Feature: 'Communication Tips for Game Producers'

For today's Gamasutra feature, veteran Sega and EA producer and current Nival Interactive vice president of production Bill Petro highlights his tips for success for the industry's game producers. By following the tips, he notes, producers can reduce the "headache" of managing multiple moving parts and instead focus on the more important task of "making a great quality game." As the introduction explains: "Producers come in many shapes and sizes, with a wide range of abilities and experience, but strong communication skills are essential for any producer who plans to create a top quality game. The producer is considered the “mouthpiece” of the project and is expected to daily communicate project status to everyone involved in the project (the “stakeholders”). With all the different stakeholders on a project hammering the producer for answers, having some simple proven processes to follow can seriously minimize the number of communication issues that occur. The producer must also be able to clearly explain the needs of the project to the development team and to the external stakeholders on the project. Knowing how to get the right information, to the right people, in a quick and efficient manner, will minimize miscommunication and insure a fun project." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature on the topic, for Petro's advice for effective producer communication, and 'simple proven processes' to maximize efficiency on game production of any size (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).