Freelance Heroes
Aug 02, 2012
Hi, and welcome to the "Freelance Heroes" thread, a place where Articulate Freelancers help each other. Got a question about freelancing? Or perhaps you have an e-learning asset that may be valuable to those "doin' their own thing"? This is the place to share--to give.
To start things off, I'd like to share a short list of questions that help me figure out what kind of training a potential client wants. (So often they have no idea what they want.) The list is far from exhaustive, but may be of some help. Looking forward to meeting you. --Daniel
1293 Replies
Hi, all! Great thread, with lots of important aspects of consulting being discussed. I'm finding all of this very helpful. Speaking for myself, even before I went out on my own as a freelance consultant, I learned that there is simply no substitute for a robust Statement of Work (or whatever else you and your clients may care to call it), signed by both parties, that lays out very clearly all basic expectations with regard to a lot of the topics under discussion here, including:
You could also include a section for course maintenance, if you offer that as part of a package. I tell my clients that any maintenance is simply billed at the relevant hourly rate, as/if needed. I should note that I usually bill by the hour, rather than by the project, since given typical client behavior, I have found that's fairer to me.
And clients always like to hear "I only bill what I actually work, so the more efficient you are on your end, the lower your final cost will be." (And yes, as others have noted, I sometimes do work that I consider my own non-billable education, like learning to use more advanced features of Storyline, etc.)
My paragraph about LMS integration options specifies that as clients typically work within a firewall environment, they must perform the LMS integration testing, and I stand ready to make any tweaks possible within Storyline, or to involve Articulate if needed, based on their results. I also offer my clients an LMS test file at the outset, published to their specifications, so that the client can confirm that passback from Storyline will indeed work with their particular LMS. Then it's a non-issue later when it comes time for testing of the actual course, and if due to internal migration time constraints the client wants to review the Alpha and Beta on my site, that isn't a problem, as we know the final product will "talk" to the LMS.
I also include an appendix which spells out briefly but clearly that it's the client's responsibility to obtain any and all legal/compliance content approvals, and that legal reviews can often delay or derail a project if not made part of the process at the start, as needed. It also talks about risk factor for project delay based on different common client factors (unavailable SME, post-approval content changes, etc.), and clearly states that these issues, and any out of scope changes, will require amendment to the SOW, and adjustment of the timeline, budget, and resources allotment as appropriate. Having this discussion at the outset of the relationship helps to minimize both the number of client surprises and the overall impact to the project. I also have clear guidelines around an acceptable maximum number of review cycles (three, typically, but like everything, it depends on timeline and budget), so that the client can't expect to keep kicking a storyboard back for ever-new little tweaks for free.
An example: I had a client recently who kept producing new executive stakeholders almost every week, like rabbits out of a magician's hat, each one demanding major rewrites to what the last executive wanted. And this was despite the clear agreement from the client at kickoff that ALL stakeholders needed to be at the table from the start. Well, as we all know, life rarely unfolds ideally, so we all make adjustments and we move on. But with the SOW in place, I was able to point to that language, and so we went back to revisit both the timeline and the budget for the course, so that the client still gets what they want, without my doing extra iterations for free.
Belen, I know "hindsight is 20-20" but going forward I would join other folks on this thread and suggest that you always protect yourself with some form of SOW/contract at the beginning of any project. No exceptions. If you had paperwork that limited the number of iterations, you might have been spared some of the "endless free revisions" headaches--although some clients steamroll ahead, regardless, I know. But I will add this: despite how difficult this client has been, if you promised mobile delivery and are now unable to deliver, I would see if Articulate can help you make good on your original agreement. And take the rest as a learning experience, as we all do daily. But wherever possible, I think it's important to honor your commitments, and to be known for doing that. That should be part of our reputations.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Also, can I ask folks on this thread a favor? Fun as the witty one-liner replies can be, on a busy day they really do clog up the mailbox. I love reading the substantive posts to this thread, but perhaps the humorous replies could go as private messages, rather than to the whole group? Others may disagree, but that's what my mailbox and I think.
