Indie path. Part 9/15. How to leave the team and “dismissal”

Who am I, what am I sharing and why you may be interested, indicated in the first post (link).

Disclaimer: I do not tell how to make games correctly, but I tell how I experimented, studied and continue to develop in this direction.

Links to all articles from the series in the application.

For most indie teams, the shift change is a very painful and difficult question. Almost all employees bear unique responsibility for developing their part of the game. Therefore, the departure of such people is like a divorce in the family. The part that performed an important function is lost. Part that is difficult to replace.

That is, the departure of such employees from the project is a risk in terms of management. What to do with it?

insure. We start a folder with “reserves”. Add there those who are potentially useful in the future. This will be our insurance in case of the departure of the Sopartians. One left, the other was called.

minimize. The method works well here: do not put all the eggs in one basket. We take two or three people for one position and divide the difficult work into parts between them. We help them work together, provide constant communication and exchange of information. Here the role of PM-A, which I wrote about in the 4th chapter, is increasing and about which I will talk a little later. If, for example, several people work on the project, for example, the departure of one of them will not entail the stop of the working process. The second picks up the left tasks and can perform them until some point. For example, so we had with a 3D model: when a person who was engaged in the creation of fighters for the team left, Maxim immediately stood in his place, who worked in conjunction with the departed. At the same time, Maxim took up the systematization and tuning of the shareholders on the rights of the “senior” on 3D. So we began to rebuild the sane Piplaine on modeling. Which in itself is a way of minimizing risks, which I will write more about in the future (in the eleventh issue).

Reject. This means that sometimes the risk is far -fetched. For example, I can worry that someone who is presented in the only person will leave the team. In such a situation, I usually try to constantly keep in touch in order to feel a person better. Most often, communication allows you to understand the mood of colleagues and stop paranois. That is, I just accept for myself that no one is going anywhere and everything is ok.

Just accept. Well, or just “score”. Put, so to speak, https://prive-casino-uk.org/login/ at this risk of bolt. There is no time, not a key position (ideally this should not be), stop steaming, since there are more important things. I weigh the importance of the issue and, if at the moment I do not have funds to change the situation, I do not twitch. I let it go a gear if, of course, everything does not mean that “a bicycle under you is already starting to burn”.

I have listed some tricks that I use myself. But there are much more of them. I am sure that each manager has its own set of methods that work in combination with his control style.

Thus, we come to the idea that although the terms of personnel are inevitable, but it can be controlled with it. Today, every second person has changed in our project, but this did not become a verdict for us.

People leave for a variety of reasons: fatigue from the project, found something more interesting or better for themselves, changed the pace of life, priorities, started a child, and so on. Often a pity to part with a person, but the opposite happens. We had this with a certain type of experts: a candidate for a position comes and leaves after 3 months. We find a new one, and he starts all over again. Then after 3 months he leaves. Then a almost zero person comes to his place and for almost six months composts the brain. And only in the spring of 2020, 2 people came to us at once for this “position”, and both are now working for the joy of everyone. I will not call names, our guys already know about who I am, but for those who are out of the contour: do not be afraid of personnel turnover. If you feel the need, then do not hold on to one person and “dismiss”. Examples of situations when it is time:

These tips cannot be accepted unambiguously, there are always the specifics of the situation. But these signs are the first bell.

At the start of cooperation, it seems to everyone that together we will release the X-Com 2 clone in a couple of days. In practice, everything is different. But if the candidate has additional internal motivation, if you have an excellent relationship with him, if he already becomes a friend, then everything will turn out. Look for associates and like -minded people in Indie team. Sometimes it’s more important than a good specialist who will professionally close your needs for art, animations, code and the like. Such guys will not leave, and you will not want to “dismiss” them.

More specifically about nasty.

IMHO: The most difficult side in the process of managing the personnel is to put out the door. It is easy and often pleasant to accept a person to the team, but drive away is a potential scandal and stress for both sides.

The task of the leader is not only to announce to the person that it is time to say goodbye, but also to deal with the risk of “damage to property”. The manager always needs to take responsibility for dismissal. He is obliged to intelligibly and truthfully explain to the dismissed why there is no way to work together further. Everything must be done so that a person leaves the project without resentment. And if he would be offended, then it was for the leader, and not for the entire project as a whole. The leader in this situation is a thunderbone.

How to do this, everyone decides. I did not reveal the perfect formula, except for one: to record all the moments on which claims accumulate and honestly, as openly as possible to declare them if the situation requires that. Although in most cases it does not reach. Nevertheless, if you gained more or less normal people into the team, then they themselves will not want to quarrel at the exit. But by a bad outcome you need to be prepared.

Let’s recall the role of PM-A, as well as the need for the basic regulation of the dismissal process. If the management decided that we are dismissing a person, then our PM immediately picks up this task and begins:

Conduct a procedure for passing cases: takes the materials created by man while working with us. Unless of course the latter does not mind;

All this must be done clearly, according to the list. And if the person’s departure was not in a “friendly” manner, then you need to turn it away from the system quickly so that there are no extra temptations to harm. It is here that a pre-built system for PM-A is needed, which, by the way, he himself can develop. There is nothing complicated in it, this is not Rocket Science. Precaution, but not our main style of behavior.

The period that I was visible: April 2019 – August 2020.

Do not be afraid of “leaving” from the project. The rotation of personnel can be very useful: it is a change of stagnant blood, a new vision, new enthusiasts, a fresh look.

Fight the risks from leaving and will not have serious consequences. In our project, 61 people took part in our year, of which 30 work now. And everyone brought us knowledge, experience, everyone helped focus on the main.

Be prepared to make decisions yourself and bear responsibility. Especially at the time of dismissal. This should be done by the head of the team. Do not shift this responsibility to anyone, no matter how disgusting it is.