Wayfinder

As a Production Coordinator on the External Projects Publishing team at Digital Extremes, I helped manage the release of four closed betas for the online action RPG, Wayfinder. Collaborating with Airship Syndicate, I helped ensure smooth and successful launches across multiple platforms.

My Goal:

At Digital Extremes, I aimed to learn the production process for a game-as-a-service project like Wayfinder. I focused on comprehensively understanding each phase of the closed beta cycle, aiming for a seamless transition to early access release.

Breakdown of My Work:

Communication & Collaboration:

Cross-Discipline Coordination: I collaborated with cross-discipline partners from production, design, engineering, QA, marketing, community, art, localization, and web. I actively tracked task statuses and critical release dates, ensuring clear communication across teams to meet timely closed beta release dates. Routine check-ins with developers helped maintain project momentum and alignment.

Tracking Developer Tasks & Creating Runbooks:

Task Tracking: In preparation for Wayfinder's closed beta releases, I meticulously tracked developer tasks for multiple disciplines using Google Sheets. This involved detailing task descriptions, due dates, assignees, current statuses, and other relevant information.

Runbook Development: I created and regularly updated detailed runbooks, establishing comprehensive checklists that facilitated the greenlighting of builds. These runbooks also ensured smooth transitions through the stages of build deployment, maintaining clarity and order during the beta phases.

Documentation:

Creating Comprehensive Guides: Within the Digital Extremes Publishing team, I took the initiative to develop and maintain comprehensive documentation on Confluence. This included guides on the correct usage and updating of the developer task spreadsheets and instructions on utilizing the runbooks effectively.

Sony Certification Documentation: Based on information provided by the Senior Producer, I authored documentation on the Sony Certification process. This documentation was essential for ensuring our games met the necessary standards for PlayStation platforms and served as a critical resource for the team.

Challenges and Solutions:

Staying On Top of All Critical Project Information: I developed a comprehensive tracking system to address the challenge of managing diverse and evolving project components for Wayfinder. I compiled resources, including Jiras and roadmaps, to monitor the development of the team's progress. Regular updates to our release management spreadsheets ensured we stayed current with the latest developments, effectively maintaining project oversight and swiftly resolving emerging issues.

Learning Team Member Communication Preferences: To maintain effective oversight and avoid micromanagement, I learned the communication preferences of our development team. I tailored my follow-up methods by initiating discussions to understand their preferred update frequencies. This strategy allowed me to efficiently monitor project tasks while respecting individual work styles, ensuring productivity and team satisfaction.