Your team is working on a game development project. What can you do to ensure they work cohesively?

Never work aimlessly without a goal. So many resources are lost this way. What is the goal of the project? How do you see the final project? Who should be affected by the project? How long should the project effectively take? When clearing up ideas to get a vision and a board of goals, there are varying tools that can assist in this organization such as vision boards, brainstorming clouds, etc. Make sure the vision is reasonable and the goals are achievable before starting any project.

Here's how I do it. First, get a clear image in your mind of your goal - this includes how you want people to feel, sound, dynamics, etc. Really see where you want to end up. Then, break it down into steps you can actually take. Map it out, set some timelines, and think about who can help you along the way. It's more than just a method; it's like crafting a piece of art. The clearer and more detailed you can make your goal, the quicker you'll see it become a reality. Remember, the success of your journey largely depends on the clarity of your vision and the solidity of your plan.

In my experience, any team, almost no matter how small, should establish who is in charge of the vision. Because that person will have the extremely important and sometimes very demanding role of making tough decisions on the way. Both decisions that means deep diving into certain details when that's needed, but also to cut great ideas that are not crucial to fulfill the vision of the game. Everything is a negotiation (or at least should be according to me). A negotiation with time, money, fun factor, community, market fit among other things. And although teams find the best solutions together, some one needs to have the vision of the final game as their baby.

Communication is key and all updates should be known by the team to be celebrated and noted. The best way to achieve this is to have public subscribe-able channels where updates are posted where everyone can see them and understand the progress of the team. This can save time for teams who may feel they are being bottlenecked and can be able to contribute cross functionally to assist.

Git is a must in the industry. Don't know what it is? Think of it as a time machine: You can take a snaposhot of your project, and rollback to it whenever needed, even if others make changes. In addition to that, it automatically gets everybody's work in the same place. Forget about manual backups, lost work and tansfering files through google drive or dropbox!

If you are not familiar with version control, you may find it a difficult and confusing tool. I assure you, this is not true, at a basic level it is quite simple and clear. Even this knowledge will help you synchronize your work and save a lot of time if problems arise with versions.

Time estimation could be a tricky thing if the team doesn't understand or at least appreciates the other disciplines. It takes time for the team to get used to each other's time frames and estimates. And some sprints they can be extra motivated and achieving while other's may be slower and less productive. So estimates should be flexible and highly adaptable.

This is a given. But just a reminder. Try to be as encouraging as you can with your team. Critical feedback should start with the things you liked about their work followed by what could be improved on. Try to end meetings on a high note, or at least be positive to motivate not only your team members but also yourself.