Game development project management

Question

Hi,

We're a team of approx. 50 people working in game development. We have a core codebase and build games on top of that on a monthly basis. Right now, we create a new project in JIRA for each and every game. This seems to be rather hard to manage, especially when you want to know what certain users are working on what, create timelines, see workloads, etc. I saw that with Advanced Roadmaps it's possible to connect more projects together and have a shared roadmap/timeline but that isn't an option at the moment. With a single project, especially using Jira Work Management type projects, there are great ways to visualize things and that can be easily shared with everyone in the company (but there may be other shortcomings in these types?).

The workflow from game to game is the same in terms of issue types and workflows. However, we also have a back-end team but that can be a separate project as there's very little relation between them (so having 2 project is completely ok from this point of view).

Releases happen monthly (sometimes 1, sometimes 2 per month).

I know there's many of you in very similar positions and I wonder how you manage this and what works best for you; what kind of projects, how you set them up, have multiple or single projects, single or multiple boards and so on. If there's more details that will help you understand my needs better, please do not hesitate to ask!

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

jamesoleg2 · Answer

Keeping Track of Multiple Games in Jira

Hey there! This is a great question about managing many game projects at once in Jira. Your team of 50 sounds like a big crew! Making one giant list for every game can get messy, especially when you need to see who's working on what.

Why One Big List Might Not Work

Imagine having everything in one big box - games, tasks, deadlines - all mixed together. Finding things and seeing who's doing what gets tricky fast!

Ideas for Keeping Things Organized

Here are a few ways to organize your Jira stuff so it's easier to manage:

Separate lists for each game: Think of it like having a box for each game. This way, you can see what needs to be done for each game without getting confused.
Shared to-do list for common tasks: Even though games are different, there might be some things everyone does the same way. Keep a separate list for these shared tasks.
Mini-lists inside big lists (if Jira lets you): Imagine a big box with smaller boxes inside, one for each game. This way, you can see the big picture (all the games) and zoom in on each game's details.
What's Right for You?

The best way to organize depends on your team. Think about:

How different are the games?
Do you need to see deadlines for each game all at once?
Who needs to see what information?
Tips for Staying Organized

Search filters: Imagine having a special tool to find things quickly in your boxes. Jira has these filters to help you see specific tasks or who's working on what.
Fancier roadmaps (if you have them): If you have extra features in Jira, there might be a tool to see all your game deadlines in one place, like a big calendar.
No matter how you organize, the key is to work together and keep everyone informed!

While I can't tell you exactly how to set up Jira, the folks at Next Level Gaming Store have a bunch of resources for game development. They might have something helpful!

Clark Everson · Answer

Hi Alan,

Welcome to the community! Honestly using different projects long term is usually better than one major overarching project. You won't necessarily see the downsides of doing the latter until later once your project gets cluttered with versions or components and you try to use other tools like automation.

Jira work management is usually more for business teams than dev teams, hence why it can be easier to digest that information. But for developers it will be a very different way of working.

What this sounds like though is a configuration issues.

Usually it is recommended to setup Permission Schemes via using Project Roles but in your case, if its the same groups working on projects you may want to create a permission scheme that grants the members of said groups all the correct permissions. You can use project roles still for the people outside of the group or for administration of each project

When you create new projects its advised to create a Company Managed Project from a shared configuration. When you do this then the schemes are shared between projects. But it sounds like for your current workflow (without me seeing it or having screenshots or a video of your process) you are using  the built in Create New Project function: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/create-a-new-project/

The bottom part of that article shows how to do a shared configuration.

Advanced roadmaps can help figure out priorities but having everyone working the same will also make advanced roadmaps easier to use if you go that route. Alternatively you can make a board with a filter that includes the projects.

So to sum up, I would recommend making a new set of schemes (especially permissions) that you want all of these games to use. Then go back and apply it to all the current projects.

For new projects use the create from shared configuration from anyone of those newly modified projects.

Depending on growth or where you plan on going down the road and if you plan to continue to use Jira I may actually recommend working with an Atlassian Consultant. Usually standardization is hard and takes more work than it seems. They can help with this and the sooner it gets done as long as it's scalable the better the tool will work. Often companies wait too long to do this and then it's even more costly to fix(time and money wise) then anyone would think.

Best,

Clark