Before I start any project, I make sure I fill out a Statement of Work for myself. This means I know exactly what I’m supposed to be working on as well as why it matters.

Drafting a Statement of Work (SOW) is something I swear by: it only takes 5-10 minutes, and the clarity it provides for me is always worth it. It doesn’t need to be a fancy document or shared with anyone else (unless you want someone to check that you’ve got things right): just scribble it down in your notes app before you start work.

📝 What goes in the SOW

🌳 Context
Why did this project come up? What problem is it solving, or what hypothesis is it testing?

📂 Deliverables
What are you expected to deliver as a successful finish to the project? What format are the deliverables in? How will you deliver/handover your work?

🎉 Success
What does a good job look like? Are there any metrics this should be tracking against?

👀 Consultants/Approvers
Who should I talk to during this project? Does anything need sign-off or checking before I progress? If I get stuck, who do I consult?

🗓️ Deadlines
When is this project due? Should I be leaving time for revisions to my deliverables? Are there any milestone deadlines before the end date?

Your first couple of times drafting a SOW might take a bit longer, but once you get used to the process you should be able to smash them out pretty fast. The great thing about it is it provides direction and also highlights any gaps – if you can’t answer any of the questions, you can get those clarified right away.

And if you’re a manager or a team lead, you can also use this template to brief anyone else.