There are obvious surface-level positives and negatives to most projects. If you look beyond this, you will find that most projects are often layered. There are often hidden positives that most people don’t notice. If you are aware of these, it will add to the thoroughness of your decision-making process. You can then begin to plan for a situation where everyone wins.

Ť这里有明显的表面层次的肯定和否定的大多数项目。 如果不仅仅如此，您会发现大多数项目通常都是分层的。 通常存在大多数人不注意到的隐藏的积极因素。 如果您知道这些，它将增加决策过程的完整性。 然后，您可以开始计划每个人都赢的情况。

This framework will enable you to break down a project and develop a clearer understanding of the key factors.

该框架将使您能够分解项目并更清楚地了解关键因素。

1.表面水平评估 (1. Surface-level assessment)

At a surface-level, you will find the top-level questions that should be clear for most projects.

从表面上看，您会发现对于大多数项目应该清楚的顶层问题。

• What problem are we trying to solve?我们要解决什么问题？
• What are the project goals?项目目标是什么？
• How long will it take?这需要多长时间？
• How much will I be paid?给我多少钱？
• Is the brief open?简短开放吗？
• What are the advantages of this project over another?这个项目比另一个项目有什么优势？

Understanding the goals of a project before you begin gives you a clear direction. If you can see a clear goal, you can better understand your role. This also helps in understanding the client and how you can best help them to achieve their goals.

在开始之前了解项目目标可以为您提供明确的方向。 如果您看到一个明确的目标，则可以更好地了解自己的角色。 这也有助于了解客户，以及如何最好地帮助他们实现目标。

Money and time are always going to be factors. The balance of these has to be right. No one wants to be underpaid for the time it takes to complete a job. That can lead to bitterness and loss of motivation.

金钱和时间永远是因素。 这些平衡必须正确。 没有人愿意在完成一项工作上被低薪。 这会导致痛苦和失去动力。

2.设定正确的界限 (2. Setting the right boundaries)

In selecting any project you need to understand what you will be doing, and what you are going to produce. This defines the boundaries of your role. Working out what you are going to do helps to manage the client’s expectations. If a project is undefined, you could be required to jump into an area where you don’t have the required knowledge or experience.

在选择任何项目时，您需要了解您将要做什么以及将要产生什么。 这定义了您的角色边界。 弄清楚您将要做什么，有助于管理客户的期望。 如果未定义项目，则可能需要您跳到您没有所需知识或经验的区域。

Working on a specific part of a project is simpler than managing a large project with lots of moving parts. If the project involves working across multiple deliverables for different teams and points of contact, there will be a heavier focus on project management.

处理项目的特定部分要比管理具有许多活动部分的大型项目要简单。 如果项目涉及跨不同团队和联系人的多个交付物工作，则将更加注重项目管理。

Understanding the boundaries of a project can also be beneficial in ways that are not immediately obvious. If you finish ahead of time or want to impress the client, go beyond the boundary and overdeliver. It can underscore your value and help to build a better relationship.

了解项目的边界也可能以不立即显而易见的方式受益。 如果您提前完成工作或想打动客户，请超越界限并超额投放。 它可以强调您的价值并有助于建立更好的关系。

3.与您的激情保持一致 (3. Alignment with your passions)

Do you believe in the product or service? This is the most important question to ask in choosing whether to work on a project or not.

您相信产品或服务吗？ 这是选择是否进行项目时最重要的问题。

This is especially important in the start-up world. If you think that the product is too late to the market, or very similar to another product, it may struggle to find an audience. Certain concepts may be too niche to ever be commercially successful. These factors may not be dealbreakers, but you need to be aware of them when starting any project.

这在创业世界中尤其重要。 如果您认为该产品上市太晚，或与其他产品非常相似，则可能很难找到受众。 某些概念可能太小众，无法在商业上取得成功。 这些因素可能不是破坏交易的因素，但是在开始任何项目时您都需要意识到它们。

For many creatives, belief is linked to passion. If you are not passionate about the product, it will be difficult to maintain your enthusiasm. You may find yourself 6-months into a project that is getting bogged down by overthinking or indecision. In that scenario, it is very difficult to maintain the level of enthusiasm required to see the project through.

对于许多创意者而言，信念与激情息息相关。 如果您对产品不感兴趣，将很难保持您的热情。 您可能会发现自己花了6个月的时间才陷入因过度思考或犹豫不决而陷入困境的项目中。 在这种情况下，很难维持完成该项目所需的热情。

4.与您一起工作的人 (4. The people you’ll be working with)

People are at the heart of every working relationship. Being able to work with a range of different personality types will help in any project. Not everyone would classify themselves as creative, and they may not be used to working with creatives.

人是每一个工作关系的核心。 能够使用多种不同的性格类型将对任何项目都有帮助。 并非所有人都会将自己归类为广告素材，并且他们可能不习惯使用广告素材。

• Who will I be working closely with?我将与谁紧密合作？
• What is their sense of taste?他们的品味是什么？
• Will I have to educate them in the creative process?我需要在创作过程中对其进行教育吗？
• How professional are they?他们有多专业？

There may be an opportunity to build relationships with interesting people. You might have the opportunity to work with a different department or team. The project may expose you to a new industry. There may be an opportunity to connect with a mentor or develop a friendship.

可能有机会与有趣的人建立关系。 您可能有机会与其他部门或团队合作。 该项目可能使您接触到一个新行业。 可能有机会与导师建立联系或建立友谊。

You may be someone who feeds off other people to generate creative ideas and refine your decisions. In that case, working remotely could create a challenging environment for you.

