Conclusion

This article described how to plan the standard game development process. Of course, non-standard events will creep into your projects, from marketing rethinks to design team mutinies and morale dips that impact productivity. However, as long as you maintain full command of the standard process and good lines of communication with all your team leaders, you can handle everything else that comes up.

By planning properly, you can increase your chances of finishing on time. In preproduction, anticipate and schedule everything—even subsequent ports and versions. Schedule approvals early. In production, if any red flags go up, work together with the team leaders to revise the plan.

Your particular project might have other requirements that weren't covered here—anticipate those, and plan for them. If your plan covers unplannable events and contingencies, chances are that your project will be a success.