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Resources · Process & Scoping

How to Write a Technical Statement of Work (SOW) That Developers Actually Respect

Last Updated: December 13, 2025

A good Statement of Work (SOW) is not a 30-page legal wall of text nobody reads. It’s a shared map that keeps scope, expectations, and budget under control.

When a SOW is vague, you get:

  • Scope creep
  • Frustrated developers
  • “That’s not included” arguments
  • Slipping timelines

When a SOW is clear, you get:

  • Fewer surprises
  • Faster decisions
  • Better relationship between business and technical teams

This article walks you through the key sections of a technical SOW for web and software projects, with practical notes you can reuse.

1. Start with Problem, Not Features

Many SOWs start with a feature wish list. That’s how you end up building the wrong thing very efficiently.

Instead, begin with a short Problem & Outcome section.

1.1 Problem Statement (Plain Language)

Describe:

  • Who is having the problem (customers, internal team, both)
  • What is broken or inefficient today
  • Why now (what changed or what is at risk)

Example:

“Our current website does not reliably capture leads due to slow performance, inconsistent forms, and poor mobile layout. Sales spends time manually chasing incomplete submissions. We need a stable, responsive site that reliably captures and routes qualified leads to the right team.”

1.2 Desired Outcomes

List outcomes in business terms, not just “new system live.”

Examples:

  • Increase successful form submissions by X%
  • Reduce support tickets related to login issues
  • Decrease time spent manually updating prices/inventory

This keeps everyone aligned when tough trade-offs appear later.

2. Define Scope by “In” and “Out”

Developers respect clarity about what is not being done as much as what is being done.

2.1 In-Scope

Be as concrete as possible:

  • Platforms (e.g., “Shopify plus custom app”, “WordPress + custom plugin”)
  • Key modules or pages
  • Number of integrations and with which systems
  • Any migrations (content, users, products)
  • Any reporting or dashboard requirements

Example:

  • Build new marketing site with:
    • Home, About, Services, Case Studies, Blog, Contact
    • Blog migration of up to 200 posts from current CMS
    • Integration with CRM for lead capture
    • Basic analytics setup (page views, events for form submissions)

2.2 Out-of-Scope

This is where you protect budget and timelines:

Examples:

  • Custom mobile app development
  • Complex multi-language content (beyond English)
  • Full redesign of legacy internal tools
  • 1:1 recreation of every historic marketing page

If something is “maybe later”, say it’s out of scope for this phase, but can be considered in Phase 2.

3. Functional Requirements (What the System Should Do)

Functional requirements describe behaviors the system must support.

Don’t worry about perfect wording. Aim for:

  • Simple, numbered points
  • Grouped by area (e.g., “Auth”, “Content Management”, “Integrations”)

3.1 Example Structure

Authentication & Users

  1. Users can sign up with email + password.
  2. Users can log in and reset passwords securely.
  3. Admin users can manage roles and permissions via an admin panel.

Content Management

  1. Marketing team can create, edit, and publish pages without developers.
  2. Content supports reusable sections (e.g., testimonials, CTAs).

Integrations

  1. Lead forms push data into CRM with fields: Name, Email, Company, Source.
  2. E-commerce orders sync to ERP with order lines, discounts, and taxes.

Keep each requirement “testable” – someone can later say “Yes, this works” or “No, it doesn’t.”

4. Non-Functional Requirements (How It Should Behave)

Non-functional requirements are where reliability and quality live.

Areas to cover:

  • Performance
  • Security
  • Availability & uptime (if relevant)
  • Scalability expectations
  • Browser and device support

4.1 Examples

  • Performance
    • Key marketing pages should load in under X seconds on a typical 4G mobile connection, based on lab tests.
  • Security
    • All public pages served over HTTPS.
    • Admin area behind authentication with named accounts.
  • Availability
    • System should be designed for 99.5% uptime under normal conditions (formal SLAs may live in a separate document).
  • Scalability
    • The system should support traffic spikes of up to Y concurrent users during campaigns without manual intervention.
  • Compatibility
    • Support the latest two major versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
    • Provide a reasonable mobile experience for recent iOS and Android devices.

