{"id":30274,"date":"2018-07-04T15:10:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-04T15:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/view\/news\/321272"},"modified":"2018-07-04T15:10:00","modified_gmt":"2018-07-04T15:10:00","slug":"blog-choosing-a-project-management-tool-for-game-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2018\/07\/04\/blog-choosing-a-project-management-tool-for-game-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog: Choosing a project management tool for game development"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Available On:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, Android, iOS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nFree up to 15 team members\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nPremium version $9.99AUD per member, per month<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nEnterprise version P.O.A<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">One of the most popular tools used by game developers, Asana has a number of features that make it lightweight and great for game development planning and production. With a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">team-oriented approach<\/strong>, it allows users to sort tasks in a multitude of different ways, including a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">calendar view<\/strong>, <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">project sections, statistics, &amp; attachment sections <\/strong>which can be extremely useful when dealing with team members working across the same assets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Asana allows you to assign a task to a user, creating <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">accountability <\/strong>across the team for specific tasks within your project. Entirely <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">cloud-based<\/strong>, you can have consistent discussions without items getting missed. There are a set number of different <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">templates <\/strong>you can use to set up each section, or even <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">send questionnaires <\/strong>to team members if you need clarification on where a project is at. Asana\u2019s <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">UI is easy to understand<\/strong>, letting you jump in and get started very quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">If you\u2019re an indie team, Asana could be a great fit. With no credit card requirement for a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">free trial<\/strong>, you can test if it works for you over a sprint (or however you manage your dev cycle) and get some strong feedback from your team. The ability to add <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">multiple tags <\/strong>to items, and link a single story\/item\/task to more than one project or tag means producers and team leaders can <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">categorise assets, bugs, levels <\/strong>and more in a way that works for the entire team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">However, Asana provides <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">no clear security features<\/strong>, doesn\u2019t allow you to edit comments, and the section split within projects can be average at times. You can also <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">only assign one individual <\/strong>to a task, which if you have more than two artists working on a number of specific assets for example, can mean an awkward and often unnecessary splitting of workload. There are also a huge amount of features on display, which while making the app straightforward, <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">can be overwhelming <\/strong>if your team isn\u2019t gung-ho on engaging with digital boards.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong class=\"markup--h4-strong markup--strong\">Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Solo\/small to medium teams <\/strong>working across multiple assets or projects<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who are more <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">responsive to visual scrums<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who enjoy more <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">ad-hoc workflows <\/strong>that are more lightweight and flexible<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">don\u2019t want to spend money <\/strong>on their process management<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong class=\"markup--h4-strong markup--strong\">Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You are a team of two, or a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">solo developer<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Your project is <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">relatively small <\/strong>in scale<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You need <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">strong security <\/strong>features due to your IP<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, Desktop, Android, iOS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nFree trial<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nPremium version varies in price by user count<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nFrom $34AUD monthly to $1330AUD monthly\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\n(5 Users\u200a\u2014\u200a200 Users respectively on base premium plan)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Formerly known as \u201cdapulse.com\u201d, Monday is a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">well-designed <\/strong>and <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">highly flexible <\/strong>PM tool. Allowing for a huge amount of customization as well as quick, jump in templates, Monday allows users to create a PM system as complex or simple as your team may need. Each item is a \u201cpulse\u201d and can belong to both a subsection, board, or multiple boards at once.