samipulli summary tospm 2014

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Risk Management in Video Game Development Projects

M. Schmalz, A. Finn and . !a"lor in #$th a%aii &nternational 'on(erence

on S"stem Science, pages #)*+#))#, *-#

/ackgro0nd

In article Risk Management in Video Game Development Projects article M. Schmalz, A. inn

and !."a#lor reports their $indings in their research a%o&t risks in video game projects. "he#disc&ss a%o&t di$$erences %et'een I(" projects and entertainment so$t'are projects and risks

related to them. According to 'riters there is lot o$ in$ormation a%o&t I(")projects as general,

%&t speci$ic research in conte*t o$ games are not so common. "he article itsel$ $oc&ses on risksand research that 'as made %# the a&thors a%o&t it. "he article also descripts in general a%o&t

game projects and project management role in these projects. +p. -/)--0

In game projects project manager has &s&all# a title called prod&cer and his or her role in theseprojects are &s&all# to coordinate activities o$ other team mem%ers. In game projects di$$erent

kind o$ roles are &s&all# involved incl&ding prod&cer, p&%lisher, game designer, programmers

and artists. Prod&cer comm&nicates 'ith e*ternal stakeholders and is o$ten responsi%le to ap&%lisher altho&gh in the era o$ electronic market places it is also possi%le to p&%lish games

'itho&t p&%lisher. Prod&cer1s role is not 'ell de$ined and especiall# in the smaller projects the

jo% description ma# incl&de several roles in addition to project management. Game ind&str# iskno'n a%o&t chaotic projects and as pointed o&t in the article it has %een historicall# common

that persons that had &ns&ita%le skills $or the prod&cer1s role 'ere chosen to the jo% $rom

programming or artistic %ackgro&nd. +p. -20

As a%o&t the risks o$ video game projects the# incl&de man# o$ the same risks that concerns I(")

projects, %&t ne' risks are also introd&ced %eca&se o$ creative nat&re o$ games. In the article

entertainment so$t'are projects are compared to research projects 'here originalit# andinnovation are important aspects o$ them. +p. -20

"he goal o$ the research a%o&t risks in the video game projects 'as e*plorator# and descriptive.Researchers chose in)depth intervie's as methods to $&ll $ill these goals. Intervie's incl&ded

eight video game prod&cers 'ith di$$erent %ackgro&nds and project sizes. Prod&cers 'ere asked

a%o&t challenges o$ recent projects. "o anal#ze this data, researchers &sed modi$ied "a#lor1s$rame'ork to code di$$erent risk so&rce de$initions. +p. -30

4riginal "a#lor1s de$inition incl&ded $o&r risk themes called as project management,

relationships, sol&tion am%ig&it# and environment. Risk so&rces incl&ded vendor, client and thirdpart#. In this ne' research risk so&rces 'ere named as so$t'are st&dio, &ser, partner and

contractor to s&it %etter in the environment o$ games. Di$$erent risk $actors $rom the "a#lor1s

$rame'ork 'ere &sed 'itho&t modi$ications and in the $rame'ork there are - risk $actors intotal incl&ding $or e*ample sta$$ing, %&siness changes and &nderstanding o$ re5&irements.

!o'ever in conte*t o$ games researchers ended &p to add three ne' risk $actors that 'ere

a&dience match, $&n $actor and e*tent o$ originalit#. In the target a&dience risk $actor the gamema# not $it $or aimed a&dience and the game ma# %e too hard $or them $or e*ample. As games


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are entertainment so$t'are the# need to %e $&n and there$ore there are risks involving $or

reaching that goal. And %eca&se games are creative 'ork the# ma# %ring something original to

the ta%le, %&t creating something entirel# ne' ma# ca&se increased risks in that risk $actor. +p.-3)-60

Res0lts

Research team identi$ied all di$$erent risk $actors %ased on the intervie's and collected data 'as

compared to "a#lor1s st&d# and risk $actors matched $airl# close to them. 7ine risk $actors 'ereidenti$ied at least in hal$ o$ the projects. "hese risk $actors 'ere development strateg#, sta$$ing,

sched&le and %&dget management, inade5&ate speci$ication, $&n $actor, change management,

e*pectations, tr&st and top management s&pport. Most o$ the risk $actors had internal so&rce $orthem $rom the so$t'are st&dio itsel$ 'hile other so&rces incl&ded &sers and partners. +p. -80

