Project Management

Throughout studio 2 I was only in the position of Project manager once if you don’t count managing your own projects during the first two solo ones. Project 3 Latex Basic the MusicVideoGame was when I was able to be in charge of a team of 3 game designers and take the project from start to finish. Personally I think I did a good job considering the final product was a great outcome but when reflecting there were many things I could have done to make the project run much smoother. I found myself being more of a people manager than a project manager at many stages throughout the development cycle of Latex Basic. We were a team of three very different personalities and trying to get all of those personalities on the same page at every stage was a considerable task.

What went well? To start off the final product was very well received by out Audio client and also obtained youtube playthroughs on our Itch.io page. Each person had been divided up a section of the large map to design entirely themselves giving these distinct areas even more distinct features. This gave everybody the opportunity to work on level design and show skills they had gained over previous trimesters. I think this let everyone feel included in the project and feel like they were contributing meaningfully to the end product.

Now what could have been improved? The short answer is heaps, but i'll explain. During the first week of the project there were huge communication issues with the team. The main problem was the way things were being said over text in discord were coming across wrong to the recipients. The lead to emotional responses and frustration. Instead of moving forward by discussing things as a group and finding a workaround, I personally shut down and shut the other member out of the group. Not only was this a terrible move as a project manager but just as a team player in general. After having a mediated meeting this was resolved although there were definitely occasions later in the project where problems arose but I believe I learnt from my mistakes and handled them professionally. After our meeting I set out to meet the worries of the other team members with positivity and production, one of the main problems was a lack of clear instructions so since we were using the time management tool Hack N Plan, I tried to use it to a much higher degree than I was previously.

This advice didn’t come from just anywhere though, not only did I listen attentively to workaround for our problems from our lecturer I also spent some time researching. One of the huge points from Heather Maxwell Chandlers blog on team management is about listening to the members concerns. She states that “... the most important things a producer does is listen to his or her team. The team wants to have a say in how the game is developed, since they are the ones who must actually code the AI, create the character models, design the multiplayer features, and test the game.” (https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130303/production_values_the_value_of_.php) After implementing these changes to my project management style the team worked much smoother and even if there were personality clashes everyones concerns about the actual project had been met. Even in a professional Game Dev position in a team people aren't always going to get along, so finding these things out now and finding ways of keeping everyone on track personality wise was incredibly beneficial.

Another thing Heather raises in her breakdown of project management which benefited the Latex Basic team was the way meetings work, she said “When trying to select which project management methods to employ, select ones that will be easy to implement and have a big (and positive) impact for the team.” This really related a professional way of project managing back to Latex Basic as much if not all of our problems stemmed from online interactions. Moving our meetings to in person meant that everyone had to come in on days off and I know one member travelled a long way. But these in person meetings showed everyone's dedication to the project and promoted much clearer communication which ended up providing the team with much greater output. As our game was very asset heavy and design heavy having everyone on the same page and putting in the same amount of effort was beyond important. These in person meetings facilitated that to happen and I look forward to using them in projects moving forward.

In person communication was something that came up again in Project 4 Heartland, as some communication problems arose very similarly to the previous project but with an entirely different team. Personally I think a major problem with the communication came from the fact that game designers and games programmers in the same course were kept apart until the final project. This meant that the programmers had no idea coming in to the style or workflow we were used to, thus causing some communication frustration. However again in person meetings were pivotal in getting the project back on track, every member aired their concerns which were met with responses from our project manager and after that point the project ran incredibly smoothly.

I don’t know if being a project manager is for me in the future but the skills required to run a small team that I have learned over the last two projects this trimester will benefit me not only in the upcoming trimesters but in the industry in future. Not only will it help me personally I believe the techniques could help entire teams struggling with communication which hopefully i'll be able to influence even if I an just a team member.

Working on a side project this trimester called Crowd Control was another project management crash course. Over studio 1 we formed a group of friends from class and created a game for the Make a Thing game jam. Throughout the trimester we were working on it and became aware that we could showcase it at Netherworld. Every team member knew work would need to be done from every member to get it ready to show but in the weeks prior literally no work had been done. Until with only three days to showcase one of our members stood up and took charge as a project manager. From that point work was absolutely smashed out and we had a great showing, the game is now moving forward and I loved driven project management style of our new leader. I am greatly looking forward to working with them in Final Project and sincerely hope they take up the role again.