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Monday is the first PM tool that\u2019s worked really well for our team\u200a\u2014\u200abeing <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">almost entirely visual <\/strong>is a massive plus when most of your assets are being generated by your art team, and Monday allows for <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">easy sharing of files <\/strong>and tracking of progress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">While a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">far more expensive <\/strong>option, it does however make up for this pricing by providing a number of different tiers, as well as <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">incredible support options<\/strong>. I have only had to contact Monday once to query an issue and received a response within ten minutes, which is exceptional by support standards\u200a\u2014\u200aespecially with a US based company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">However, there can be <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">difficulty in accessing archived boards<\/strong>, following certain longer discussion threads, and some of the functions that seem obvious to include on a base level (private boards) are reserved for the more expensive plans. Also, you\u2019ll find yourself frequently confusing your team when you call it Monday, so might be worth coming up with another name (we call it Board McGee, because we\u2019re adults in game dev.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Monday took me <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">merely moments to set up\u200a<\/strong>\u2014\u200ait allows you to import from a number of different documents and websites including Trello, making shifting to it relatively easy in comparison to the hours of setting up some tools require. Similar to Asana, you can <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">assign tasks to individuals<\/strong>, however Monday allows you to assign to multiple people at once\u200a\u2014\u200amaking handover far easier as members know what tasks they will need to jump on to once the initial process is complete. Being able to <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">set priority on tasks <\/strong>can also help teams keep their focus on what assets need completing first, ensuring you move more quickly on specific levels. Monday is also <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">highly security focused\u200a<\/strong>\u2014\u200athere are a number of encryption procedures in place and with the level of consumer support, I\u2019m sure you could enhance and tighten these where needed depending on your IP.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">One of the best things about Monday is the fact that it is easy to create both <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">high-level <\/strong>and <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">detail oriented <\/strong>collaborative work spaces. We can create timelines for the entire project, for specific levels, or even for specific assets\u200a\u2014\u200abut organise them in a way that makes them easy to understand no matter what a members role is. Keeping people forward focused in games can be difficult, so encouraging them to see and interact with the bigger picture is made easy with Monday, and can reduce time spent on meetings and GDD\/LDDs. As a producer, it\u2019s also important for me to know the extent to which people are engaging with the PM process\u200a\u2014\u200aso being able to have <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">daily updates <\/strong>on who is adding pulses, what boards are trending, what updates are receiving a lot of feedback can help me streamline how to adjust and shift our process to make this easier for the team.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong class=\"markup--h4-strong markup--strong\">Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Medium to large teams <\/strong>working across multiple assets or projects<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who want to <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">reduce time spent on set-up<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams working across larger, more <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">long-term projects<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who respond to <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">visual <\/strong>material<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who want to be able to <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">customize <\/strong>to an extreme level<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who need high-level, quick <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">support <\/strong>for changing and managing scrums<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong class=\"markup--h4-strong markup--strong\">Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You are a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">small team<\/strong>\/don\u2019t have much to spend<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Your project is <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">small in scale<\/strong>\/scope<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to keep parts of the planning for your project away from your team at large<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, Desktop, iOS, Android<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nFree up to 15 team members\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nPremium version $9.99AUD per member, per month<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nEnterprise version P.O.A<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Trello is another PM favourite, and often one of the first you\u2019ll hear suggested when people ask about game development tracking. I use Trello for some very specific purposes (namely, keeping track of business cards &amp; managing interactions post-events which I\u2019ll be writing about soon), but I find it lacking when it comes to PM in terms of how I best consume information. YMMV, however, but here are some of my thoughts!<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">If you\u2019re a fan of Kanban, Trello is probably a good PM tool for you. If you have no idea what Kanban is, but everything in your office has a post-it note and a place, you\u2019ll probably like it too. It allows you to <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">create cards for tasks<\/strong>, add information, and easily shift them through the workflow process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">If you\u2019re a small team, or you have a small number of different teams to work across, something like Trello could be perfect. It has a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">free version <\/strong>that allows you to access almost all of its features and a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">relatively small learning curve<\/strong>. It means you can get teams in and working almost straight away, and explains why it\u2019s a good favourite for many indie teams. You set up your cards, get working, and you\u2019re good to go with a generally full overview of your project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">My biggest issue with Trello is how <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">easily cluttered <\/strong>it can become, and how <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">painful it can be to navigate<\/strong>. From a production perspective, I like to start at high-level then move into nitty-gritty, but Trello often puts <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">everything front and centre <\/strong>at once without you spending some time to split it all. When you have a huge amount of assets, before you know it, you\u2019re scrolling down for twenty minutes and across for fifteen, and it just doesn\u2019t feel like a clean way to approach. I\u2019m sure there are fixes, but I\u2019ve found other tools do it better.