Hi Andrew,
I appreciate your message, as long as my Statements of Work (which I call Project Definition) weren't so specific nor clear. And I didn't use them in all my projects: it happens that I didn't use it in this one. :-(
What is clear is that I'm learning a lot from this: I'll never get involved in a project for mobility environment if I don't master it. After reading the points you usually include in your SOW, I read my client's project definition again. Mobility wasn't mentioned at first, and in a second message it was mentioned only to say that objects should be big enough. Of course I should have taken into account that the implications of mobility were a lot more.
Yes, I can consider any other task related to this project as learning about mobility and Storyline, though my position is this: I can learn and earn at the same time... I answered the client, and I'm willing to do trials or tests, but there are 2 important points: I can't test mobility, as I don't have an iPhone, and whatever I do, I have to charge for it, per hour as you say. I'm definitely not making changes forever... for free.
Thanks again to all!!
Belen
This is a thank you post to everyone who contributes to the freelancers thread and the great community that has developed.
So...thanks everyone!
Yes, it is nice to have such a resource.
I second the thanks.
Fantastic thread. Andrew, great info: can you please share your High Level Design Document and your clause for limiting iterations?
I need help wording my multimedia clauses.
I include a flat multimedia amount in my quote for general purpose images/clips.
But that does not include specialist images/clips. Some clips can go upto $400 each! I've had clients tell me to pay for it and then settle it later. But sometimes the relationship goes bust along the way.
I can't be saddled with those costs.
How do you all handle this scenario?
FABULOUS thread! Mind if I join in?
Come on in!
The water is warm and the beers are cold
Bruce
Fabulous thread. Many of the requests and comments are ones I personally relate to. I am doing far less freelancing now that I work for The Guild but I personally relate to the challenges and joys of freelancing and will be happy to add whatever I can.
I've already found some things here that I can use and am going through the comments to see what I can share to help others.
Have read some great posts about "must have" equipment. Here's mine: http://www.treadmilldeskinc.com/shadow.html. Had them customize the top so it's 70" and matches my other furniture. And I got the XR300 Treadmill. Hey... walking at 1.5 mph while working is sooooo good for you but the desk is very wide so there's room for a chair, too and it's electrically controlled so I can bring the desk height down anytime to work from my chair. I got a great price for the desk and treadmill together plus free shipping. (Message me if you want the price.).
Just a little tale from one of my freelance work sources
PeoplePerHour.com
Bruce
Nice to read this little tale!
I really liked it. You're definitely an example for all of us.
Belen
Sage advise indeed! I don't know about the rest of you, but now I'm curious to see Bruce's 'House at the bottom of the garden.'
That is awesome! I bet rainy days puts you right to sleep with that tin roof.
I encourage you to share this on a recently started Pinterest board called, "Office Spaces." The NuggetHead Studioz is pinned there, too.
http://pinterest.com/janebozarth/office-space/
Tin! That's best pine I can tell you
When it rains I have to think Audacity for "Noise Reduction" feature - which works VERY well!
7cm insulation in all directions. Warm as toast when gets to 62 degrees, stays there all day/evening.
Bruce
Is the army camp bed optional for those overnight office trips?
Before I bought the treadmill desk (I don't have it yet... stay tuned for updates once it is here and I have used it daily), I did a TON of research. The noise level is supposed to be very, very low. It's was designed especially for work environments rather than for exercise environments.Others say no one on the phone can hear it.
People have also asked me about how you actually use it and work. You don't walk fast... 1 to 1.5 mph usually. Most people who do graphic design work said that when they were doing very, very detailed work, they tended to sit down, but they could easily do somewhat less detailed work like typing and email and talking to clients while walking 1-2 mph. Someone did say that they could do drawing while walking.
I'll let everyone know how it goes. I do a LOT of writing and expect that and spreadsheets will be okay while walking slowly.
