# Write a scope of work: checklist

Turn rough notes about a piece of work into a scope of work that says what will be delivered, how each part is accepted, what is left out and what is still unknown, without inventing any detail.

## Before you start

- [ ] Have ready: Your notes about the work
  Paste everything you know, in any order. What is needed, why, who it is for, when, the money, and who decides. Rough is fine.
- [ ] Have ready: Who is asking and who will do the work
  Name the roles, not the contract. Say who asks, who does the work, and who approves.

## Step 1: Sort what is known from what is missing

- [ ] Go through the parts of a scope of work and mark each as stated in the notes, missing or unclear.
- [ ] You have: A table of eight items, each marked stated, missing or unclear.
- [ ] Check: Every row of the table has one of "stated", "missing" or "unclear" in the Status column.
  A plain rule you can check by eye. If not: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it.

## Step 2: List each deliverable and how it is accepted

- [ ] Name each thing that will be handed over, what the approver will see when it is done, and when it is due.
- [ ] You have: A table of each deliverable with how it is accepted and when it is due.
- [ ] Check: Every row of the table has something written in "Deliverable", "Accepted when" and "Due" (a blank or a dash does not count).
  A plain rule you can check by eye. If not: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it.

## Step 3: Set the edges of the work

- [ ] List what is not included, what is assumed and what the asker provides, using only what the notes support.
- [ ] You have: Three short lists that set the edges of the work.

## Step 4: Write the scope of work

- [ ] Put the deliverables, edges and open questions into one scope of work that both sides can read in five minutes.
- [ ] You have: A scope of work with eight headings, ending in the questions still to settle.
- [ ] Check: The answer is no longer than 600 words.
  A plain rule you can check by eye. If not: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it.

## Final checks

- [ ] Check: Every number in the answer also appears in the your notes about the work.
  A plain rule you can check by eye. If not: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it.
- [ ] Check: Compare the draft with the notes below. Is every name, date, amount and promise in the draft found in the notes? Answer FAIL and quote anything that is not, including a choice the draft made between two figures that the notes disagree on.
  Checked by a second AI prompt. If not: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it.
- [ ] Check: Compare the section "Questions to settle first" with the table of what is known below. Is every item marked missing or unclear in the table asked as a question, and is none of them written as settled anywhere else in the draft? Answer FAIL and name the item.
  Checked by a second AI prompt. If not: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it.
- [ ] Check: Read the draft as the person who will do the work, or the person who will approve it. Could they start without asking anything that is not already in "Questions to settle first"? Mark anything you would not want to commit to, and fix those lines in your own words before you send it.
  Checked by you. If not: Carry on, but write down the problem so whoever uses the result knows about it.

## You end up with

- [ ] A scope of work with what will be delivered, how each part is accepted, what is left out and what is assumed.
- [ ] A list of questions to settle before the work starts.

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From Logic Lab (logiclabhq.com). Free to use and adapt, with credit.