proposal are not part of this SOW.

3. Deliverables and acceptance criteria

4. Schedule

5. Fees and payment

Fixed price of ₹5,96,500 plus GST, invoiced in four milestones (30% / 30% / 30% / 10%) as set out in the Commercial Proposal. Invoices are payable within 15 days.

6. Customer responsibilities

1. Provide logo, brand guidelines and all page content by 16 Oct 2026.
2. Nominate one decision-maker and respond to review requests within 3 working days.
3. Provide domain registrar and DNS access by 9 Oct 2026.
4. Carry out UAT between 1 and 4 Dec 2026.

7. Acceptance procedure

The customer reviews each deliverable within 5 working days of submission and either accepts it or lists specific defects against the acceptance criteria. If no response is received within that period, the deliverable is deemed accepted.

8. Changes, warranty and termination

1. Changes follow the Change Management Plan (WEB-2026-01/CHP) and are billed at the agreed rate card.
2. Defects against approved scope are fixed free of charge for 14 days after go-live.
3. Either party may terminate with 15 days' written notice; work completed and third-party purchases are payable.

9. Signatures

WEB-2026-01/SOW · v1.0 · Shared with client. Bracketed items such as [Client Name] are placeholders.

Key takeaways

1. Every deliverable must have clear acceptance criteria.
2. Client responsibilities (content, access, feedback time) are as important as ours.
3. The 'deemed accepted' clause stops approvals from dragging on forever.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Vague deliverables such as 'a modern website'.
2. No acceptance procedure, so the client can keep saying 'not done'.
3. Starting work before the SOW is signed.

Next lesson: 10. Project Charter