The Most Important Document No One Reads

One of the most critical — and most overlooked — documents in any IT project is the Statement of Work (SoW).

It defines what the supplier will do.

More importantly, it defines what they won’t.

At Dell, I often saw customers approve an SoW that didn’t match what they thought had been agreed in the sales conversations.

By the time delivery started, expectations were already misaligned — and nobody realised until things began to slip.

Now, on the other side of the table, I see the same pattern in SMEs:

• The SoW gets signed with a quick skim.

• The internal team assumes more is included than actually is.

• Tensions rise once the supplier “sticks to the contract.”

That’s where experience of both sides matters.

And it’s where a holistic, systems-led approach to project delivery makes the difference.

It’s not just about tracking tasks — it’s about connecting people, processes, assumptions, and outcomes.

The SoW is a governance document. But unless someone owns the governance thinking, it just becomes a source of friction.

#ProjectDelivery #StatementOfWork #FractionalLeadership #STPD #SystemsThinking #SME