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">It can also be <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">time consuming <\/strong>to set up, as if you want to add details to specific cards, you need to click into each individual one and spend a lot of time to get it where you need it to be. Plus, unless you have someone on top of things managing the way information is stored and tracked, <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">things can get messy <\/strong>quickly. Without prompting for archival or someone making sure things are getting moved when they need to be, you can find your board cluttered before you know it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Trello is also <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">relatively light on features<\/strong>, has no major avenues for reporting (if you\u2019re managing budgets, timelines and so forth) with your project, so if you find your game is a great success and you move onto something bigger, it may no longer fit your needs.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Small to medium teams <\/strong>working across one small to large project<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who like to see all facets of development laid out for them<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">don\u2019t have a lot to spend <\/strong>but want to work across a full team<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">don\u2019t need a huge amount of features<\/strong>\/reporting<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You have individuals dedicated to managing the <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">board health<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You have a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">large number of assets <\/strong>you need to generate<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Your project is <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">big in scale <\/strong>or spread across many different teams<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to manage your <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">project health <\/strong>more closely<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">don\u2019t have the time <\/strong>to manage a large number of cards and their placement<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nFree personal account with unlimited members<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nPersonal Plus $4EUR \/ month\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nStudio Plan $6EUR per seat \/month<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"graf graf--figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"graf-image\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/blog-choosing-a-project-management-tool-for-game-development.png\" \/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">HackNPlan is a PM tool made specifically for game development. The dream, right? Lots of people swear by HackNPlan purely based on the fact that it has been made specifically with game development in mind. It allows you to split your cards specifically by <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">technical categories and milestones<\/strong>, making it easy to see who is responsible for what at a glance. Granted, this could be done in other PM software but HnP having it inbuilt is a great feature. When you finish a task, you can then log how long it took you to finish, making for <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">solid tracking of dev time<\/strong>. It has the option to view tasks from all streams together, or individually, <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">automatically creating teams <\/strong>as needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">It also provides <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">integrated game design documentation<\/strong>, saving the need for Google Drive links or longer meetings. Unlike Trello, it adds the ability to look at a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">wide range of reporting tools <\/strong>to keep track of project health. If you\u2019re wanting a quick and easy way to get involved in PM for games in a way that streamlines the process for you, HackNPlan is worth checking out. Apparently, some of the features are locked behind the more premium plans, the interface can take some time to load, and it <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">lacks some integration <\/strong>that are built in to other PM tools. The notification system can be either frustrating and nondescript, or doesn\u2019t give notifications on overdue tasks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Granted, I haven\u2019t used it myself\u200a\u2014\u200aso I can\u2019t comment on its efficiency, only on the information I\u2019ve been able to gather from others\u200a\u2014\u200abut I\u2019d love to know what people\u2019s experiences have been like with it.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Small to medium <\/strong>teams who want an easy way to categorize their tasks (by technical category etc.)<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who like to work iteratively across specific timelines<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who want <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">integrated GDD <\/strong>and a focus on using this GDD<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You don\u2019t have a lot to spend but want to work across a full team<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You need <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">more information <\/strong>for reporting purposes<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">set smaller milestones <\/strong>or more frequent sprints<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to see the <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">overview <\/strong>of the entire project<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">consistently fast <\/strong>server connection and load time<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You need a lot of specific features and