Exploring the SOW Template

SOW templates are used along with classifications and SOW Types to standardize the SOW creation process.

SOW Templates contain the default values and information that automatically populates when an SOW is created. When a user creates an SOW, the SOW Template they initially select automatically populates much of the information for them. This simplifies the process of creating SOWs and reduces the amount of time it takes for a Hiring Manager to submit a new service request.

For instance, consider that when Patricia, the Director of Networking and Network Security for WorkingNet, created the statement of work for WorkingNet’s data center expansion project, she was required to select the SOW template. That template contained associations to the business units, cost centers, sites, suppliers, and other data related to IT projects.

While the process of creating an SOW is carried out across five separate pages, an SOW Template is configured on only one page, though the template is divided into sections that correspond to the five pages of the SOW.

There are several impactful decisions that are made during the creation of an SOW template. Some of these decisions include data associations, how the terms of the assignment will be defined, types of line items that will be allowed, and defining custom fields.

In the following lessons, as we step through the creation of the very SOW Template that Patricia used to create her statement of work, we’re going to break the process down to see how the sections of the template correspond to the pages used in SOW creation.

As we dive deeper into how each of the fields, rules, and settings impact the services workflow, we’ll also see how those fields are displayed on the respective SOW pages.