What should a scope of work for marketing or a website include?
A scope of work lists what will be delivered, in what quantity and by what date, and what is left out. It also says what the business must supply and by when, how each item is accepted as done, how a change is agreed in writing before extra work starts, and who signs off. The same list can work for marketing, a website or software.
What a scope adds
A proposal usually explains the offer and a contract sets the terms. A scope of work is the working list between them. The related answers on what an SEO proposal should include and on what a marketing agency contract should say each have a scope item, and the contract answer covers scope creep. This page is about the scope document itself, with dates and quantities. For a website, the related answer on what a website design contract should include covers revision rounds and handover.
The parts of a scope
Write each part in plain words that both sides can check. The examples are only illustrations.
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverables | Each item by name, with a quantity and a due date | Five service pages, first drafts due on a stated date |
| Exclusions | What is not included, written out | Photography and paid advertising are not part of this scope |
| What the business supplies | Each item and the date it is due | Logins and photos by a stated date, answers to questions within a set time |
| Acceptance | Who checks each item, against what, and how long they have to reply | Checked against the list of pages, reply within a set time |
| Changes | What is added, what moves and the new date, written down and agreed by both sides first | One extra page is added and delivery moves back a week |
| Sign-off | The named person on each side who can accept work and approve changes | The owner, or an office manager the owner names |
Dates cut both ways
Projects can slow down waiting on the business as well as on the provider; the related answer on what a website design contract should include covers pairing dates on both sides.
Signs a scope is too loose
- Deliverables with no quantity or date, such as "regular posts".
- Nothing listed as excluded.
- Nobody named to accept the work.
- Wording like "as needed" where a number belongs.
- Changes agreed by chat or by phone with nothing written down.
Where the scope lives
It can be a page attached to the contract or a separate document that the contract refers to. As general advice, keep one dated current version and ask that the contract refer to it, so there is no doubt which list applies. This is general advice, not legal advice.
Related answers
- What should a good SEO proposal include?
- What should a marketing agency contract say before you sign it?
- What should a website design contract include?
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