customization<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You need to integrate multiple other programs<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Your project is <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">huge in scale <\/strong>and requires a lot of high level approval and direct engagement<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want a more traditional PM tool to customize<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You have a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">lot of team members <\/strong>and need to pay per seat<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, Desktop, Android, iOS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nFree with 15gb of storage\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nVaries in pricing above this by size, up to 30TB for 299.99 per month<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">A classic staple of game development, I don\u2019t know of a team that doesn\u2019t work at least somewhat within Google Drive. I find it\u2019s fantastic as a personal hub for my own documentation, created material, and so forth, as well as an easy to update shared Press Kit folder (never lose a logo again, and easily update screenshots!) and for shared lengthy documentation\/spreadsheets that don\u2019t otherwise fit within a PM tool.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">For me, needing to put together a lot of pitches and external material means realistically, I couldn\u2019t live without Google Drive. This however isn\u2019t really the case for most teams. Many, if they find the right tool and are using it from the start (<em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">teehee, does that ever happen?<\/em>) could integrate many of the needs they have into the tool itself. With many third-party apps, lots of in-app collaborations, flexible costs and easy sign-up and access, it can be a no brainer\u200a\u2014\u200aespecially with <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">15GB of free storage<\/strong>. Being able to <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">collaborate in real time<\/strong>, leave questions to resolve later in meetings and work on the fly has improved our design doc processes and meeting efficiency by a lot. Sometimes you really do just need a blank document to work everything out and refine, and the version control is a bonus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">However, Google Drive is <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">limited in security features\u200a<\/strong>\u2014\u200awhile Google themselves are pretty reliable, there\u2019s no setting passwords for file sharing so security can be low if the link is passed into the wrong hands, and there is no native option for private encryption. I was curious how much some of the AAA studios would be using GD for high-level confidential information, but a developer advised me they used to scrape actual game data using GD at a AAA with no two-factor authorization activated. They used GD for publisher communications, internal or external spreadsheets, and the game data included things like 5m+ players information, troop stats, movement, events etc. Google admits freely in its terms of service that it <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">scans your data<\/strong>, both in Gmail and Google Drive to market to you directly. Some may not be too concerned by this, but it could be a problem for others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">It also is <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">very easy for it to become messy\u200a<\/strong>\u2014\u200ato the point that I have to manage and update a \u201cmaster link document\u201d that has a table with links to all of our Google Docs\/Sheets\/Slides. I can also say, with firm absolution, that it has not been updated with the most recent probably ten new documents we\u2019ve created. However, because it\u2019s part of my role to know where everything is, it\u2019s pretty easy for me to find what I need and pass it on to the team member requesting.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Small to large teams <\/strong>working on projects regardless of project size<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who have a lot of narrative material, text, VO and more to keep track of<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">don\u2019t have any money to spend <\/strong>but want to work across a full team<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">ease of sharing information <\/strong>across individuals and facilities<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to see when people make changes and <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">work collaboratively <\/strong>in real time<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to use more of the traditional PM methodologies (doesn\u2019t really stand alone as a PM tool)<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">efficient reporting <\/strong>about the status of the project as a whole<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">high level security <\/strong>for your project<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to keep track of an entire project in one file\/place<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want something <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">more advanced <\/strong>for your tracking<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, Desktop, Android, iOS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\n$99USD per month\u200a\u2014\u200aunlimited projects, unlimited team size<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Basecamp is a great all-in option in that for $99USD per month you can create as many projects with as many team members as you might require. Once you hit 8 or so people, this makes it quite cost-effective for a team at around $12 a piece. If you\u2019ve been using Basecamp for some time, this figure might confuse you \u2014it looks like they recently moved to a paid service and those who got in when the first project was free are staying on free plans, so lucky you!