Presentation for BTEC Level 3 Games Development.

1. AGILE DEVELOPMENT:
SCRUM
Presentation by Kane Wright

2. What is “Agile?”
Agile Development is a collection of different software development
methods that apply to a range of computer-powered industries.
It’s based on twelve principles found within “The Agile Manifesto” –
essentially a manual that was created by software developers at a
meeting in 2001 in Utah.

3. Agile’s Principles (1 of 2)
• Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software
• Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
• Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than
months)
• Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
• Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be
trusted
• Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-
location)

4. Agile’s Principles (1 of 2)
• Working software is the principal measure of progress
• Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
• Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is
essential
• Self-organizing teams
• Regular adaptation to changing circumstance
Based on http://www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

5. What is “SCRUM?”
Scrum is a incremental and iterative form of Agile Development.
It was initially formed for software development projects, but similarly to
Agile, was applicable to many different disciplines, which includes Games
Development.
Scrum in the game industry is an easy way of completing “sprints” and
assigning tasks to the right person, whilst making the timeframe of the
task very clear, with daily and weekly meetings.

6. The Process
By following this development method, studios can essentially cut
down on wasted effort with incorrectly assigned tasks, minimise
stressful periods of crunch, and keep employees happy.

7. Negative Evidence
• My studio changed our entire development process based on a few
Gamasutra articles about Scrum. It was a classic case of chasing a
trend without understanding it. It was obviously a huge flop,
resulting in a dismal game released to market." – Anonymous
• Makes management feel forced to adhere to specific rules and
makes interaction with employees less 'real'." – Anonymous
Quotes courtesy of Gamastra Article “The State of Agile in the Game Industry”

8. Positive Evidence
• "Scrum has affected all areas of production at the studio. Everything
from meeting structures to report generation is more agile." - Mark
James, Lucas, External Technical Director, LucasArts
• "Initially, we adopted Scrum with one prototype team that comprised of
two programmers, one animator, one artist, one designer, and one
quality assurance tester. The increase in productivity was almost
immediate. Our cross-disciplinary, co-located pilot team produced great
results, faster than we'd ever seen, and with little micro-management.
They really took to Scrum, and enjoyed taking ownership of their own
work." - Kim Sellentin, Producer, The Creative Assembly, Australia.
Quotes courtesy of Gamastra Article “The State of Agile in the Game Industry”

9. Does it really benefit Game Development?
The answer is really dependant on who you are asking.
Like most new developments in technology, creating an entirely new
development process which studios can see as foreign is obviously
target for massive growing pains.
Some may be welcome to the new changes, and find the process
efficient (allowing software like Trello to bloom)
But with most things, there will be people who can’t click with the
new changes, and could prefer other, more familiar methods of
software development.