Developing Quality Workflow
What is Workflow?
Work•flow /ˈwərkflō/
“The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.” – lexico.com
What is a quality workflow? How do we develop it? Below are elements of the production cycle that most creative people move through as they create something. First, we must identify the stages of project production. What is each stage and what are the quality checks for each stage. Read on and find out!
INSTRUCTIONS
- FILL IN THE QUESTIONS BELOW FR EACH STAGE OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
- PUBLISH
Stages of Creation Development
Inspiration
How do we find ideas to develop?
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
We can look at real games that we enjoy or think are cool. Then after we look at specific things that we like, whether that being a certain mechanic or genre, you can delve deeper in that idea and really sculpt what kind of experience you want from whatever you are making.
Intention
How do we clarify our specific goal(s) for a project?
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
You can try to implement a certain thing into your project. Maybe you want to work on making better animations. For that you could just make a bland project but then really hone in on the animations so you can fully show what you did and how you improved.
Pre-production
How can we brainwrite, brainstorm, storyboard, and plan our ideas at this phase?
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
We can just write down a big mess of little tiny ideas that we have randomly and then compile them into something greater. And once we have this messy, grotesque pool of ideas, mechanics, aesthetics, whatever we can share these little pieces that we have to create a whole.
Production
How do we communicate with each other and execute our plan for this phase? This is where we actually make the project.
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
Really this just all is on everyone doing what they have to and communicate what they are working on, establishing role/jobs to do, and just doing what you have to do.
Post-production
How do we communicate with each other and execute our final stages of the project for this phase? This is where we publish the project.
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
Presentation/Performance
How do we share our project with our learning community, advisory members, and the world?
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
So right now with the whole distance thing it’s harder to present to classes, with relying on everyone’s tech working correctly, but say in the “normal world” the best way to present is to look at one piece that you really like about your piece of work, talk about it then you speak about some of the less important parts.
Feedback
How do we conduct a feedback session at the end of the project development cycle?
- WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?
- WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?
- HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?
- WHO MEASURES QUALITY?
Start with everyone giving praises, what worked well, what they appreciated. Then since no one REALLY like criticism everyone can talk about what they thought they couldn’t have personally done better.