<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">This $99 includes <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">500GB of storage<\/strong>, setting you up immediately to manage the information. With <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">task management, chat, storage, checklists <\/strong>and more all in one place, it can be really useful for larger teams and projects as this baked in functionality isn\u2019t necessarily included in some of the other tools we\u2019ve discussed, and the cost is spread more easily than some per seat options when you get above eight or so people. It\u2019s <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">easy to set up, <\/strong>even providing suggestions for teams to add events, projects or other information to your planning. However, for a seasoned producer or project manager these could be distracting when planning out timelines with milestones and start\/end dates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">One thing Basecamp does that could be great if you do have a larger team is the set up of <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">automatic check-ins<\/strong>. These essentially request team members to submit a report answering specific questions on a recurring basis. Highly customizable, if you\u2019re across a business that doesn\u2019t do daily meet-ups with the team or you just have a large amount of people to manage, this could be a great way to reduce some of the stress and pressure around checking in on progress or priorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">One game dev advised that when working with Basecamp, they needed to write a suite of spreadsheets (using google docs) to ensure their team had all the information required. Apparently, the inclusion of all this information in Basecamp wasn\u2019t made easy in comparison to some other PM tools. This is a gripe other devs have mentioned\u200a\u2014\u200athat it <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">needs some outside tools <\/strong>or spreadsheets to help manage the volume of information for larger teams.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">While great for communications between your team, reminders and checklists, the project format can be mostly useful on the side of PM burn down charts and sprint tracking, rather than overall PM. There are complaints that the reporting option isn\u2019t necessarily always useful, the program <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">lacks some functionality <\/strong>in comparison (especially for the price) which for many start-ups can be a difficult to justify investment decision.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Medium to large indie teams <\/strong>working across multiple assets or projects who want a central hub with inclusive storage space for assets<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want a way to check in directly with team members throughout the process, without too much time investment<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams unsure about the PM process but wanting to learn about creating a structure<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">advanced functionalities <\/strong>that some of the other programs provide<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Can <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">easily become clunky <\/strong>due to the central hub design without proper management<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Don\u2019t have much to spend on your PM, or have a smaller team<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, iOS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nStarts at $10 per user, per month<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Assembla has been described by some devs as a nice middle ground\u200a\u2014\u200agood utility, without being over complicated, all the features you could need with each project being able to be assigned its own feature set. The ability to integrate other features and programs and managing version control can be helpful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">If you\u2019re engaging in a large number of commits, it also has a lot of support. Assembla claims to offer the <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">fastest commit performance <\/strong>with 99.99% uptime, so if <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">reliability <\/strong>is a focus, Assembla could be a good bet. With <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">automated backups<\/strong>, optional managed offsite backups, and per commit snapshots Assembla is highly focused on <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">security and asset protection<\/strong>. Assembla allows you to either focus on this <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">cloud-hosted source control <\/strong>approach (with a limit on the content you can host) or the PM side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">However, it seems recently Assembla has gone through some pricing changes that make it slightly less accessible to your average team considering the functionality it provides. It also contains a lot of features that aren\u2019t necessarily useful for most teams. You might be able to get more bang for your buck elsewhere if you are using a paid program, or even get the functionality you need with a free option. It also <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">behaves a lot like Trello visually<\/strong>, so you may find paying for the same sort of layout doesn\u2019t gel well for your team if you\u2019re less worried about managing version control to such an extent.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Small to large teams <\/strong>working across multiple assets or projects<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">A middle ground option of utility and difficulty of use<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You have concerns about your <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">version control<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Protecting assets with backups and cloud hosting being managed for you<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">more technical approach <\/strong>to your PM or have lots of data to manage<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want a clean easy to use UX design<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You don\u2019t want to spend too much on your PM<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You are far more <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">design focused <\/strong>than data focused in your projects<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Devices Supported:<\/strong>\u00a0<br \/>&#013;<br \/>\nWeb, Desktop, iOS, Android<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"graf graf--blockquote\"><p><strong class=\"markup--blockquote-strong markup--strong\">Pricing Tiers:\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>&#013;<br \/>\n$10 for 1\u201310 users, $2,000 for 11\u201325 and increases per users<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[embedded content]<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">I have a big personal unfair bugbear with JIRA, because I was forced into using it at a previous job where it had been grandfathered in and not improved upon in years. However, I am aware that this isn\u2019t directly JIRA\u2019s fault\u200a\u2014\u200ait is an incredibly powerful tool, so it warrants a spot here. I reached out to <a class=\"markup--user markup--p-user\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/u\/beb47ed3b6e2\" target=\"_blank\">Jason Imms<\/a> who swears by it and gave a lot of information as to why for me to frame this section. Jason Imms runs a quality assurance firm called The Machine QA, and has a huge wealth of experience in helping game developers set up and track their project management.