Defining the scope of work in construction
The scope of work in construction is the list of construction obligations as well as work activities that all contractors, subcontractors and suppliers are required to perform. This is all written down in an agreement or contract, which is then called the scope of work.
Scope of Work Elements
- Explains all related tasks, limitations, and duties that are necessary to obtain required results
- Describes all standards and regulations, as well as any special requirements
- Identifies all responsibilities of contractors
- Defines all contract objectives and project requirements
- Includes payment schedule and contract form
Scope of Work Components
The Project Overview
The project overview is a brief statement that offers a summary of the project while highlighting the main objectives and providing a brief description of the project.
The scope of the project
All project objectives are defined in the project scope. This is where all quantifiable data can be found, along with the budget and technical specifications. This is also a great place to list all the different project milestones.
The project results
All project objectives and goals must be placed in the project deliverables.
The Project Schedule
The schedule for all work must be in accordance with the project schedule. This will include all the different delivery dates and how long the entire project will take to complete.
Project management
All work that the project management team will perform must fall within the project management section of the scope of work. This includes payment information, legal requirements, and any and all changes to the first contract.
5 tips for creating the scope of work
- Use basic language
You may be well versed in construction language, but that doesn't mean everyone will know what you're talking about. Therefore, it is important that you use basic language in your scope of work. For those words and phrases that you can't put into layman's terms, you should put them in a glossary. This way, everyone else can know what it means and there won't be any problems later because it's all in writing.
- Break the entire project into smaller parts
An entire construction project can be very long, so you should break it down into smaller pieces for the scope of the work. You can start with broad terms and then create sections for each level of work that will be completed. This will make it easier for anyone else to follow the work and know what has been completed and what remains to be done.
- Check all deliverables and objectives
Someone must check all deliverables and objectives that are written in the scope of work, because without this verification the project will not follow the right path. It is imperative that work remains on track because otherwise the budget and schedule may be affected.
- Add visuals
Visuals can be very helpful in showing what things will look like at each point in the construction process. Additionally, diagrams and blueprints will help whoever is doing the work because they can see how everything should look as it is completed.
- Get approvals
As the scope of work is close to completion, the people working on each part of it must sign off. This ensures that your part of the work listed is correct and they cannot say otherwise later. Of course, they can still submit a change request later, but it will need to go through the approval process.
Use smart goals for your scope of work
When it comes to the scope of work, you should utilize smart goals to make it the best it can be.
S stands for Specific – It is important that you are specific with what you hope to achieve with your scope of work. We recommend asking the five W's, which are who, what, why, when and where, when creating your scope of work so you don't leave anything unanswered.
M stands for Measurable – When you measure your progress, you can more easily stay on track or at least know how behind you really are.
A is Achievable – If you are setting goals that no one can achieve, you will always fail in your scope of work. Therefore, we recommend creating achievable goals that everyone on your team can easily accomplish.
R stands for Relevant – Everything in your scope of work should be relevant to your goals. If what you want to do doesn't help you achieve what you want, then it shouldn't be in your scope of work.
T is timely – A targeted schedule is useful for construction projects because it allows you to see everything that has been completed along the way. While a basic end date may be enough, these smaller due dates along the way can help you see how much progress you've made and how much further you have to go.
You can have the best scope of work possible and it still may not be enough to complete a project. Therefore, you will want to review your scope of work quite frequently and make necessary changes as needed.
Most of the time, these changes won't affect the schedule, especially if everyone agrees to the changes quickly. This is why you must have excellent communication with everyone involved in the project. If communication is done regularly, you won't have to wait weeks to hear back from one or two people. They will know to check back regularly so that changes or other issues can be resolved quickly.
Some people don't think a scope of work is necessary, especially for smaller projects, but they can be useful for projects of any size. Since payments are listed, as well as a wealth of other information, no one will question what to expect at any point during the construction process. Instead of people asking a million questions, they can simply look at the scope of work to have many of their questions answered.
Of course, they can ask questions if they can't find the answer within the scope of the job. If this happens, you may want to make changes to this scope of work, as well as future ones, so that the answer is there from now on.
Scope of work can save you a lot of time while also serving as a way to stay accountable for the work that still needs to be completed on any project.
