Making Better Games in 40 Hours Per Week

1. Making Better Games in 40 Hours Per Week Presented by Hank Howie President, Blue Fang Games GDC March 2005

2. Who Am I? Hank Howie, President of Blue Fang Games • IGDA Quality of Life Committee • Spinnaker Software: Product Manager for Games • Toshiba: Top Salesperson Nationally • Built Interchange GameSpace, the Ziff-Davis/AT&T Online Multi-Player Game Service • GM at Webhire, Inc., Built and Launched Web Products • Blue Fang Games Since 1998 • BA History – Bates College, MBA – Boston College

3. “Making Games At Least As Good As The Ones You’re Making Now, But Do It Without Working Too Much More Than 40 Hours Per Week And Without Killing Your People So As To Retain Their Acquired Skills And Experience”

4. Games Are By No Means a “9 to 5” Job, But We Have A Problem Here People…Long Hours And Extended Crunches Are The De Facto Standard At Many Game Development Companies

5. IGDA Quality of Life 2004 White Paper • 51.7% Of Respondents Said Management Viewed Crunches As A Normal Part Of Doing Business • Only 5 Of 30 Post Mortems Cited Arduous Hours And Overtime As Both Regrettable And Something To Be Avoided Going Forward • 51.2% Of Developers Expect To Leave Industry Within 10 Years “Most of our projects ended with a 2 or 3 month crunch period, the record being almost a year of crunch.” “…Some people took the stance that if you didn’t want to work the crazy hours, they would show you the door.” “In the end you’re working like 100 hours a week sometimes. Sleeping in the back of your desk or underneath your desk. Get up, take a shower, hit the gym, get back in your seat and start working again.”

6. How Did It Get This Way? Industry Traditionally Staffed by Young Enthusiasts • Surplus of dedication and passion • Deficit of real-world development experience • No binding commitments: spouse/family • Potential to waste work time, contributing to “lack of trust” Shortage of Management/Process • Inability to accurately estimate tasks • Lack of management and professional training It’s Not Easy To Develop Games • Budgets soaring • Hard deadlines • Publisher demands (hard to say “no”) OT Becomes Embedded in Company & Industry Culture • Extended OT difficult to abandon • Seen as a requirement, “…doing all you can”

7. Why Is Extended Overtime Still Rampant? People Ignore the “Pick 2”: Time, Resources & Quality • Projects often over-scoped given the development time/budget • Human capital is the only resource that can be increased at no (apparent) cost Industry Norms and Culture Support the Practice • The Founder/Lead has no life, so why should you? • It’s the game industry – be thankful you’re in it – now get back to work! • It makes “Managing” easier (Heck, if you can get through this…) We’re a xenophobic industry… • We don’t readily apply lessons from other industries (general SW Dev) • “This is the way I know how to do it.” • McConell: “You can make great product using sloppy practices.” • Too much time fighting current fires • Average SW Dev reads less than 1 Professional book and/or Journal per year

8. Extended Overtime Is Damaging to Companies, Their Employees and Their Products

9. The Problems Extended Overtime Causes Lower Employee Productivity • Studies have shown productivity can decrease by as much as 25% when workers put in 60 or more hours per week for a prolonged time 1 • Recent Circadian study found productivity in companies with high overtime 5% less (76% vs. 81%)2 Degradation in Work Quality • Employees working overtime reported poorer performance on cognitive functions and executive functions (ability to prioritize and plan tasks)3 Er, Common Sense…??? • 2003 Overtime Study, Circadian Technologies, 2004 • Shiftwork Practices 2005, Circadian Technologies, 2004 • Effect of Overtime on cognitive function in automotive workers, SP Proctor, 1996, part of U.S. Dept. Health & Human Services CDC study

10. The Problems Extended Overtime Causes “Nobody can really work much more than forty hours, at least not continually and with the level of intensity required for creative work.” Tom DeMarco & Timothy Lister Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams

11. The Problems Extended Overtime Causes Demoralization Of Staff And Poorer Health • Turnover is nearly 3 times higher among workers who work extended hours1 • Absenteeism among companies with extended hours is more than twice the national average2 • Multiple studies associate overtime with poorer perceived general health, increased injury rates and more illnesses3 Installation Of An Unsustainable Work Model • Extended hours over prolonged periods worsens productivity, quality and morale • Overtime typically not quantified thus making future time estimates inaccurate and unreliable 1.,2. Shiftwork Practices 2005, Circadian Technologies, 2004 3. Overtime and Extended Work Shifts: Recent Findings on Illnesses, Injuries and Health Behaviors, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2004

12. Lack of Sleep Plays a Significant Role As Well… “Lack of sleep makes people clumsy, unhappy, stupid, and dead.” Stanley Coren Sleep Researcher and Psychology Professor University of British Columbia

13. There Are Always Exceptions, But… • Extended Overtime Is A Sign That There’s A Systemic Problem • People Working Long, Extended Hours Make Many More Mistakes • A Great Number Of People Just Aren’t All That Productive Much Beyond 40 Hours Of Work Per Week • In General, You Get Diminishing Returns Over And Above 40 Hours • Are There Exceptions? Sure, But Remember That They Are Just That: Exceptions.

14. Regular 40-Hour Work Weeks Benefit Companies, Employees and Products - Disclaimer -That’s 40 hours of WORK per week, not 40 hours at the office

15. The Benefits of a Regular 40-Hour Work Week • Higher Level Of Employee Productivity • Higher Quality Work • Higher Staff Morale • Lower Turnover • Sustainable Pace • Better Predictability • You Get Your Employees’ “Free Cycles”, Too!