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">JIRA is capable of working across a huge number of different methodologies, so you can tailor it to both your team and your workflow. It is indeed complex, but this complexity lends to its capability, allowing teams to set up per-issue-type custom workflows to fit those more specific needs. You can also create <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">public-facing forms <\/strong>to let external users log bugs directly into your system, rather than manually adding information from emails or threads, reducing time across your team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">JIRA provides <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">editable issue creation forms <\/strong>and field integration, making either simple, straightforward forms to highly complex and nuanced fields. This can <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">improve reporting<\/strong>, searching, and reduce user error leading to issues getting lost (something that was a huge problem in a previous role for myself.) It has a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">mature plugin marketplace<\/strong>, meaning again, you can extend it to fit your needs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">However (and here is where personal opinion comes in!), it does require a fair amount of set up. It\u2019s not a get up and go program, but if you customize it as needed, you could set up your game approach with a <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">powerful, all-encompassing management system <\/strong>with as many ways to view, report, log and check in on your project health as you could ever dream of. It\u2019s also not particularly pretty to look at or interpret, especially if you don\u2019t have a strong understanding of other people\u2019s roles and issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">If you\u2019re a large studio, or working across multiple projects and countries, JIRA might be exactly what you need. If you can find the right plug-ins to present it in a way your team will respond to (e.g. visually appealing) then you can also circumnavigate some of the issues JIRA presents. This all takes time however, which for small teams or teams without dedicated producers, could be a big ask.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Good For:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Much larger established teams <\/strong>working across multiple assets or projects who need to be able to customize every facet of their project tracking<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\"><strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">Very small teams <\/strong>working on projects that need clear tracking<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Teams who are well-versed in what they want to track within their game<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Projects that will have a <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">large online or multiplayer community <\/strong>that will need extensive, detailed issue and bug tracking or receive a large amount of community feedback<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4\"><strong>Probably Not Worth It\u00a0If:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">Your team is <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">highly visual <\/strong>and responds better to more appealing UI\/UX design<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You want to add more <strong class=\"markup--li-strong markup--strong\">real-time communication <\/strong>without resorting to plug-ins<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You don\u2019t have a lot of time or resources to manage a complex system\/set it up<\/li>\n<p>&#013; <\/p>\n<li class=\"graf graf--li\">You don\u2019t have a lot of money to use for your project management but have over 10 people on board<\/li>\n<p>&#013;\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><strong>In Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">There really is no one program fits all and with the speed of project management tool improvements, methodologies, and new software coming to market, it is always going to be difficult to find the right one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">What every studio needs to do is <strong class=\"markup--p-strong markup--strong\">determine what is important to them in their project management\u200a<\/strong>\u2014\u200apricing, reporting, bug tracking and so on and so forth and find the closest fit within the myriad of options. It is all too easy to become grandfathered into a system that isn\u2019t efficient, so I highly encourage those working on new small projects (or even just during rapid prototyping!) to dip their toes into trying different tools.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Personally, I lean towards high customization visual boards focused purely on general project management that let me flex out into both the games side of PM and business\u200a\u2014\u200alike Monday and Asana. These seem to work better for my team (maybe due to having more designers than developers, or just because we seem to gravitate towards knowing at a glance without too much reading)\u2014 but YMMV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">No matter your team size, project size, or approach\u200a\u2014\u200afrequently, consistently, and critically examine how the way you work and what you use is improving or impeding your project delivery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">I welcome all criticism, addition of pros and cons, recognition of mistakes, concerns, nitpicks\u200a\u2014\u200aanything. I am by no means well versed in all of these tools, but I believe we need to examine more closely the tools we are relying on to deliver our games both internally and externally, and encourage ongoing discussion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Available On:\u00a0&#013; Web, Android, iOS Pricing Tiers:\u00a0&#013; Free up to 15 team members\u00a0&#013; Premium version $9.99AUD per member, per month&#013; Enterprise version P.O.A [embedded content] \u00a0 One of the most popular tools used by game developers, Asana has a number of features that make it lightweight and great for game development planning and production. With [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}