Your team is full of creative minds. How do you ensure their ideas match the project's timeline and goals?

Ensure that the vision is clear to everyone on the team. Clearly explain the goals, objectives, and desired outcomes to the team. Go over the vision regularly.

The GDD is a comprehensive blueprint or roadmap that outlines the entire development process of a video game. This document usually includes details such as the game concept, gameplay mechanics, storyline (if applicable), art style, technical specifications, and sometimes marketing strategies or target audience information. GDDs are the guide to be followed by all the team throughout the creation of the game, ensuring everyone is aligned with the vision and goals of the project. After the GDD (Game Design Document) is created and released to the team, nothing exists outside the GDD. All the project efforts must be focused to accomplish the GDD goals. That is the way that I prefer to set clear goals and to avoid dispersion in projects.

Please be a leader, not just a boss. As the team leader, always listen to your team's ideas; they may have better ideas and perspectives than you do. Always schedule regular meetings, perhaps weekly or biweekly. Understand that the team may encounter bugs, but don't rush or stress; everything can be fixed. Encourage your team to speak up, provide your feedback, and listen to their feedback as well. A creative leader inspires a creative team, and a passionate leader fosters a passionate team. Always share your ideas and ask your team for their input ("What do y'all think?"), and listen attentively to their responses.

The most crucial aspect of game development is the game concept. It should be unique, practical, feasible, and enjoyable for players. Having a team of gamers is essential. As a gamer myself, I watch streamers to understand what they like and dislike about some games. This helps me gain valuable insights into our project and determine if certain ideas align with our goals and are necessary or should be discarded. However, the game mechanics idea takes precedence, regardless of the quality of the graphics. Engaging and enjoyable game mechanics are what keep players invested in a game. That's in short-term what's prioritizing ideas within your project is.

Trust your team in this matter. Allow them to have private conversations and then provide you with an update on who will be responsible for each task. Some team members may privately message you seeking assistance with challenging tasks. If someone on the team can lend a helping hand, it is your responsibility to request that a team member assist the developer or artist in need. I am confident that someone on your team will be willing to provide support and assistance. This will not hinder the development timeline or deadline; rather, it will expedite the process by effectively redirecting the production pipeline, progress, and team collaboration. As a result, these two team members will develop a sense of appreciation for one another.

Agile is great to empower the team members to have early victories, and to keep project timeline on track. These earlier results are fundamental to show something to Stakeholders, who are always seeing if the project is walking or not. Evidence of movement and evolution is vital to motivate not only them, but all the team. Agile also allows to organize the project in an efficient but flexible way decided by each team and keep tasks in control regarding the available time. Finally, and not less important, Agile allows the team to be empowered and to be accountable regarding their part of the project and also of the complete project.

Give your team the time they need. Never rush to complete a game project as quickly as possible; it won't work. You'll likely stress yourself out and risk burning your team out. Understand their time requirements to complete their tasks. Game development takes time, just like building a house. It's not a Harry Potter finger snap, and it's done. However, the outcome always depends on who you hire, so in my opinion, surround yourself with a trustworthy, intelligent, and creative team.

In game development, is important to empower the teams and give them autonomy within the GDD boundaries. Trust and empowerment are crucial factors in determining whether a team achieves exceptional results or just meets basic requirements. When team members feel trusted and empowered: 1. Are motivated and engaged. 2. Are more willing to think creatively and innovate when they have the freedom to make decisions and take ownership of their tasks. 3. Trust fosters better collaboration and communication among team members, leading to smoother workflows and more effective problem-solving. 4. Teams that feel empowered often go the extra mile to deliver high-quality results because they are personally invested in the outcome.

It is important to remember that we are all human beings and may face various challenges in our personal lives, such as family issues, mental health struggles, relationship breakdowns, or the loss of a loved one. In such situations, it is crucial to be understanding and supportive of team members who may need time off or assistance. Deducting someone's salary during their difficult times is not only unfair but also unethical and EVIL personality. Unfortunately, some companies and game development studios engage in such practices, which is deeply concerning and unacceptable.