Drafting Scope of Work for Controls Projects

How and why to draft a scope of work when considering automation controls projects.

Lots of facility engineers and facility managers walk around with a long mental list of projects.

• “We really should look into adding a robot there.”
• “Ah, that alarm went off again. We should look at fixing that the next time we update that station.”
• “I wonder how much throughput would improve if we upgraded that line.”

Sound familiar?

An Initial Scope of Work Draft is a brainstorming tool.  It helps you think about your project- what you know and what you don’t know- in terms of the following areas:

• Purpose
• Expected Functionality
• Expected Outcomes
• Specifications

As a solutions provider, it’s our job to fill in the blanks- to help you consider additional or alternative options.  This document is not intended to be a prerequisite for discussions, but rather a starting point.

How it helps you:

Project Definition

Sitting down and thinking through each of these parts can provide clarity into how you want to define your project.  It’s amazing how much putting something in writing can make clear all the pieces that have been floating around in your head.  The clearer you are with your requirements and priorities, the better solution we can create for you.

Budgeting

By writing out your full wish list and assigning priorities to each, we can work together to figure out how wide or narrow the scope should be based on your budget.  There may also be times when certain pieces could be handled internally while other parts are handled by us, the integrator.

ROI/Justification

Sometimes you know exactly what should be done in the facility to make it run well, but you have a tough time proving the value to get the funding allocated.  We can work with you to think through all of the ways savings could be realized.  Having worked on projects like yours for over 25 years in all kinds of industries, we may think of an angle you had not considered.

Reduce Road Bumps

Clear communication is arguably the most important factor in a successful integration project.  Thinking about this information in a detailed way very early on in the process helps everyone get on the same page.  It can be harder to implement additional functionality after the project has already started, potentially causing change orders and delays.

If you have a project you’d like to put in the budget for next year, it might be a good idea to take a few minutes to brain dump your ideas for that project now.  This Initial Scope of Work worksheet is one way to think about defining your project.