You're juggling multiple game design deadlines. How do you manage time constraints effectively?
Juggling multiple game design deadlines can be overwhelming, but with the right approach, it's manageable. Here's how to stay on top of your tasks:
What strategies have worked for you in managing tight deadlines?
You're juggling multiple game design deadlines. How do you manage time constraints effectively?
Juggling multiple game design deadlines can be overwhelming, but with the right approach, it's manageable. Here's how to stay on top of your tasks:
What strategies have worked for you in managing tight deadlines?
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One strategy that’s worked for me is setting “soft” deadlines before the actual due date. This gives me a buffer in case something takes longer than expected. I also use time-blocking to dedicate focused work periods to specific tasks, which helps prevent last-minute crunch. Another trick is identifying bottlenecks early—if something is going to slow down the whole project, I tackle it as soon as possible.
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Mastering Time Constraints Like a Speedrunner⏱️ - Rank the Quests: Prioritize tasks based on deadlines and impact—main quest first, side quests later. - Set Time Boxes: Limit how long you spend on each task. Perfection is great, but shipping is better. - Team Buffs: Delegate wisely. Share the load so no one’s grinding alone. - Cut the Scope: Keep the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) strong—extras can wait for DLC. Deadlines aren’t your enemy—they’re the boss fight that keeps you focused. Beat them, and the XP is all yours! 🕹️💼🔥
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To manage game design deadlines effectively: - Set Early Deadlines: Have personal "soft" deadlines before the actual ones to handle surprises. - Tackle Bottlenecks Early: Identify tricky parts and solve them first to avoid delays. - Prioritize Core Features: Focus on essential elements; extras can come later. - Time Block Tasks: Work in focused slots and move on without over-perfecting. - Take Breaks: Fresh minds work faster—rest when needed.
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Game development deadlines can be brutal, but it works in..! Prioritizing it smartly – I tackle the most critical tasks first so I don’t scramble later. Use the right tools – Trello and Asana keep me organized and help me track progress. Break it down – Big tasks feel less overwhelming when split into smaller, manageable steps. Leave some buffer time for – Unexpected delays always happen, so I plan for them.
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To hit an immoveable deadline; 1. Improve efficiency 2. Increase team numbers 3. Decrease scope 1. Should be a given. If the deadline cannot be shifted, a reality check should be done on what is achievable.
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In my opinion what is very important is to set clear priorities and set deadlines based on the team availability, velocity as well as risks that should be based on your team previous experience. I think it's also important to have regular check-points where it will be possible to evaluate and benchmark your progress against your plan and if/when needed to take actions based on the situations (increase team, decrease scope, revisit the timeline). It's also crucial to set short-term and long-term goals for the teams especially on projects that take more than 6 months in order team can also see the results of their work regularly and don't forget to appraise the team for what they are doing:)
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-Need to set your priority first. -Determine how much time is needed for all of them. -Need to find if my team is capable within the time period or not. -If yes divide the team, and assign tasks with multiple schedules. -if not, then assign some extra team members. -check each tasks after each schedules. -for high priority task, maybe I'll handle this or maybe assign some responsible members who are capable of it.
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Özge Polat
Sales Team Lead FİGES
(edited)• Define MVP: Focus on the core gameplay first, extra features can wait. • Short Sprints & Frequent Playtests: Work in 1-2 week cycles and test early and often. • Build in Buffers: Things won’t always go as planned, so add extra time to avoid last-minute stress. In short, keep it simple, stay flexible, and avoid over-promising!
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Always understand that you're not going to clear the entire sprint. It just won't happen. Aim for what you want and be aware you're going to reach a point halfway and say, actually no, this is good, let's make what I've done better, instead of rushing something I won't have finished. Now you have something polished and the time is off your shoulders. Take breaks! Sleep! I cannot stress how much you will procrastinate forcing yourself to stay in that chair. Get out of the chair for an hour, have a full nights sleep, get back to work when you're ready and able.
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Most important aspect is communication. Check with the team what's an urgent priority and what's not. Understand the exact needs of game designers and how to implement them in reasonable time. If you know that a small change or alternative approach to what the designers are asking for is going to make you save a lot of time, negotiate it with them, see if that also would work in their case. Definitely search online and ask more experienced programers for help if you're stuck, or dealing with a concept you never faced before. Make sure that your code has classes open to extension and closed for modification, decoupled and responsible of just one main task, so that you don't waste time reworking old systems each time a new feature is needed.
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