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Before a statement of work can be drafted, much research must be done. Past projects must be look at in order to draw a fair comparison. Experts in the field should be consulted to get an unbiased, objective and accurate estimate on how much the project will cost and how long it will take. While some companies opt to only look at past data within the company, a new project may be something entirely different. To look at an old project that lacked the complexities of a new one can leave the project manager at a disadvantage if she's expected to live up to the expectations on a smaller or more simple project.
Once the research has been done, the writer of the statement of work then needs to clarify and explain the exact definition of the project. He needs to state exactly what needs to happen step by step in order for the project to be seen as a success. He then has to go over all the fair rules to place upon a project manager. If the writer of the statement of work has not worked in the roles that he is assigning, it's imperative that he speak to those who have and does thorough research. An inefficient statement of work can mess up a company's plan for the project. A badly written statement of work can make a project management team look unfairly bad when unachievable demands have been set, or it can make an inefficient team look as though they worked wonders when a goal was exceeded due to setting the bar low.