Researchers $o&nd t'o interesting $indings a%o&t these top risks that are speci$ic to entertainment

so$t'are projects in comparison to general I(" )projects. irst $inding 'as that development

strateg# 'as the highest risk occ&rred 'hile in "a#lor1s $indings it did not ranked to the top risksat all. Second important $inding 'as the ne' risk called $&n $actor achieved place $ive $rom list

o$ the top risks. +p. --8)---90

"hese top risks 'ere de$ined as ke# risk $actors in the video game projects. As said development

strateg# inside the so$t'are st&dio 'as ranked to the most common risk $actor in these projects.In this risk speci$ication $or the game or game design ma# %e 'ell done, %&t technical decisions

ca&sed pro%lems d&ring the project. "hese $actors involved $or e*ample 'rong choices in

development plat$orms or prioritizing the 'ork in the project, iss&es in testing or $ail&res inprotot#ping the prod&ct %e$ore entering to prod&ction. +p. ---90

Second risk $actor 'as sta$$ing. Sta$$ing pro%lems incl&ded all pro%lems 'ith project personnel$or e*ample there 'ere not eno&gh sta$$ or the# possessed 'rong skills. Game projects also hadpro%lems 'ith sched&le and %&dget. "his means that projects ma# not %e a%le to deliver the

prod&ct in time and the# ma# e*ceed the given %&dget, %&t projects 'ere ver# di$$erent in terms

o$ sched&les and size o$ the %&dged. "here 'ere clear distinction $or projects 'ith p&%lisher as inthese projects prod&cers had greater need to control %&dgets and sched&les. Inade5&ate

speci$ication 'as also among the top risks involved. In game projects game design doc&ment is

&sed to de$ine speci$ications, %&t size o$ the doc&mentation varied $rom non)e*isting doc&mentsto large and $ormal game design doc&ments. Prod&cers pre$erred lighter speci$ications $or

$le*i%ilit#, %&t more precise doc&ments are re5&ired dealing 'ith e*ternal stakeholders. +p.

---9)---:0

"he most &ni5&e ke# risk $actor $or video game projects 'as &ser %ased $&n $actor. "his 'as

constant s&%ject to 'orr# $or prod&cers. (reating $&n is not j&st having good &sa%ilit# that is

common to I(")projects. Prod&cers have to %alance %et'een technolog# and art to create aprod&ct that appeals to c&stomers +p. ---:0. As researchers descri%es in the article ;game pla#

m&st %e smooth and int&itive and dra' the pla#er into the 'orld constr&cted %# the game< +p.

--:0.


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Risk management strategies $or game projects 'ere mostl# in$ormal that 'as s&rprise to

researchers. Prod&cers &sed indirect practices instead involving protot#ping and agile methods

that lo'ered risks in prod&ction. =ith protot#pes game st&dio can test the game idea %e$oreentering into prod&ction and stop development %e$ore investments %ecome too %ig. Distri%&ting

games thro&gh Interned also allo'ed making small)%&dget games and developing them $&rther i$

the game %ecomes pop&lar. +p. --)---0

'oncl0sions

Video game projects share m&ch in common 'ith traditional I(")projects, %&t the# incl&de

certain conte*t speci$ic risk $actor that project managers or prod&cers sho&ld take into acco&nt.

>eca&se o$ entertainment and artistic nat&re o$ games it has a re5&irement o$ %eing $&n and thereis a risk that project ma# not achieve that goal. ?ntertainment so$t'are projects have also had

pro%lems 'ith development strategies. Risk management or having proper speci$ications have

also seen as artistic restriction among prod&cers. !o'ever protot#ping and agile methods have

%een nat&ral and good sol&tions $or avoiding risks in video game projects. +p. -/)--0

Sami P&lli

samipulli summary tospm 2014

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