In addition to task planning, resource allocations and budgeting there is another area that should be closely evaluated during pre-production and that is the overall organizational structure within the development studio. It is strongly recommended that all essential workflows, communication processes and project management tools and methods are defined in consultation both internally with all team members and externally with the publisher. In particular, the following aspects should be addressed in detail:
1. Team Structure
Definition of the team structure, for example in the form of a team org chart. There should be also a schematic representation of the communication processes within the individual departments as well as a list of all important team members.
2. Definition of Project Roles
A precise definition of the project role of each team member (tasks, areas of responsibility and interactions).
3. Reporting
Definition of how and with what temporal frequency communication should take place. This should include weekly reports, daily stand-ups, weekly meetings, meeting minutes etc. (whatever is applicable).
4. Outsourcing
Definition of how the cooperation with outsourcing partners should work, including responsibilities, evaluation of potential partners, communication processes, approval process for deliverables, etc.
5. Change Control/Change Request Process
Definition of how change requests will be managed throughout the project, both internally and with the publisher. How are change requests submitted and tracked? Who decides and through which process? Which change requests should be implemented?
6. Approval Process (internal, on studio level)
Definition of how work packages and assets are to be shared. What are the dependencies and areas of responsibility? Who approves what and by when? How should assets and work packages be shared and managed by outsourcing providers?
7. Approval Process (external, with publisher)
At what level is the publisher involved in which approvals (other than milestone approvals)? How are communication workflow and responsibilities for such approvals handled?
8. QA Process
Detailed definition of how QA should work within the development studio, taking into account the QA standards and requirements of the potential publisher (e.g. bug tracking software, QA submission process, store TRCs, tools, templates and documentation).
9. Version Control & Back-Up Plan
Accurate documentation for the use of version control software. How are work packages checked in? How must they be documented (version history)? In addition, the functioning of the software backup process within the studio must be documented.
10. Proven Production-Ready Pipelines
Definition of how the production pipeline works. How does an asset get into the game? Are engineers involved in this process or can, for example, a graphic asset be brought into the engine by an artist himself, without additional programming work?
Producer’s Checklist
- The project goes through an initiation phase in which game vision, high concept and an initial definition of the overall project goals are created before the start of pre-production.
- In addition, the desired end results and appropriate measuring criteria for success are defined with clear deliverables before the actual phase begins.
- Sufficient time is allocated for a thorough pre-production.
- The pre-production team is large enough to do its job, but still small enough to act quickly and not produce any unnecessary overhead.
- The pre-production team consists mainly of experienced senior and lead staff.
- The team does not produce unnecessary design documentation until the “fun” is proven through prototyping and a core playable.
- No work is done on any planning or Milestone documentation until the specifications (GDD, TDD) are written.
- The project does not move into production before pre-production has been properly completed and all objectives have been met. There are no shortcuts.