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• Elective Project Management Courses
• Business Process Analysis, Innovation and Design
• Establishing The Project Management Office
• Negotiation Skills for Project Managers
• Vendor Selection and Management: A Collaborative Approach
• Writing Statements of Work: The Heart of Any Contract

Writing Statements of Work: The Heart of Any Contract

Course Duration: 3 Days (8:30am-5:00pm)

Professional Development Units (PDU): 18

Continuous Professional Development Points (CPD): 10

You'll Learn How To:

•  Identify the most common errors found in inappropriate, confusing or misconstrued narratives
• Employ easy techniques and "best practice" methods that will help you maintain consistently high quality in your SOW documents Identify what a "breach of contract" entails
• Assist others more effectively in critiquing SOWs for quality, clarity and completeness
• Utilise information on how the courts historically interpret disputes in contract language according to long-standing principles

PMBOK® Knowledge Areas:

Project Scope Management Project Cost Management Project Time Management Project Procurement Management

Program Objectives:

Widely considered the "heart of the contract," the Statement of Work (SOW) is the foundation of the relationship between buyers and sellers. The purchase or sale of products and services can only be executed by skillfully creating the SOW document. This course is designed for practical use by requirements developers, in-house SOW team members and other project managers and contract managers whose responsibilities include properly identifying needs and turning them into quality contracts. It provides the essential information you'll need, including basic contract management concepts, to consistently develop and administer effective SOWs.

The course employs challenging team exercises and case studies that will take you through the process of building a solid statement of work. You will learn how outsourcing needs emerge within companies and how these needs are eventually recognized and articulated. You will identify methods by which needs are analyzed using proven tools to yield contract objectives that generate logic, flow and consistency in the resulting SOW. This course defines the essential ingredients of the SOW, which include the scope and background statements, comprehensive listing of responsibilities for both buyers and sellers, deliverables and their schedules, acceptance criteria and special terms and conditions of performance.

You will also learn techniques for managing performance against the SOW requirements, including organizing responsibilities, monitoring obligations on both sides of the bargain, as well as taking corrective actions and resolving disputes. The skills learned in this practical course can be immediately applied by anyone involved in writing, negotiating, awarding or administering SOWs.

Course Outline:

1. The Basics SOWs in Business: The role and importance of the Statements of Work (SOW) A well-written SOW The essential elements of a contract Addressing risk management in SOWs Basic concepts of agency - agent law Types of authority at your company or organisation Basic concepts in contract law
2. The purpose of the SOW: Relationship between master contract and SOW Conflicts in contracts Contract interpretation guidelines Difference approaches to SOWs Uncertainty and risk in contracting Categories and types of contracts 
3.  An SOW's Concept Development: Needs and requirements evolution in SOW development Sources of requirements Initiating requirements identification Ensuring clarity of requirements Use of a requirements analysis checklist
4. The Use of a Requirements Definition: The work breakdown structure's relationship to requirements and the SOW Integral parts of the SOW format Outline for typical SOW Preparing an actual work breakdown structure (WBS)
5. Creating the Narrative Problems associated with poor writing and poor construction: Guidelines for writing SOWs Locating errors in a draft SOW Drafting an actual SOW
6. Quality Assurance Through the Use of an SOW Master Checklist: The purpose/rationale of a SOW master chacklist The use of the Master Checklist by the SOW writer
7. Standard Tools Used for Preparing Quality SOWs: Standard outline for a typical SOW Checklist for identifying typical problems of poor or complicated narratives Master Checklist for the SOW writer Basic Project Management Glossary Basic Contract Management Glossary
8. Long-Term Issues for Quality SOWs: Ways to monitor SOWs and performance issues Responsibilities of team members Having a sound contract administration plan Post-award orientation Proactive problem resolution

Course Schedule and Fees

Prices below are indicative of Public Courses Only. Discounts apply for groups and on site training. Please call ESI to discuss.