Statement of work (SOW)
The document that pins down exactly what a project will deliver, by when, for how much, and how everyone will know it's done.
A statement of work (SOW) is the document that defines a specific project: its scope, deliverables, timeline, price, and — critically — the acceptance criteria that determine when the work is considered done. Where a master services agreement sets the ongoing legal and commercial terms of the relationship, the SOW is the per-project detail that says exactly what you're building this time.
What a solid SOW covers
- Scope and objectives — what's included, in concrete terms.
- Deliverables — the tangible outputs the client receives.
- Timeline and milestones — key dates and phase checkpoints.
- Assumptions and exclusions — what you're relying on, and what is explicitly not in scope.
- Acceptance criteria — how completion is judged and signed off.
- Price and payment terms — fixed fee, time-and-materials, or milestone-based.
Why it matters for MSPs
The SOW is an MSP's primary defense against scope creep — the slow expansion of "can you also just..." that turns a profitable project into a loss. A clear exclusions list and firm acceptance criteria turn a scope dispute into a straightforward change-order conversation instead of an awkward one. It's as much a margin-protection tool as a legal one.
How it connects to delivery in Current
Current doesn't draft your SOW, but it's where the SOW comes to life. The deliverables and phase boundaries you agreed become milestones and tasks; PMI playbooks give repeatable engagements a consistent structure to scope from; and the client sees progress against that plan through a partner portal that exposes timeline and status while keeping the pricing and cost behind it isolated at the database layer. The document sets the promise — Current tracks whether you're keeping it.
Sources
- 1.Statement of work — Wikipedia