2 Many CooksMike Cook: Week 1 LeaderJustin Cook: Week 2 Leader

James Browder: Week 3/ Week 4 Leader

Professional GoalTo produce original and innovative software through the use of a rational understanding of the current market and a team that promotes dynamic exchange.

Values StatementWe value responsibility, determination, and communication and will continue to improve and demonstrate these traits to each other as well as ourselves.

Purpose StatementThe reason we work at 2 Many Cooks is to be part of a diverse and interactive team that understands our target audience and works towards our shared goal.

Mission StatementOur mission is to be aware of current industry trends while working as a cohesive unit throughout the development process.

Vision StatementDue to our shared determination, understanding of the industry, and effectiveness at remaining relevant in an ever-changing field, we see ourselves expanding two-fold as a studio within the next five years. We believe this will occur because of our connectedness, integrity, and unity when striving towards our goals.

Week 1 Questions1. What challenges did you face as a team this week?

The main challenges faced this week were determining a primary form of communication within the group as well as when meetings could be scheduled that aligned with everyone’s availability. Because the primary form of communication was initially email, this led to some team members not responding in a timely manner.

2. How did you specifically resolve them?To resolve the communication issue the week 1 leader, Mike Cook, quickly created a shared Google Drive folder and uploaded our Team Leadership Agreement. Each member’s completion of the agreement allowed us access to alternate forms of communication other than email such as phone, alternate email, Skype, and Google Hangouts. We then decided as a group to have recurring meetings on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. This granted each member ample time to arrange their schedule in such a way to allow for these group meetings, as well as created sufficient time for a member to inform the weekly leader whether or not they had conflicting engagements.

Week 2 Questions1. What leadership types and traits have you seen exhibited by each team

member since you started working as a team?Justin -

● Mike - Although Mike is no longer part of Team #6, during the first week of his leadership he exhibited the traits of a Visionary Leader by giving us clear direction when working together.

● James - UnsureJames -

● Justin - Justin took charge immediately at the start of week 2 and kept us on track and made sure we got all of our goals done on time and did everything according to plan.

● Mike - When Mike was leader during week 1 he exhibited great leadership traits. He took charge and offered to be the leader for week 1. He also got the team communicating right away. He may not be with the team anymore but he seemed to be a great leader from the start.

Week 2 Questions (cont.)2. What ethical behavior have you seen displayed by your teammates? Every team member needs to refer to each team member.James-

● Justin: Justin took the lead for week 2 and did a great job with it. He has been there and on time for every meeting that we have had and done his portion of the work on time has not slacked whatsoever. He has taken care of his responsibilities each and every week and has proven to be very reliable.

● Mike: For the beginning of this class Mike offered to take over as leader for the first week of class. He was present for the first two meetings and seemed like he was going to be a reliable team, but wasn’t able to make it for for the third meeting and we have not heard from him since week 1.

Justin - ● James: James has been a remarkable team member and is eager to complete work on time or even

ahead of time. He has always made sure that he carries his weight and makes sure that he coordinates and communicates in a timely manner.

● Mike: During the first week, Mike quickly took the reigns and displayed excellent leadership traits. He was a reliable team member and coordinated all meetings for Week 1 being conscientious of everyone’s availability.

Week 3 Questions1. Are all team members fulfilling their delegated and/or agreed upon

responsibilities?Yes, both team members that are left on Too Many Cooks have done everything required of them and all tasks have been completed on time. To ensure that weekly responsibilities were completed in a timely manner tasks were delegated during the first meeting of the week.

2. What specific responsibilities were completed?Most recently, James took it upon himself to complete an outline of the entire Programming Department as well the specific job titles for that department. Later, Justin then completed research into what job responsibilities would fall under each specific job title. Both team members have attended meetings regularly and worked together to complete the weeks rough drafts.

Week 3 Questions (cont.)3. In light of your Team Leadership Agreement and combined professional statements, was/is there an alignment between what your team members said they believed; What they said they would do; And what they actually did? Elaborate.

