Better ways of running your studio 2024
summary
Live forum on studio production and leadership that offers concrete rules and examples: cut scope saved Need for Speed Heat from disaster, adding calendar time beats hiring more but adding people is the worst, and introducing Scrum at an established studio to standardize workflows. Recommends separating project versus product management, prioritizing automated QA (industry lags 25 years behind), treating accountability as assumed while responsibility can be delegated, and designing hybrid work deliberately rather than retrofitting it.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (24)
- 0:00Live podcast intro
- 1:59Career crossroads breathing
- 3:27Biggest career crossroads
- 5:13Studio leadership crossroads
- 7:22New studio maturity
- 8:45Investor view on culture
- 10:53Production vs project management
- 12:58Studio culture evaluation
- 14:23Investment checklist
- 16:11Culture buzzwords in pitches
- 17:58Building high-functioning teams
- 21:08Production changes in long studios
- 23:56Why industry changes slowly
- 25:42Creative director stagnation
- 27:52Lessons from other industries
- 29:16Tips for production leaders
- 30:17Book recommendations
- 31:43Alternative reading suggestions
- 33:47Agile reputation
- 35:36Subjectivity in development
- 37:23Scrum at Starbreeze
- 38:48Accountability in flat orgs
- 41:14Hybrid work future
- 43:23Global office return
related talks
49mFrom Artist to Producer — The Strategic Path to Impact
30mJames Stanier, Winter Wi, Janet Balneaves a panel discussion at LeadDev London 2023
34mBuilding a Culture For Developer Productivity
39mUntangle The Mess In Your Team’s Process
46mCracking the cadence of your software engineering 1:1s
32mStop Running in Circles: Applying Shape Up
58mCalling all leaders, even if you don't think you are one, you need to be one!
52mGame Production: Helping your team succeed