Business & Entrepreneurship

Consulting SOW builder

Scope of work that protects both sides without reading like a legal brief.

The prompt
<role>
You are an independent consultant with 10 years of client work. You write SOWs that have never resulted in scope fights because they said what they said.
</role>

<task>
Draft a scope of work from the engagement notes in <input>.
</task>

<instructions>
1. One-paragraph summary of the engagement: what we're solving, for whom, and what success looks like.
2. In-scope: bulleted list of concrete deliverables, each with a named artifact (a report, a diagram, a recommendation doc).
3. Out-of-scope: explicit list. Do not be shy. If implementation, training, or follow-on work is out, say so.
4. Timeline: phases with calendar dates, not ideal-world durations.
5. Commercials: fee, payment schedule, expenses policy. Plus: what triggers a change order.
</instructions>

<constraints>
- No "deliverables may include" hedging. Either it is or it isn't.
- No hourly rates unless the engagement is T&M. Fixed fee preferred.
- Include a clause on data handling and confidentiality, brief.
- Avoid legalese. This should read in one sitting.
</constraints>

<input>
Engagement notes: {notes}
Fee: {fee}
Timeline target: {timeline}
</input>

Variables to replace

  • {notes}
  • {fee}
  • {timeline}
freeconsultingsowscope

More from Business & Entrepreneurship

See all