ENGINEERING TERM OF THE MONTH
"Scope of Work"
As a new project enters the preliminary design phase, it is necessary for the designing engineer to clearly define the work that needs to be performed on a project. A scope of work is written to give a project direction and lay out the necessary tasks to complete it. If the direction of the project is not clearly defined, there can be complications and disputes throughout its entirety. Any unnecessary tasks outside the project’s scope of work are referred to as “scope creep” and can result in wasted time and money.
A scope of work is like an apple pie recipe. The project is to construct Grandma’s world-famous apple pie for the family’s holiday dinner. Listed in the recipe are all the necessary ingredients for the project as well as step-by-step instructions. Like a good recipe, if a scope of work is written well, the work needed to finish the project should be straightforward.
29