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[Mattivc]

My question is simple, how do you do your project management for your games?

I am a bit of organization and systems geek
But i still haven't found a good way of doing project management for my gamedev projects.
Especially when i am working on something together with other people, but also when i am solo.

So i am interested in hearing what other people do? How do you organize and plan a project before development. And during, how you you organize and prioritize, and delegate task when working with others.

I guess im interested in both theoretical view, and best practices. As well as specific technical stuff, such as specific programs of website to use.

[agersant]

I love to use Asana or the good old Trac.

[ThemsAllTook]

I've used trac, but when I'm working alone I seem to do best keeping a simple to-do list and notes in a plain text file. Anything more than that and I'll spend too much time on my system and process rather than actually getting the game done.

[Average Software]

White board.

[HyperNexus]

I usually work on games by myself so I just have a simple todo list either on a whiteboard, in a text file or on pen and paper. I don't like to attach concrete completion dates to things on my list. Instead I remember a rough date in my head.

I recently had a look at Trello and was pretty impressed. I haven't heard of Asana before but it looks sort of similair.

[ink.inc]

text file

white board

devlog

[Player Ʒ]

Cork bulletin board.

[ink.inc]

paper

[PompiPompi]

Hmm, I don't really know how to manage people. Being a manager in that sense requires experience, and most programmers don't have that experience. Because they are not born with it, and because they never had to manage people.
However, from the software design point of view, I believe a good slim macro design is important.
It's important when you work as a team, but also when you work as a solo. Sometimes the things you are doing to work as a team are also beneficial for you as solo. However, that is not what you were asking.
A slim macro design means you seperate your program into modules. The modules should be independent of each other, and they should communicate with an interface.
In a C++ program seperate modules could mean seperate dlls(usually).
The reason it's good to seperate your software into modules, especially with a team, is that you will find it is quite horrible for two programmers to work on the same code. The ideal is to have each programer work on his own module(s).
To be honest, my module seperation in a game would be the framework modules, like graphics\audio\network modules, and then there is the game logic(game specific code).
I never tried and I am not sure how good it is actually to seperate the game logic into modules or how to do that. And sadly, the game logic might be the part that requires most of the work. So what I am suggesting you might be flawed, but at least it make sense in theory.

Hope this helps.

[FK in the Coffee]

Google Docs and Google Docs and Googles Docs and Google Docs and Google Docs

[antybaner]

I used to use nothing but then I took something to the knee.

[flavio]

Depending on the project, Redmine, TikiWiki, Emacs org mode.

[Prinsessa]

I used to use nothing but then I took something to the knee.

You used to be a cool guy, but then you used a crappy, overused, tiresome meme that was never* funny.

* The original thing actually was kind of funny, but when you hear it every single day... Just stop it.

[Geeze]

Arrow to the knee...
Arrows...
Arrows.
Arrows!






THEN GABRIEL VERDON IS NOT DEAD AFTER ALL!

[OneMoreGo]

Post it notes and a whiteboard are the best for a single person, web based systems are good particularly if you have multiple people working on a project but constrain a little and to be honest it's nice just having time at the whiteboard to think away from the monitor.

The bigger question is how much do you plan before starting? Lots of upfront planning can be a handicap, I recommend trying to get to established milestones but small weekly ones. Then at the end of each take some time out to consider if the direction is still correct, if you need to adjust or if you need to throw it away and start again 

[Mikademus]

Real project management, as in when you try to organise the efforts of several people to a common goal, can be a real bitch for several reasons, all of which boils down to people.

Some people a enthusiastic and natural team players. Some are patient and bring out the best in others. If they're also skilled and communicative these people are worth their weight in gallium and should be treasured. They are very few and far between...

Most people one will come across in software projects bring something else to it: Some people are overambitious or overcompetitive. These usually want to make the project theirs and decide, and they will usually be sources of conflict and disruptive dispute. Some people are passive, lazy or freeriders. Some are stop blocks. Some will believe in their own superiority and in others' incompetence. Some will be passive aggressive, incommunicative or create a bad atmosphere for other intra-personal reasons. And some will simply be incompetent.

Project management is about orchestrating the skills of different people into a process of complementary efforts. It is about making the co-workers motivated to work and work in the right direction. And it is about prioritising what needs to be done, or to create work processes that will result in that and that everyone are aware of the priorities. All these things are hard and there is no general guide how to achieve it and coupled with that most co-workers will fit more in the second than the first group there you have the reason that as much as 80% of all real-life (as in "business") software project fails...

That said, for smaller indie game projects some good rules of thumb are:
* Have a game document at least describing the game's intent, story and mechanics. Make certain everyone has read it and agrees with it.
* Make everyone know there is one principal visionary behind the game. This person should understand that the project is not only 'his' and that he is not a dictator and should listen to everyone's ideas, but everyone should accept that his word weights heavier in game design decisions.
* Set up short-term goals and make certain everyone agrees on these and contribute to them.
* Be positive and constructive, and always remember to appreciate each other for the effort you all put in. Negativity or placing blame can ruin everything faster than you might imagine.

[Vino]

I'm actually developing some software that among other things is designed to help indie developers manage their projects. I'm trying to nail down exactly what kind of project management tool is best for indies. Many (like me) just want a good to do list, and others want something that helps them coordinate a bunch of people. Can you guys give me a good idea of what the perfect web based project management for an indie game developer would be?

[flavio]

Can you guys give me a good idea of what the perfect web based project management for an indie game developer would be?

I can only speak for myself, but maybe it helps.

• a system like a wiki, to collaboratively write and maintain (design) documents;
• a (micro)blog system to maintain the other parties up-to-date about your state;
• a blog system to inform the team about the important news of the project;
• forums;
• a chat;
• a place for sharing files;
• an issue tracker;
• plugin system to customize specific needs;
• a private area where you can store private resources (private messages, private tasks, private bookmarks, private contacts, private files, private calendar);
• an overview/roadmap of the project - to show which issues are required to be solved to reach each milestone;
• a code browser (typically connected to a VCS).

Ok, this is a lot more than an indie may need (very often a text file is enough), but maybe you can find something useful here and there.

[Average Software]

Can you guys give me a good idea of what the perfect web based project management for an indie game developer would be?

My first requirement would actually be that it not be web based.  I would want a real program that interacts with a local database.

[J-Snake]

Some will believe in their own superiority and in others' incompetence.

That's not a problem as long as others accept it.