16. The Benefits of a 40-Hour Work Week Overtime Is More Effective When Used Strategically And Sparingly Avg. Motivation Level Optimum Zone • Output is maximized when motivation is high and hours/pressure is increased moderately • Dramatic increases in pressure/hours reduces motivation and output Source: Adapted from Applied Software Measurement (Jones 1991).

17. Implementing a 40-hour Week

18. Make It A Priority In The Workplace Establish/Revise Company Values • Define key values you use in managing your company • Solicit input and feedback from management and employees Communicate Values To The Organization • Put them in your employee handbook • Incorporate values into post-mortem and employee reviews

19. Thorough Planning Is Essential Somebody Owns and Keeps the Schedule • Must be detail focused, persistent and patient Don’t Rush the Planning Stage • Fight natural inclination to “get on to making the game” • Drill Down on Every Task • No 5-day tasks (break it down further) • Don’t start artwork or coding until planning is complete Collaborate During Planning • Refine/validate estimates • Identify missing tasks • Breaks tedium

20. Know What Can and Can’t Be Cut Understand The Essential Components And Features Of The Game – Those Which Cannot Be Cut • Define the minimum scope of the game at the outset • Time and resources may require some features to be cut so that others may be added • Do not “cheat” your schedule to add new features Manage Trade-offs With Your Publisher • Agree on essential components • Proactively communicate trade-offs for addition of new features • No Surprises!

21. Plan for the Unexpected Account for EVERYTHING When Building Your Schedule • Attending shows/conferences • Demos • Vacations/sick time Account For Things You Haven’t Anticipated • Add a “fudge factor” for unexpected events or unforeseen problems (as little as 10% to as much as 25% -- your mileage may vary)

22. Regularly Update Your Schedule Continually Monitor Progress and Update Your Schedule • Update all tasks once a week • Rebuild schedule half-way through development • Critical stage analysis (mini post mortem) Push schedule to Employees and Publisher • Make sure everyone has the latest schedule and understands it • Highlight key changes and any new risk areas to all constituencies

23. Use Overtime Strategically Overtime is Useful and Effective When Used Judiciously • Workers can absorb 15-20% increase in workload for short periods of time Blue Fang Approach to Overtime • Schedule crunch periods in advance • Schedule one crunch week for each early milestone and two weeks per milestone towards the end • Crunch entails four ten-hour days, fifth day normal (individual chooses which day) • Avoid scheduling back-to-back crunch weeks • Reward employees for significant “additional” overtime – hopefully it won’t come to this (e.g. weekends, etc.)

24. Manage People, Not Just Projects Strong Managers are Critical • Good manager can positively effect team’s productivity by 10% • Poor manager can hurt productivity much more than 10% Select Managers Carefully • Your best artist, programmer, or designer will not necessarily become your best manager • With poor selection you not only hurt overall team productivity but you also lose one of your top performers • Senior management must ensure the right decisions are made in the face of egos and politics Effective Supervision is Required • Hiring is probably THE most critical thing you do – treat accordingly • Regular work weeks are only possible if everyone is contributing at their highest level during the workday • No sloughing off at work for a certain number of days then furiously working to catch-up

25. Prepare To Be Disappointed! • Comes with the territory – we’re dealing with humans after all. • Gluing peoples’ butts to chairs 70 hours a week is “brain-dead” management – this is hard!

26. Qualities of a Great Manager • Bright • Possesses Common Sense in Abundance • Great Communicator • High Empathy • High Self Confidence (but well short of arrogant) • Humble • Good Listener • Teacher • Facilitator • Sense of Humor • Handles Confrontation Well • Given all of the above qualities, then the more experience, the better.

27. Conclusion • Don’t Accept The Status Quo – Challenge Accepted Industry Development Practices • Read, Study, Learn – Expose Yourself to Current SW Development & Management Methodologies and Concepts • For Employees: Uphold Your End! • Provided You Implement Intelligently, Regular Work Hours Will Yield Better, More Consistent Work • Your Products Will be Even More Solid and on Time • Your Employees Will be Fresh, and Will Perform Better • Do This, and Instead of Being at Work at Midnight or on a Saturday, You Can be With Family, Significant Other, Friends, or Play Your Favorite Game

28. THANK YOU!!!

29. Reference Material • DeMarco, Tom, 2001. “Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency.” Broadway Books. • DeMarco & Lister, 1999. “Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams.” Dorsett House. • Jones, Capers, 1991. “Applied Software Measurement: Assuring Productivity and Quality.” McGraw Hill. • Maguire, Steve, 1994. “Debugging the Development Process”, Microsoft Press • McConnell, Steve, 1996. “Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules.” Microsoft Press • Metzger, Phil & Boddie, John, 1996. “Managing a Programming Project.” Prentice Hall. • Rothman, Johanna. “Taking the Crunch Out of Crunch Time”. Software Development Magazine, March 2000. • Weinberg, Gerald M., 1992. “Quality Software Management: Vol. 1 Systems Thinking.” Dorsett House.

30. “When a project is perceived to be out of control, requiring developers to work more overtime is one of the most common things managers and team leads do to bring the project under control. But overtime is, in itself, a sign that a project is out of control.” • Steven McConnell, Rapid Development