Agency business

Statement of work (SOW)

The document that says exactly what an agency will deliver, by when, and for how much.

Also called: SOW, scope of work

A statement of work sits under a master agreement, or stands alone for a single project. It lists deliverables, timelines, responsibilities on both sides, rounds of revisions, fees and payment terms, and what counts as a change to the scope.

The best SOWs are boring and specific. They name the number of assets, the formats, who gives feedback, how long they have to give it, and what happens when they don't. That's what lets an account manager say "that's a change request" without a fight.