The Team Leadership Agreement has been a helpful tool and in hindsight has given the team great insight into what each member said they believed, what they said they would do, and what they actually did. At the beginning of this class Team #6, Too Many Cooks, consisted of four team members, Justin Cook, Mike Cook, James Browder, and Isaiah Corey. When the first Team Leadership Agreement was submitted all four team members seemed to be willing participants. Halfway through the first week the team was made up of only 3 members, Justin Cook, Mike Cook, and James Browder, with the team dwindling to two, James Browder and Justin Cook, by the beginning of the second week. Although the team was cut in half, both of the remaining team members have worked together excellently and efficiently and have maintained an alignment between what they said and what they did.

Week 3 Questions (cont.)4. What changes occurred from your original Team Leadership Project plan? (e.g. A change in the original ideas and direction of your organizational charts?There were not too many significant changes that we have made over the course of this class. We have revised and simplified the organizational charts for each department to make them make more sense for a smaller gaming studio. We made minor modifications to the organizational charts such as combining certain positions to make one job into two jobs. We did this because in a smaller studio people have to step up and do more than if they were apart of a larger studio.

Were any of Kober’s steps used or could have been used to lead that change? How was the change led?We Established A Sense of Urgency from the start of the project. From the first meeting that we had we immediately began work on the project and made plans for the direction that we were going to take. We also Planned For & Create Short-Term Wins by setting up when we would work on and finish specific tasks. This helped us stay on track to finish everything that was required and actually helped us get ahead.

Week 4 Questions1. What positive and negative effects did leadership have on your team?

There were only two team members for our studio so we really didn’t experience any negative effects from leadership. We did however have positive effects. Justin and James both led the team successfully and both worked together well to accomplish all the tasks.

2. How can communication be improved?Well not sure how our communication as a team can be improved. We mainly used e-mail during the week to keep in contact and get together for meetings while also using our phones when it became necessary. We kept our meetings consistent every week from the start to the end with the exception of adding on an additional meeting to week 4 in order to make sure that we have everything completed to our standards. We also used Google Hangouts for every meeting except for one when we were having issues and temporarily switched to Skype.

Week 4 Questions (cont.)3. Were teammates accountable to each other especially to the rotating leader?Yes, both Justin and James were accountable towards each other when the other was the leader for the week. 4. Based on your personal Leadership Development Goals from assignment 1 and the Team Leadership Evaluation form has there been any growth or positive changes between the leader that you were before the leader that you are now? Elaborate. James - Yes, I believe that I grew as a leader over this past month while working on this team project. I learned how better to be a leader and act like a leader while taking steps to continue improving in the future. I will also use Kotter’s steps to help continue my growth as a leader in the future. Justin - I have seen considerable growth from the leader I was before to the leader that I am now. Most importantly, being able to communicate effectively through an understanding of different personality types. This has led to me being able to relate with people of differing backgrounds and beliefs. I will use this new understanding as I continue to work towards my Leadership Development Goals.

Production Department

Lead Designer/ UX Design

Marketing Manager

Studio Manager/Producer

HR/ Office Manager

Lead Programmer/IT

Art Director/ Concept Artist

Production Department Job Descriptions

- Studio Manager/Producer: Coordinate resources for company as a whole, Tracks progress, Ensures production is on schedule, Organizes meetings, takes notes to publish to team, Evaluates and tries to improve processes, and works closely with departmental leads and informs them of issues or needs.

- Marketing Manager:Develop and implement marketing strategies. Works with Art Department to create appropriate models for marketing.

- HR/Office Manager: Handles conflict management, Coordinates scheduling and payroll, Works with department leads to determine company hiring needs. Coordinate interviews and hiring processes.

- Art Director/Concept Artist: The Art Director is the mastermind behind all of the visual components of the video game, and is the visionary for the creative team. The Art Director also decides who does what and when and is there to mentor the art team. As the concept artist he or she will establish the art style for each project and will be there to help take the visual style to the next level.

Production Department Job Descriptions (cont.)

- Lead Designer/UI Design:The Lead Designer is responsible for coordinating scheduling within the Design Department, assigning tasks as well as managing resources, and works with other Department Leads to deliver design systems that embody the creative vision of the game including communication with the Programming Department to remedy QA issues. As the User Experience (UX) Designer they will collaborate with their team to translate systems and gameplay to enhance user experience, will create flow diagrams and prototypes to communicate design concepts, and will produce design specifications with detailed requirements as well as mentor other designers and lead by example.

