Making things is an art and a science, and in this 2017 GDC talk, Justin Fischer digs into the science of game production by explaining why the same tools Fortune 500 companies use to manage billion-dollar supply chains and e-commerce portals can work for game development.

It's a novel spin on a familiar topic, as Fischer walked through the fundamental principle of operations, Little's Law, and how you can use it to analyze any pipeline process. Fischer also showcased how you can leverage that basic concept and a simple spreadsheet to optimally staff those processes.

The talk was well worth watching, as Fischer also dived deep into the art of lean production, using the famous Toyota production system as a template. If you haven't caught it already, Fischer's talk was a great rundown of how to systematically minimize wasted effort and maximize your ability to respond to change, so take advantage of the fact you can now watch his talk for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or XRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.