Would you make a gourmet meal without a recipe?
Would you take a road trip without knowing the destination, and how to get there?
Do you plan a big meeting or event without an objective or agenda?
If you answered no to these questions, then why would you be involved in an audiovisual integration project without an effective Scope of Work?
Defining a Scope of Work
For starters, a Scope of Work defines the design criteria, functionality requirements, timeline and outcome of the system in a way that captures your needs and establishes project expectations.
What makes an effective Scope of Work is the balance of three main project components: system functionality, budget and time.
Within the functionality requirement of the Scope of Work is a sub-section of defined criteria. These include system operation, programming functionality, system design and device selection. Knowing what functionality you need is the key to defining system design and device selection, and it must support system programming.
Using a Scope of Work to Benefit Your Project
When structured and applied correctly, the Scope of Work:
Establishes project requirements
Sets expectations for all parties
Sets parameters for pricing
Provides a guideline for scheduling
Determines the ability to achieve success and provide customer satisfaction
Outlines an instruction set for programming
Defines customization, personalization and user preferences
Ensures the system equipment and design can support operational functionality
Determines terms of relationship for all parties
Failure Insurance
Think of a time when you didn't get the results that you were expecting from of a project, product or relationship. Were your expectations outlined and agreed upon? Did you understand who was responsible for what and when you would see results?
Misaligned expectations are the most likely causes for disappointment and frustration. This happens when there is a loose definition of requirements, terms and responsibilities. The Scope of Work defines the terms of the relationship, timeframe and costs, and articulates the requirements of deliverables in a way that guards against confusion, disappointment or project failure.
When a Scope of Work is not effectively established, its impact on tangible aspects of the project like equipment selection, system design and cost is measurable. But a poorly defined Scope of Work (or a project without a Scope of Work) has an even more significant impact on the intangibles like system programming and schedule.
Control of Your System, Control over Your Project
Control system programming is a difficult to define, but it is an essential component of a system. For control system programming, there are infinite possibilities and interpretations that affect functionality and require clearly established expectations from the start.
You can start your project on the right path by defining everything from the graphic user interface to the system operation to customization and unique features like password protection. Additionally, you should include dialing directories, "tech mode" functions and remote monitoring in the Scope of Work. But this is no easy task and many times just understanding the available choices can be a significant hurdle.
As control system programmers with Control Concepts, we use tools and techniques to help identify and define requirements to establish expectations. However, unless we address this aspect with our clients at the onset of the project, before we establish budgets or pricing, we could still run the risk of falling short of expectations.
The overall Scope of Work challenge becomes a chicken and egg scenario. Either invest in identifying the requirements that can define scope and be used to establish a budget and timeline or use the budget and timeline to define the possibilities or constraints of the scope.
Depending on your perspective (end user, sales, purchasing agent, project manager, programmer) the priority order could look different but the balance of these three criteria is critical to the success of the project.
Secure Project Success
The value of a Scope of Work does not end with defining the requirements of a project, just as a good plan does not end on paper. Continuing through the life of the project, the Scope of Work lets service providers and clients manage interpretations, changes, and revisions. Adhering to the established functionality requirements in accordance with the Scope of Work doesn't just indemnify the parties from risk; it keeps the project on schedule, in budget and successful.
As with a recipe or road map, the Scope of Work is a plan for a successful outcome. There is room for interpretation or variation but the guidelines ensure that expectations are met for schedule, cost and quality.
The key to a successful project is keeping a Scope of Work in equilibrium. The three components of the Scope of Work(functionality, budget, and time) all need to be in sync in order for the project to remain steady and produce the desired result. If the budget is too small or the functionality too complex, then the project will most likely not be delivered on time. If the timeframe is too compressed, then the functionality will need to be limited or the budget will need to be expanded to work extra hours. If the functionality is too complex, it will take more time and money to satisfy the expectations of the project.
In the end, the more effort to identify requirements upfront, document the details and manage the project to stay on course, the more likely you are to get your desired outcome.
Steve Greenblatt, CTS, is founder and president of Control Concepts, Inc., a leading independent provider of audiovisual control system solutions based in Fair Lawn, NJ. Steve has worked with audiovisual control systems for a variety of applications and environments including boardrooms, lecture halls and classrooms, and audio and videoconferencing systems.