1. Deliver on time
1.1. Against time ==> suggests speed
1.2. Foresee the skills needed to build the game: you need to know who should be in your team before you need them
2. Job Description
2.1. supervise the delivery of the game within time and budget
2.2. Improve people's skills
3. See the map
3.1. Best solution is to see the big picture
3.2. It's useless to move in any direction in 1st person view
3.3. You need to ZOOM OUT
4. Locate the exit and draw a high level trajectory
4.1. 1. Milestones
4.1.1. Conceptualize your milestones ahead with the build evolution in mind
4.1.1.1. you can practice that
4.1.1.2. workshops and exercices to do that
5. make sure you are on your way to the exit (monitor progress)
5.1. 3. Monitor Progress
5.1.1. Watch out for any drifting away
5.1.2. Think of flow: the line you draw for people should be between too hard (the people don't have the skills so your process is not optimal as it will take them more seniority to achieve the task) & too easy (they are not improving at all, they are rather bored and will be demotivated in the long term ==> will want to change project or even leave the company)
6. Make sure you are not wasted in a dead end
6.1. 4. And when nothing works?
6.1.1. Don't panic and get the big picture again: always go back to the vision. You can't execute without a vision
6.1.2. Cuts: what can you cut? How is your quality affected? How much work does it take away from your team? Business objectives?
6.1.3. Strike team to fix an aspect of the game
7. Analyze terrain and consider walking that trajectory
7.1. 2. Production Plan
7.1.1. A plan is a path, linking two points: where you are at (your current build) and where you wish to be (your deliverable).
7.1.2. The race track is usually not a straight line
7.1.2.1. Clear dependencies
7.1.2.2. Run only when the path is straight