Patti: Very curious about this, and would love to hear how it works. Like many IDs and graphic designers, I'm desperate for finding ways of mixing it up, avoiding carpal tunnel, sitting all day, and just generally abusing my body doing the work I do. --DB
So a treadmill desk huh? I'm not worried about the noise from the treadmill. I'm worried about them hearing me huffing and puffing while I am trying to make it through a walking session on the phone. LOL
I promise to report how it goes, even if it's bad and the experiment is an expensive dud. Robert, I assure you that 1 mph is really sloooooow.
I can't wait to hear about how it goes! AJ Jacobs wrote in one of his books about trying a treadmill desk... can't remember which book, but t was very funny - and it made me want to look into it. Of course I promptly forgot all about it until I saw your post, Patti. But now I've saved that link for future consideration. =)
Hi there, Freelancers:
I'm trying to do a better job capturing the hours I spend on the analysis/consulting stage of my projects (i.e. figuring out the issues/problems the training addresses)
I realize every project is different, but generally, what percentage of your hours are devoted to analysis? Thanks for your help with this. --Daniel
XAn, sorry for not being able to reply sooner to your two queries about contract wording. I don't post my own document templates for a couple of reasons: 1) While I was a paralegal for a number of years, I'm not a lawyer, and would not want to represent my language as being 100% airtight for someone else's use; although I'm pretty confident it is, there might be an implicit liability question and I don't want to go there.
and 2) Every consultant may well want to word things differently, and at the risk of being pedantic, I think it's a good exercise for us all to learn about crafting good contracts and then learn even more by showing them to an attorney friend to find and fix any holes. In general, I don't lock myself in to flat rates for projects, whether we're talking about graphical elements, or the cost of the whole project. Like renovations, eLearning projects almost always expand once you get up and running, despite all analysis and reasonable precautions. And we shouldn't be the ones working for free, or worse, at a loss. I give clients an informed price range based on everything I know about the project, and I also provide a project cap. But I always make sure it includes a financial buffer to cover inevitable surprises.
With regard to language limiting iterations or dealing with potential costs of custom video pieces, etc., I think you just have to sit down and try to put into words what you think is fair for you. The number of iterations may well depend on the type and complexity of the project, but your analysis of the project should inform what limits you need to set to make sure you're not working for free down the road. Similarly, with the video cost issue, I think you just need to come up with a clause that spells out clearly that any graphics and/or video to be obtained from a third party vendor will be supplied at cost. And if you will need to be paid at the time of purchase for those additional assets, then spell that out in the wording of the contract/SOW you sign with them.
You and Belen have both referenced client relationships that went bust in the middle of a project. We all have a problem client sooner or later, and I suppose if a client is really disreputable, then no amount of careful wording in a SOW or contract is likely to make them behave better. You might have some recourse in a small claims court, but the client is probably correctly assuming you don't want to get involved in that. I think we all need to keep in mind that just as clients interview us for suitability, at the same time we need to be doing the same analysis of them as potential clients. What's their history? Do you know anyone else who has done work for them? What tone do they take with you? What comes up about their company when you Google their name? Etc. If there are red flags, then you might be better off telling that potential client you're booked solid, and moving on to find a more stable client. Especially when you need the money, saying "no" hurts. But sometimes, it may be wiser in the long run. You need to find client partners who will work in good faith alongside you. Of course even if we do our due diligence, it's not always possible to tell in advance that a client will prove troublesome. But the more you know before signing, and the more carefully you lay out your SOW/contract, the better off you'll be in the long run. My last client wasted a lot of my time, frankly, but at least my financial buffer covered almost every dollar. I try to take the long view that leaving them happy at the end (which I did) will pay off for me down the road, even if they gave me some extra headaches in the process. In fact, that client has already recommended me to someone else, so I take that as a good sign. And if a troublesome client wants me to do more work for them, assuming I decide I'm willing to work with them again, I will include a "hassle factor" in the pricing of my next quote to that company. ;-)
I hope that helps.
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