Project Management Lecture for Session 7 of The Los Angeles Film School's Game PreProduction course.

1. Session 7
David Mullich
Concept Workshop - Game PreProduction
The Los Angeles Film School

2. Staffing Plan
 Defines the personnel resources and when
they will come aboard
 Written by the game’s Producer

3. Staffing Phases
 Preproduction: Generally consists of a small team required
to put together the game documentation, concept art,
technical research, and perhaps pipeline tools or a
prototype.
 Production: Project team size can dramatically increase as
more programmers, artists, and level designers come aboard
to create assets and features. Audio personnel usually don't
come aboard until late in production.
 Post-Production: Team members responsible for creating
assets leave the project while programmers remain to fix
bugs. Producers remain to work with quality assurance and
create localization plans.

4. Dilemma #1
 What do you do with the rest of the team
while the leads are working on the game
documentation?
 Potential Solution: Have the leads work on
the new project while the current game is in
Post Production.

5. Dilemma #2
 The schedule is falling behind. Do we hire more
people?
 Potential Solution: If more people are needed to finish
a task, it will require a lot of money, but if you don't
have the money, then may be to reduce the scope of
work so that the people available can do it.
 Warning: The Mythical Man Month: If a job takes a
man 5 months to do, that doesn't necessarily mean
that the same job can be done by 5 men in one month.

6. Staffing Hiccups
 Holidays: Make time for these in your schedule
 Vacation/Maternity Leave: Ask team members for
planned departure plans at the start of the project
and work into schedule
 Sick Time/Jury Duty: Leave buffer time in schedule
for unplanned absences
 Firings/Resignations: Cross-train personnel so that
no one is dispensable

7. Hiring
 Electronic Ads: Craig's List, LinkedIn, Gamasutra,
Creativeheads.net, Gamedev.net, Gamejobs.com,
bulletin boards,
 Recruiters: Best used for finding programmers or
mid-high level producers or designers.
 Schools
 Job Fairs
 Networking

8. Team Phases
 Forming: Team members are positive and polite. As leader,
you play a dominant role at this stage: other member's roles
are responsibilities are unclear.
 Storming: Your authority may be questioned as other jockey
for position and their role is clarified. Some may be
overwhelmed by what they are asked to do. Teams can fall
apart at this stage.
 Norming: Hierarchy is established, and team members come
to respect your authority as a leader.
 Performing: Hard work leads toward progress toward shared
vision of a goal. As leader, you can start delegating work
and begin developing team members.
 Adjourning: This may be hard for team members who like
routine or have grown attached to co-workers.

9. Team Phases

10.  What is the appropriate management technique to use at
each of these team phases?
Team Phase
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning
Management Style
A. Coaching
B. Delegating
C. Directing
D. Supporting