- Lead Programmer/IT:Coordinate scheduling and resources, Review code performance, Assign tasks, and makes final decisions on all programming assets.

Design DepartmentLead Designer/UX Designer

QA Lead Tester

Tester

Level Designer/UI Design

Design Department Job Descriptions

-Lead Designer/UX Designer: The Lead Designer is responsible for coordinating scheduling within the Design Department, assigning tasks as well as managing resources, and works with other Department Leads to deliver design systems that embody the creative vision of the game including communication with the Programming Department to remedy QA issues. As the User Experience (UX) Designer they will collaborate with their team to translate systems and gameplay to enhance user experience, will create flow diagrams and prototypes to communicate design concepts, and will produce design specifications with detailed requirements as well as mentor other designers and lead by example.-QA Lead Tester/ Tester: These two isolate and report technical issues that may be encountered in the product, offer potential fixes for the technical issues, and verify that fixes are working as intended. With the Tester reporting to the QA Lead Tester, they will ensure bug reports are written precisely and concisely.-Level Designer/UI Design: Work with Lead Designer, artists, and engineers to deliver creative vision of the game. Research subject matter relating to design and offer detailed descriptions for level layout.

Programming Department

Lead Programmer/ IT

Game Coding/ Graphic Lead

UI

AI Programmer

Programming Department Job Descriptions-Lead Programmer/IT: Coordinate scheduling and resources, Review code performance, Assign tasks, and makes final decisions on all programming assets. -Game Coding/Graphic Lead: Responsible for developing the graphics and physics that will make up the game’s engine. Also designs and troubleshoots graphic renderers. -UI Programmer:Responsible for developing and maintaining the user interface for the company. Also the UI programmer will develop a library of both 2D and 3D user interfaces that can be used across multiple projects.-AI Programmer: Responsible for designing and developing the logic that will simulate life-like behaviors of the enemies and opponents one will face.

Art Department Art Director/ Concept

Artist

Animation Lead Animator

UI Art/ FX ArtistLead Character Artist

Environment Lead

Environment Artist

Character Artist

Art Department Job DescriptionsArt Director/Concept Artist: The Art Director is the mastermind behind all of the visual components of the video game, is the visionary for the creative team. The Art Director also decides who does what and when and is there to mentor the art team. As the concept artist he or she will establish the art style for each project and will be there to help take the visual style to the next level.Lead Character Artist:Responsible for making final decisions on character art to take to the Art Director, helps come up with sketches that the Character Artist will take to the next level, and decides what character models will be used for in-game and which will be used for marketing. Character Artist: Responsible for creating character models and textures along with creating 2D illustrations based off of the chosen sketches. After being tweaked and revised and approval has been received from the Lead Character Artist the 2D illustrations will be made into the final 3D characters.Animation Lead & Animator: These two will collaborate with the Character Artist and the Lead Character Artist to help create the characters for the game. After the final models are ready they will animate the characters to interact with the game environment. They will also work closely with the FX artist to be sure that the animations are in harmony with the sound effects.

Art Department Job Descriptions (cont.)

UI Art/FX Artist: Responsible for designing unique, clean, and artful user interfaces that brings simplicity and user friendliness to the UI. Also is responsible for designing technical and aesthetically pleasing visuals for fighting, explosions, flying, etc. Works close with the Art Director to develop, implement, and optimize the visual effects of the game. Environmental Lead & Environmental Artist: The Environmental Lead & the Environmental Artist work together to create props, objects, and life that will furnish the game world. They will work together to place all of the props, objects, and life around the gaming world while maintaining consistency throughout. They will also work on creating and maintaining a texture library for the environment.

Studio Overview

Lead Designer/UX Designer

Marketing Manager Studio Manager/Producer HR/ Office Manager

Lead ProgrammerArt Director/ Concept Artist

QA Lead

Tester

Level Designer/ UI Design

Game Coding/ Graphic Lead

UI

AI Programmer

Lead Character Artist

UI Art/ FX Artist

Environment Lead Environment Artist

Character Artist

Animation Lead Animator

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