PROCESS
The production PROCESSes on the project are the mechanisms for empowering the PEOPLE to bring the PRODUCT to fruition.
Since effective communication is crucial to a project’s success, most development processes are designed to either enhance communication and visibility, or arises from them.
Throughout development, production processes are primarily focused on:
Information dispersal and communication flows
Operational efficiency
Planning & execution
Tracking & monitoring
Addressing Risks, Issues, Actions and Decisions
Continuous improvement
Below is a recap of the common Production Phases and examples of particular PROCESS items that should be addressed per Phase. Actual items would depend on your particular project, but this may be a good starting point for you.
RESEARCH & EXPLORATION PHASE
The objective of the Research and Exploration Phase is to investigate, explore and propose the vision for a new product. The Team can dedicate time and focus to develop that creative vision through prototyping and proofs of concept, conducting research, and experimenting with the player experience they intend to build that aligns with the market potential. The R&E Phase allows teams to remain in an iterative development cycle, assume risks, try and fail, and test and refine the player experience until they are ready to move into the Conceptual Development Phase.
In the PROCESS category, the focus is on establishing and implementing the initial team logistics (communication and project management tools & platforms), as well as an initial project management structure that supports experimentation at this early stage of the project while still ensuring accountability. Early processes are also stood up that identify and remove obstacles & distractions from the team. As the creative vision is formulated and business objectives & constraints are confirmed, an initial project roadmap is laid out. It can also be helpful to review, assess, or conduct retrospectives from previous or similar projects in order to identify and implement best practices applicable to the new project.
CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT PHASE
The objective of the Conceptual Development Phase is to clarify the project intent and define the plan for pre-production. It is the opportunity for the team to formulate a matured creative vision and prove their intent to deliver an innovative, fun and successfully viable product. The Conceptual Development Phase allows for the formalizing of the direction for the setting, narrative, features, systems and core gameplay experiences and how they interact and support each other, along with the accompanying scope of content. The focus is also on understanding the market and business potential, along with the production planning roadmap for shipping the final product.
In the PROCESS category, the focus is on a wide variety of items that establish the production frameworks needed for success, generally running in parallel to the PRODUCT’s goals during Conceptual Development. As an example, a Project Knowledge Hub is created that communicates the product’s vision, goals and objectives and consolidates all project information for the team. Initial Levels-of-Completion are documented that allow for early estimations of the proposed Feature List, Content List, and Product Backlog, which in turn leads to Scope & Capacity exercises to identify additional risks and external partner support needed. In addition, project management processes are implemented, agile & hybrid methodologies are implemented, the release & sprint cadence is established, and project KPIs are clarified and tracked moving forward.
PRE-PRODUCTION PHASE
The objective of the Pre-Production Phase is to prove the core gameplay experiences, lock the Feature List and their design & technical specifications, and confirm expectations on scope and feasibility of content. All tech and game areas should be de-risked, with content creation pipelines proved out with actual production tools & workflows. Content and Feature benchmarks have been stood up to confirm pipelines, prove estimates, and set targets for production.
In the PROCESS category, the focus is on tenaciously assessing and addressing the project’s RAID (Risks, Actions, Issues, Decisions), as well as having a clear mechanism for managing dependencies across teams and work items. One of the biggest artifacts of this Phase is the Pre-Production Exit Criteria, which categorizes the collection of questions, issues, risks, processes and pipelines that must be resolved in order for the team to move into full production. Other methodologies are put into place in this Phase as well, including monitoring & tracking dashboards, along with soft & hard lock processes.
PRODUCTION PHASE
The Production Phase is focused on creating content and integrating assets into the game and executing on all aspects of product development. The team will implement the learnings and knowledge from the vertical slice or MVP delivery into the product development and production processes. In-software reviews and playtests combined with continuous scope & capacity assessments are required to adhere to quality and schedule requirements.
In the PROCESS category, the focus continues to be on the project’s RAID areas to support the teams as they face various development challenges throughout production. Project progress relative to scheduling constraints are continuously monitored and communicated, as well as continuous Scope & Capacity exercises. In addition, Change Request processes are implemented to ensure the scope remains focused and properly prioritized. Strong communication channels and proper monitoring of Project KPIs are critical throughout the Production Phase as the team drives to Alpha.
FINALING PHASE
In the Finaling Phase the game is tuned and balanced to provide a rounded and rewarding experience for the player. The focus in this phase is on reviews and playtests in order to acquire internal and external feedback from a wide variety of sources. Feedback analysis, prioritization and implementation takes place within the established change request processes relative to the remaining production timeline. The first Production Gate in the Finaling Phase is Beta, followed by a final push to product Launch.
In the PROCESS category, the focus remains on the project's RAID areas during this critical time of development. The Change Request processes are also crucial, preventing additional scope and regression challenges. Debugging dashboards are also especially important in order to monitor progress against quality and schedule constraints. These, in turn, are directly tied to the project’s soft and hard lock processes as it secures its Beta build and, finally, the product Launch itself.
LIVE OPERATIONS
The focus of Live Operations is to expand and increase player engagement and boost the relationship with the community via regular content updates, events, new gameplay modes, modding, user tools, unique server playgrounds, new entry points, user generated content, UX evolutions, etc. Player feedback is continually assessed and where feasible integrated within the live operations product roadmap and release plan. In addition, the team is continuously optimizing production pipelines as well as the user experience to facilitate product updates and the player’s engagement.
In the PROCESS category, the focus is on ensuring and maintaining operational efficiency via the RAID areas, sustaining the release & sprint cadence, continuous monitoring and tracking via the project dashboards, and adhering to the soft and hard lock processes for each release.
