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Cross Discipline Saviors

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Presentation on theme: "Cross Discipline Saviors"— Presentation transcript:

1 Cross Discipline Saviors
Strike Teams: Cross Discipline Saviors by Starr Long Producer, NCsoft

2 Definition What are Strike Teams? Small teams Cross Discipline
Collocated Focused on Single Area/System Goal Oriented Temporary

3 Cross & Collocate Thou shall Cross & Collocate! Cross discipline:
Inter Dept.: Artist, Programmer, Designer Intra Dept.: Modeler, Texturer, Animator Collocation: Same office / cube area Or at least nearby / adjacent areas

4 Cross & Collocate Thou shall Cross & Collocate! Why?
Better communication Communication hard across disciplines Attention from all disciplines simultaneously vs. sequentially Proximity speeds up communication Morale increases Promotes accountability Usually equals results

5 Cross & Collocate (or not)
Thou shall Cross & Collocate? Why not? Moving people around hard Progs don’t like sharing space Disciplines speak different languages Confusion of Authority Lines Who’s in charge? Strike lead or dept. lead? If Strike lead what does dept. lead do? If dept. lead which one since cross disc.?

6 Focus! Thou shall focus on single area and iterate!
Focus on single game system/area only UI, Combat, Mission 1, Mission 2, etc. Focus on results not processes Entirely goal & iteration oriented Regular demonstrable goals (weekly?) One large goal for end of the milestone

7 Focus! Thou shall focus on single area and iterate! Why?
Results orientation Focus on game goals vs. dept. goals Constant iteration to “get it right” Avoid slogging through process Nimble and dynamic

8 Focus! (or blinded?) Thou shall focus on single area and iterate?
Why not? Blind to big vision Macro vision can be lost when focus on micro Very hard to schedule Non-sequential tasks, iteration, etc. Usually more need than resources More systems than staff

9 Temporary Thou shall make them temporary entities!
Reorganize continually based on needs Form new ones, dissolve old ones, etc. Why? Resource bound Why not? Multi-tasking confusing

10 Organization: How To Organize via traditional dept. model
Art, Design, Programming departments Dept. leads (Lead Prog., Art Dir., etc.) Resource allocation, reviews, scheduling Retained long term Build foundations of game first Then go to strike teams Doing it too early will defeat purpose

11 Organization (cont.) Keep numbers small Formal vs. Informal
As few strike teams as possible at any time No one on more than 1 active strike team Each strike should have a lead Formal vs. Informal Depends on need Formal = mailing lists, regular reports, etc. Informal = ownership, iteration, etc.

12 Why Strike Teams? Payoffs: Nimble and dynamic Promote accountability
Results oriented Focus on game goals vs. dept. goals Elusive “Getting it right” Improve cross discipline communication Tend to improve morale for troops

13 Why not Strike Teams? Challenges: Very hard to schedule
“Big Picture” can be lost Confusion of Authority Lines Usually more need than resources Can hurt morale

14 Examples Products using similar methods:
Lord of the Rings (EA, Neil Young) Guild Wars (Arena.net / NCsoft) Other definitions / similar structures: Mini Teams Pods Matrix Management Resource Pool Management

15 Strike Teams right for you?
Payoffs large but challenges just as big Good: Focus on the game and results Communication sped up, barriers removed Morale improved Bad: Confusion of authority Hard to manage / schedule Usually resource bound


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