Projects that require a lot of research time
If it is something I haven’t done before, be aware that:
a) it will take an unknown amount of time to research
b) it might take a LONG time to do
Before I do something I haven’t done before, I must:
a) determine how much I can bill: either nothing or something much lower than my standard rate
b) determine if it is worthwhile to learn (greatly influenced by step a)
c) determine if my schedule permits me to take on an assignment that requires an unknown amount of time to implement
d) not take on more than one learning assignment at a time
Other things to consider:
If it is a long project with a decent size budget, ask client to pay for a prototyping phase.