Non-functional requirements are often ignored until something breaks. Putting them in the SOW gives developers something concrete to design for.

5. Integrations and Data Flows

Technical SOWs often fail by saying “Integrate with X” with no further detail.

Instead, outline:

  • Which systems are involved
  • Direction of data flow
  • Trigger events
  • Frequency or latency expectations

5.1 Example

CRM Integration

  • Systems: Website forms → CRM
  • Direction: One-way (website → CRM)
  • Trigger: Form submission on Contact, Demo, and Pricing pages
  • Fields: Name, Email, Company, Phone (optional), Source page, Campaign tag
  • Frequency: Near real-time (within seconds), via API or webhook

ERP Integration

  • Systems: E-commerce platform ↔ ERP
  • Direction: Orders (platform → ERP), inventory (ERP → platform)
  • Trigger: New paid order created, inventory changes
  • Frequency: Real-time or near real-time for orders; scheduled batch for inventory (e.g., every 10–15 minutes)

This level of detail prevents “we thought it would…” conversations later.

6. Assumptions and Dependencies

Assumptions are everything that must be true for the project to work as planned.

Examples:

  • Client will provide access to existing hosting, domains, and third-party tools within X days of project start.
  • Client will provide consolidated brand assets (logo, fonts, color codes) before design work begins.
  • Third-party APIs and services will remain available and within their documented limits.
  • Client subject matter experts will be available for 1–2 review cycles per phase.

If an assumption turns out to be false, it’s a legit reason to revisit scope or timelines.

Dependencies to mention:

  • External vendors (e.g., ERP partner)
  • Approval from compliance/legal
  • Third-party design agencies, copywriters, etc.

7. Delivery, Milestones, and Acceptance

You don’t need a super rigid Gantt chart, but you do need a basic delivery structure.

7.1 Milestones

Examples:

  1. Discovery & Technical Design approved
  2. First working prototype / staging environment
  3. Core features complete & ready for UAT (user acceptance testing)
  4. Launch / go-live
  5. Post-launch stabilization period (e.g., 30 days)

7.2 Acceptance Criteria

Link acceptance to:

  • Functional requirements
  • Non-functional requirements (where practical)
  • Agreed test scenarios

Example:

“The milestone ‘Core features complete’ is considered accepted when all critical and high-priority functional requirements marked for Phase 1 are implemented, tested on staging, and signed off by the Client’s project owner in writing.”

This prevents “launch by surprise” or “we’re done… except for these 10 things.”

8. Support, Maintenance, and Handover

Clarify what happens after launch:

  • Is there a stabilization period where bugs are fixed at no extra cost?
  • Is ongoing maintenance included, or is it a separate agreement?
  • What documentation will be provided (e.g., admin guide, architecture notes)?

Example:

  • “For 30 days after launch, critical and high-severity bugs directly related to implemented features will be fixed without additional charge.”
  • “Ongoing maintenance (updates, monitoring, minor changes) is outside of this SOW and can be covered by a separate maintenance plan.”

9. Budget and Change Management

A technical SOW should not be a fixed price with a vague scope.

Include:

  • The pricing model (fixed-fee, time & materials, or hybrid)
  • What happens if scope changes
  • How change requests are evaluated

Example:

“This SOW is based on a fixed-fee model for the defined scope. Any new features or material changes are handled via a written change request that includes impact on timeline and budget. Work will only proceed after written approval.”

This keeps everyone aligned when new ideas appear mid-project.

10. Checklist: What Your SOW Should Answer

Before calling your SOW “done”, check if it answers:

  1. What problem are we solving and for whom?
  2. What is clearly in scope and out of scope?
  3. What does the system need to do (functional)?
  4. How should it behave under load, over time, and securely (non-functional)?
  5. Which systems are integrated and how does data flow between them?
  6. What are our assumptions and dependencies?
  7. How will we know when each milestone is “done”?
  8. What happens after launch?
  9. How do we handle change requests?

If a section feels weak, strengthen it now—before developers start writing code based on wishful thinking.

If you’d like a neutral technical partner to help you review or draft a SOW for your next project, Alison Prime can help you turn ideas into a document developers actually respect and follow.

Need a second pair of eyes on your SOW? Talk to Alison Prime