What is the terms of reference?ToR is a statement of the task, an action plan and a discussion of the upcoming work in one document. The terms of reference are necessary in any field of activity. Building a house? You need a clear plan and requirements. Are you making a website? The same scenario. Any activity is accompanied by the wishes of the customer and the standards that the contractor undertakes to comply with. They are entered into the TK.
Why do we need TKThanks to the terms of reference, primary contact is established between the contractor and the customer. Roughly speaking, it checks whether these people should cooperate at all. Checking how realistic the customer's requirements are and whether the contractor can meet them.
In addition, the TK establishes regulations that help to work in a given direction without initiative on both sides. A well-defined action plan eliminates misunderstandings in business decisions and helps avoid ridiculous mistakes halfway through.
Also, the TK forms the expected result and makes it possible to evaluate the result of the work done.
What should be the TKIn fact, adherence to clear rules when drafting TK is not required. Different companies and entrepreneurs design tasks differently. The question is in the pursued goals.
Someone sets out a key idea in a couple of sentences and hopes that the employee himself will think of the rest:
In the case of texts, this includes:
number of characters per paragraph,
font type and size,
the number of keywords used,
rules for structuring text using subheadings,
required data formats (tables, lists, quotes, etc.).
The terms of reference for programmers can include:
choosing a data management system (WordPress, Joomla, etc.),
choice of frameworks (React, Angular, etc.),
number of pop-ups,
the width of the content part of the page,
location of feedback forms in the application,
additional functions.
The structure can vary depending on the wishes of the customer and the tasks set. If the width of the page does not matter, then this item can be removed. If, for example, it is necessary to use blue in the headings, then this should also be prescribed in the TK in advance.
For more information about: statement of work