Improve the success of your project in terms of getting the results you expect in the desired timeframes by following a few basic strategies.

Communication is key to success
Communication is an essential part of any professional relationship.  When working with remote professionals over the Internet, it is even more important to be clear and maintain a healthy flow of communication so that your service provider knows how to give you exactly what you want.  We recommend that you use the convenient Elance Private Message Board (PMB) to serve as a record of your discussions that you can refer back to when resolving any misunderstandings that may arise.  This log of your agreements and activity also provides valuable protection if mediation is needed, since Elance can review and use this information to help with potential disputes that you may not be able to resolve directly with your service provider.  If you choose to communicate outside the Elance system, it is a good idea to copy and paste any important notes or agreements into the Elance PMB so that they are included in the official project record.  Elance is unable to take communications outside the PMB into account when helping to resolve potential issues, since such communications cannot be verified.

Anticipate and work through changes
Changes are a normal part of doing business.  Proper planning and clear communication are the best ways to minimize the impact of changes on the project outcome, but it is sometimes hard to account for everything from the beginning.  It is reasonable for service providers to make some minor adjustments and revisions along the way as part of the original project agreement.  If there are major scope changes or new requirements, however, it is not proper to expect your service provider to make these changes without additional compensation.  In such cases, you should be able to reach an agreement with your service provider on fair compensation for the extra work.  If not, you also have the option to pay for the partial work done and get new quotes from others for finishing the work.  Make sure to document any new agreements in the Elance PMB and remember that Elance is available to help if you have questions or need mediation.

Setting milestones improves the success rate of larger projects
For longer term (more than a week) or more complex projects, it is recommended that you use milestones to improve the project outcome.  Milestones serve as checkpoints that allow you to gauge how well the project is going and to provide important feedback earlier rather than later.  The service provider also needs to show results at various stages of the project rather than just at the beginning or the end, which encourages them to work harder.  In addition, compensation can be tied to completing key milestones (rather than just at the end of the project), which is better for service providers and has shown to motivate better quality work.  It is easy to set up milestones in your Elance account when you begin your project.
Show me how to set milestones.

Pay securely for work completed
It is convenient and secure to pay through Elance.  You don't need to waste time cutting a check or sending a wire transfer, nor do you need to share your payment information with multiple providers or people you don't know well.  When your project is finished or you reach specific agreed upon milestones, your service provider will send you an invoice that can easily be paid through Elance at no charge to you.  Depending on the agreements you have made with your service provider, you can choose to pay more or less than the original bid.  Using the Elance escrow service makes payment even more secure and ensures a higher level of quality, since you can fund your payment and only release it when you are satisfied with the results.
Tell me more about escrow.

Feedback improves the quality of professionals and work done on Elance
Once your project is complete, be sure to leave feedback for the service provider.  Feedback is an essential part of ensuring the quality of the professionals doing business on Elance, as it is a main component of a service provider's online reputation.  The feedback system also helps to motivate the service provider to do their best work.  Research has shown that the quality of work done online through Elance is better than that done directly with remote professionals, since the service provider knows their performance will be evaluated when the job is done.  When your project is nearing completion, it is best to wait until you have received and evaluated all deliverables and are satisfied with the results before leaving feedback.  For those new to Elance, it is helpful to browse examples of how others have left feedback, so you have a better idea on how to make a fair and accurate evaluation. Try to be both honest and professional when leaving feedback.
Tell me more about feedback.