I don't recommend taking on projects without first learning the software - but if you must, restrict yourself to the very basic and necessary functions and try tutorials and resources to help you do all the basics as fast as possible. Work on small relevant project models to aid you in practice, since this will save you a lot of time, use templates and shortcuts to ease your workflow, and if possible work with others or ask for assistance. Structured time management with proper cut-off dates will help in achieving two things at once, namely, mastering the software and finishing the project on time.

Find out who has already mastered this modelling technique. You can even think of joint venture or offload the ‘consultancy works’ to the agency. You can engage your internal resources in the learning process so that you are ready for future.

I would not recommend learning a software while working on an actual project. However, when absolutely necessary, I think using a tutorial where the instructor is working on an actual project could be helpful. It gives you a path to follow to achieve the result. You can find simple and short tutorials, then try to replicate the workflow as you design. While working, you can go back to search on how to execute specific things that are in your work. This way, you limit learning to only what's essential to your current task.

Recently we faced this with my team so we received a project and we have committed to work on the customized textures, we go with online courses and it didn't work for us so we came out decision with learning it frm scratch, most of the time we used library to apply the textures or create it frm photoshop of tileable pngs but this time we are suppose to work on new customized textures we follow the top artist pipeline by following their accounts and their profiles and we used to deliver the file finally however it took time today delivery we learned the new process with i ternal pressure these kind of learning will make more energy and develop the team skills more and more,

Mastering a new 3D modeling software while meeting project deadlines requires a strategic approach. First, prioritize learning the essential tools and features relevant to your project. Focus on tutorials, online resources, and the software’s user manual to quickly grasp the basics. Next, leverage your existing 3D modeling knowledge to draw parallels between familiar tools and the new ones, minimizing the learning curve. Break the project into manageable tasks and set realistic goals for each milestone.