Tony Van, Executive Producer at Ubisoft San Francisco, presented this session about avoiding a breakdown of communication in game teams. He gave lots of examples, and the following points were made.
The top problem in most organizations is miscommunication. Here are the top ten reasons for miscommunication:
#1 No concept of communication
Understand that communication is EVERYBODY’S responsibility, especially yours.
#2 Unclear goals and priorities
Clear goals state WHY you are doing something, and what is required for success. Be SMART:
Specific (well defined, measurable, prioritized)
Motivated (team wants to achieve it)
Agreed upon (all stakeholders on board)
Realistic (possible with identified resources, knowledge and time)
Trackable (validate performance during completion)
#3 Assuming a definition
Terms are the foundation for discussing and planning.
Document your terms clearly at the start.
Always question term definitions, and get them documented.
#4 No frame of reference
From the beginning, your “vision” requires a clear frame of reference.
Reference helps get everyone on the ‘same page’ fast
- Gives a tremendous amount of context immediately
- Allows discussion of what others like and don’t like
- Mix and match with other references
- Important for original IP’s and franchises alike
#5 What is “good enough”?
Defined “exit criteria” of subjective and creative ideas is difficult but required — major problems come at this time.
Deliverables must use the SMART exit criteria:
- Implementers – how they will achieve their results
- team leads – verify that results are achieved, point out why they are not
- publishers – state why the delivery does (or does not) meet the exit criteria
Subjective deliverables add the following requirements:
- Show it to your target audience for expectation
- Review their feedback
- Iterate to get closer to their expectation of the goal
#6 Someone is “Out of the Loop”
The more people in the loop, the more likely someone is out of the loop.
Three basic methods of clear communication (from The Mythical Man-Month):
- Workbook (formal project documentation)
- Meetings (regular team meetings)
- Informal (face to face, notes, emails, phone calls, etc.)
Communicating a single message, with the means to clarify and update it, helps keep everyone in the loop without effort.
#7 Bottleneck due to chain of command
At the start determine who has the authority for what decisions
- Determine Top Tier stakeholders for goal changes
- Determine Lower Tier stakeholders for goal validations
Clearly communicate cause and effect of delayed/countermanded decisions to Top Tier.
Defined chain of command prevents bottlenecks or “rescinding orders.”
#8 One way communication
We don’t all understand the same way. Be sure your audience is understanding you based on the different ways — learn more about psychology of your team mates. Potentially incorportate things such as the Myers-Briggs personality test into your organization.
Just because you said it/sent it, that doesn’t mean that the message was understood. You must always validate your message.
Learn multiple ways to communicate to maximize your effectiveness.
#9 You’re not listening
Always listen to the other person’s point of view.
Try to communicate in different ways.
Don’t interrupt.
Become a great listener!
#10 Too negative
While the criticism may be true, there are better ways to deliver the message.
Discuss the specific error in the context of course correction.
Focus on improvement.
Be very aware of “priming” (the psychological effect of the environment on people’s reactions). You can turn a negative situation into something much better if you bring the right attitude to the table.