您可能是一个以他人为生的人，以产生创意并完善您的决策。 在这种情况下，远程工作可能会为您创造一个充满挑战的环境。

Knowing yourself and knowing what kinds of people you work best with is a huge factor in deciding to commit to a project.

知道自己并知道与哪种人一起工作最好，这是决定投身项目的重要因素。

5.您将学到什么 (5. What you’ll be able to learn)

Learning is not limited to creative skills and expertise. A project may involve a lot of client negotiation, strategic thinking, or project management. Developing soft skills like these may not be as sexy as creative work but they are very useful to have in your professional toolkit.

学习不仅限于创造技能和专业知识。 一个项目可能涉及许多客户谈判，战略思考或项目管理。 培养像这样的软技能可能不像创意作品那样性感，但是在您的专业工具包中拥有它们非常有用。

In a broader sense, these skills can be applied to other aspects of your life, they are not limited to work. Knowing how to schedule events, run a meeting, or plan for roadblocks are applicable to all kinds of situations.

从广义上讲，这些技能可以应用于生活的其他方面，它们不仅限于工作。 知道如何安排活动，召开会议或计划路障适用于各种情况。

Being able to learn a new software package is a big plus. Knowing your way around a program can save time and make you more efficient. If you can master a specialized software package, that skill can lead to new work in the future.

能够学习新软件包是一大优势。 了解程序的方式可以节省时间并提高效率。 如果您可以掌握专业的软件包，那么该技能可能会在将来导致新工作。

Tools do change, but the core fundamentals for spreadsheets, word processing, and presentation software will last for many years. Core knowledge can often apply across design programs. Bigger software programs have been around for so long that they still dominate the industry. Adobe is not going out of business any time soon. Mastering this software will open up a range of opportunities.

工具确实会发生变化，但是电子表格，文字处理和演示软件的核心基础将持续多年。 核心知识通常可以应用于整个设计程序。 更大的软件程序已经存在了很长时间，以至于它们仍然主导着整个行业。 Adobe不会很快破产。 掌握该软件将带来一系列机会。

6.制定失败计划 (6. Having a plan for failure)

Some products will fail. That is a fact. Before you begin, you have to think about what that will mean for you.

某些产品将失败。 这是事实。 在开始之前，您必须考虑这对您意味着什么。

• Will a failure negatively impact my career?失败会对我的职业产生负面影响吗？
• If the project fails, will it taint my reputation?如果项目失败，是否会损害我的声誉？
• How will it affect your attitude toward taking on similar work in the future?它将如何影响您将来从事类似工作的态度？

Failure is okay as long as you learn something from it. Most of the projects we hear about are the success stories, we don’t hear about the failures.

只要您从失败中汲取教训，失败就可以。 我们听到的大多数项目都是成功的故事，我们没有听到失败的消息。

There are very few failures that are terminal. Bill Belichick was fired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, that didn’t end his career. He went on to become one of the most successful coaches in the NFL. Steve Jobs was ousted from the company he helped create. He was able to turn that around and transform Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world. These examples are high profile, but they are not the exception, everyone has to deal with failure at some point in their life. Our response to failure is what defines us.

很少有故障是终端故障。 比尔·贝里希克(Bill Belichick)被解雇为克利夫兰布朗(Cleveland Browns)的总教练，但这并未结束他的职业生涯。 他继续成为NFL中最成功的教练之一。 史蒂夫·乔布斯(Steve Jobs)被赶出了他所创建的公司。 他能够扭转这一局面，并将Apple转变为全球最有价值的公司之一。 这些例子备受瞩目，但也不例外，每个人都必须在生活中的某个时刻应对失败。 我们对失败的React是我们的定义。

7.计划下一步行动 (7. Planning your next move)

From a pragmatic point of view, you need to plan your next move after the project. This plan should be flexible enough to incorporate the success or failure of the project. You will need to have an exit strategy in place if the project is destined to become a burning pile of rubble. That being said, you still need to be professional about an exit.

从务实的角度来看，您需要计划该项目之后的下一步行动。 该计划应具有足够的灵活性，以结合项目的成功或失败。 如果该项目注定要变成一堆堆废墟，那么您将需要制定退出策略。 话虽如此，您仍然需要在退出方面保持专业。

You also need to plan for the positives.

您还需要计划积极的一面。

• If I gain this experience, will it open up a new career opportunity?如果我获得了这一经验，是否会开辟新的职业机会？
• What freedom will it buy me?它能给我带来什么自由？
• What will I learn from working with this person?与这个人一起工作将学到什么？
• Where will these relationships lead?这些关系将导致什么？
• Will this enhance my resume?这会提高我的履历吗？
• Can I use the work for self-promotion?我可以将作品用于自我宣传吗？

This framework is designed to help you select your next creative project. There can be many hidden positives if look for them. Choosing which projects to work on should be treated as a design challenge. You have to ask the right questions at the start of the process and understand what is involved and what the positives are.

该框架旨在帮助您选择下一个创意项目。 如果要寻找它们，可能会有许多隐藏的积极因素。 选择要处理的项目应视为设计挑战。 您必须在流程开始时提出正确的问题，并了解所涉及的内容和积极的方面。

Armed with the right knowledge, selecting your next creative project should be easier.

有了正确的知识，选择下一个创意项目应该会更加容易。