Chapter 13 - Production Techniques

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13.1 Introduction
As a producer, it is your responsibility to navigate through the various development phases and
successfully run a project from concept to completion.

Many production techniques can be used to get a project back on track, monitor progress, and improve
efficiency.

13.2 Getting a Project Back on Track

The sides of the triangle correspond to the resources, the schedule, and the features that are necessary
to complete any given project. The area inside the triangle represents the quality of the project. If one of
these factors changes, it will affect the others; one measurement of a triangle cannot change without
affecting the others.

Striking a balance among the schedule, resources, features, and quality is a challenge for any project.
When faced with a project that is getting off track, there are four fundamental areas to examine:
 Increasing scheduled time - make sure that any time added to the schedule is used effectively

 Increasing resources - be careful, it is possible to reach a critical mass where adding more
resources will actually increase the time to get the tasks completed

 Cutting features - examine the feature set to determine which core features must be preserved
to give the game value and focus on cutting the extra features that could be used in a second
version of the game; focus on eliminating extra features that will have a positive impact on the
most pressing resource and schedule constraints

 Reducing quality - if full feature set must be implemented then the quality of the project will
diminish; define specifically where the quality will suffer and explain why; adding more time,
money, or resources is necessary to ensure the game's quality

If a project is extremely off base, it may be cancelled. Cancelling a project is never a pleasant task. If you
are in a position where cancelling the project is being seriously considered, make sure that you
understand the pros and cons to ensure that cutting the project is indeed the best thing to do for all
concerned.

13.3 Project Reviews

Regular and comprehensive project reviews with management are vital in monitoring the game's
development progress. The review requires you to compare the development plan with the game's
actual development progress. The review presents an opportunity to identify problems and formulate
solutions for them.

Reviews can be ineffective and a waste of time for the following reasons: Unclear objectives or no focus,
Lack of preparation, Wrong people involved, No follow-up

Conducting a Project Review

First, define the review's goals and objectives. It is important that the correct people attend the review.
These are the team members with the most responsibility on the project and the ones who can
authorize changes.

Second, establish a format. The format must include the following types of information to keep the
review focused: Comparisons, Accomplishments, Risks, Roadblocks, Supporting Documentation,
Resources

Third, plan sufficient time for the review. If you find that you are running short on time and the review is
not completed, schedule some time in the next few days to complete it.

Fourth, take notes at the review and publish them everywhere. Any decisions made or solutions
proposed should be noted in the meeting minutes. Be sure to follow up on action items.

Benefits
Project reviews are beneficial because they keep everyone focused on the big picture of what needs to
be completed during each phase of the project.

Reviews keep people honest about the reality of the project.

A monthly project review keeps the producer in regular contact with the project leads and project's
status.

Critical Stage Analysis

Critical stage analysis (CSA) is a technique developed by Wolfgang Hamann to provide ongoing
improvement in the production process by examining the game's progress at critical stages in the
development cycle.

CSA is a simple process that happens on a regular basis. It involves the entire team answering these
three questions:
What are five things that went right during this past development period?
What are five things that went wrong during this past development period?
What are five things that can be improved for future development periods?

Each team member writes up his or her answers and ranks them according to importance. These
questions should be answered within two to three days of completing a critical milestone.

These answers are compile in a master document. A meeting is scheduled within two days to discuss the
findings. Solutions are discussed and the leads are tasked with implementing solutions for these issues
within the next development period.

The top five issues are solved, and the development process has improved as a result.

Weekly Status Report

Weekly status reports are a good way to track the development process, but they should not be used in
lieu of the comprehensive project review.
Weekly status reports communicate the game's current status to the development team and
management. The weekly status report is a chance to tell the team where the project is.

For the Development Team

The following types of information can be included: Department updates, Marketing and PR
information, New employees, Upcoming deadlines

For Management
The following types of information can be included: Department updates, Risks, Key deadlines and
approvals, resources

13.6 Running Meetings

Simple ways to make meetings more useful:
 Define the purpose of the meeting
 Publish an agenda
 Assign time limits
 Start and end meetings on time
 Do not combine information gathering and decision-making in one meeting
 Appoint a moderator
 Take meeting minutes
 Follow up on action items

13.7 Resource Allocation

From time to time, the team might not have enough personnel to complete critical tasks on time.

One way is to pull people from noncritical tasks to help out with the critical ones.

When temporarily pulling people from their tasks, you must schedule start and end dates so that they
know when they must wrap up their temporary assignment and get back to work on their main tasks.

Another method, if you are working in a large studio with multiple projects in production, is to
temporarily pull people from other project teams to help.

Finally, look at hiring external contractors.

13.8 Preventing Feature Creep

Feature creep occurs when additional features are added without adjusting the other project variables
(time, resources, and quality) to accommodate the additional work. If feature creep is not controlled,
the project is put at risk, and you might miss the ship date.

Some feature creep is a good thing, because it makes the final game more enjoyable to play. Because of
this, developers must not ignore additional feature requests.

On the other hand, some feature requests can be damaging to the project. They are completely
unreasonable, they impact a lot of work, or they are so small that it is not worth putting the project at
risk. It is the producer's job to diplomatically explain why this feature cannot be included.
A good method for explaining why a feature cannot be included is to illustrate the impact that adding
this feature will have to the game's cost, schedule, and resources.

Prioritizing Features
If you plan ahead for future feature requests, you might be able to get some features added to the game
without removing anything else that is already planned. When someone makes a request, evaluate the
feature and prioritize it.

Change Requests
Formal change requests are another way to monitor and track feature requests. The request form
should ask for the following:
 Description of request
 Reason for request
 Impact if feature is not added
 Recommended alternatives
 Analysis of how this feature affects the project schedule, resources, and quality
 What existing feature can potentially be removed to accommodate this request
 Who needs to be notified of the potential change

One person should be the main point of contact for approving or rejecting a feature change. If the
feature is approved, make sure that it is properly documented and added to the project plan.

13.9 Establishing Approval Processes

From studio management on down, many people involved in the game development process need to
approve certain parts of the game before production begins. The three major things in common with
any approval process:
 Keep it simple - Keep the process as simple as possible.
 Define and publish - Define and publish the process.
 Centralize the tracking - Assign one person to track all steps and assets in the approval process.

13.10 Task Forces or Strike Teams

Task forces or strike teams are cross-discipline groups that are put in charge of looking at problems,
formulating solutions, and getting them implemented in the game. The groups are flexible and
autonomous, which means they can operate independently within the team. Their decision is
considered final.

Each task force should consists of at least one engineer, one artist, one designer, and maybe one or two
other experts in the selected feature.

13.11 Chapter Summary

Some production techniques improve the production process, communication, and the ability to identify
risks. Although these techniques are not cure-alls, they certainly can help a producer solve some
common problems encountered during the development process.

Source: The Game Production Handbook 3rd Edition 2014 by Heather Maxwell Chandler