Project Management
Key Elements
- Time Management - Creating a schedule with clear deadlines, milestones, and task dependencies to keep the project on track
- Problem Solving
- Iteration
- Planning
- Budgeting - Budgeting and controlling costs to ensure the project stays within financial constraints
- Prioritisation
- Marketing
- Scope - Defining the project objectives, deliverables, and boundaries to ensure everyone understands what is included and excluded
- Communication
Scope Creep
- Uncontrolled expansion of features beyond the initial plan
- Leads to delays, increased costs, and potential failure
Poor Time Management - Missed deadlines due to underestimating task duration
- Poor scheduling or lack of clear milestones
- Dependencies between tasks causing bottlenecks
Budget Constraints - Insufficient funding leading to staff layoffs, cut features, or rushed development
- Unexpected costs such as software licencing, marketing, or server maintenance
Technical Challenges - Bugs, crashes, and performance issues
- Hardware or software limitations
- Integration problems between game engines, assets, and third-party tools.
Lack of skilled personnel - Shortage of programmers, artists or designers
- Poor team collaboration or lack of experience
- High staff turnover affecting progress
Ineffective Communication - Misunderstandings between departments
- Lack of clear documentation and meetings
- Remote teams struggling with coordination
Changing stakeholder expectations - Investors or publishers demanding changes mid-development
- Player feedback forcing last-minute adjustments
- Management shifts altering project goals
Risk Management Failures - Failure to anticipate delays, funding issues, or technical failures
- No backup plans for critical problems
- Ignoring early warning signs of project failure
External Factors - Market trends shifting demands
- Competitor releases overshadowing the project
- Global events
Legal and Compliance Issues - Copyright issues with assets, music or game mechanics
- Platform certification requirements
- Data protection laws impacting online features