Understanding the task at hand is as important as the knowledge one has to have about the project. The freelancer should know if his skills match with the skill requirement. For this, he may have to have exchanges through emails or through telephonic conversations.
A task that has been outsourced may appear to be simple at times. Such tasks will require only a basic talent from a freelancer to complete it. But at times, there will be hidden complexities associated with the same. Thus, it is always advisable to read through and understand the requirements before attempting to do a project.
When the project is technical in nature, one has to be confident that his or her exposure matches to the requirement of the project. Technical upgrades may vary from year to year. Newer versions of the older technologies are available each year and one has to keep updating on the new technology.
Freelancers who do work in software development need to be up to date with every new aspect of work. The client would want a use friendly interface to be developed. The idea might appear to be brilliant and simple. There will be no introduction manual at times. Understanding the project is of utmost necessity here.
Let us look at the numerous applications that are developed. Every year there are new applications that come into the market. The ones that are popular are the ones easy to operate. Those with too many complications may not survive. No one will take time to hunt down the ones that are difficult to use. The easier applications and the readily available applications have more takers. Freelancer may keep this in mind – What you produce need to user friendly, readily available and easy to use.
Reliability of your output is another factor that points to the understanding of the task. A person who has understood the task, and knows what has to be done, is able to churn out reliable work that will stand the test of time. When a transaction takes a longer time to for implementation, the one reason is lack of understanding among the people who are involved in implementing it. This lack of understanding among people further filters down to lack of understanding of the job itself.
For the freelancer, the best way to know if you have understood the task at hand is to reward your work completed. As and when you complete a work reward yourself and you will know that you are in line with what is expected.
What you have not understood after a discussion with the client needs writing down. This later requires discussion in a forum where you are in touch with experts in the matter. Mentors can also help in a very large way to implement these unresolved issues.
Many times, you may be a part of a larger project that would be break up in pieces and distributed amongst many freelancers. Sometimes you do not get the larger picture until you see the connection of your project to the larger work schedule. In such situations ask for a meeting where all the people involved are at one place and discuss the larger cause. This is give ample insight to the task on hand.
When a task fails to come up the way it has to come up create a back up plan. This can come with experience. Once you know how to create back up plans you would want to do away with them and have the taste of success the first time around.
Having a positive morale and attitude is important to understand the tasks given to you. Certain work may be stressful and you need to motivate yourself about your capability to deliver the work well.
Understanding what goes first also is vital for success. Every freelancer who understands his task will know what goes first. For example, some who write a story for children will have to know the age group of the target audience first. They need to know the background of the target group. Then he should know the language the children will speak and read. The moral that has to reach the target group and the emotions that make the story fall in place. Finally, any input to make the story interesting for a child is clearly made note of. Some marketers would also ant their part to be taken care of – the story should sell!
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