Ganna Ivanicheva
Boris Lesun
M A R C H 2 0 2 3
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential.
Agility is the Key
Power Up Your GameDev Project Management with Agile Practices!
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 2
Ganna Ivanicheva
Agile Project/Portfolio Manager and Delivery Manager with over 11 years
of expertise across various business areas. Currently leading game projects
at Epam.
Activities before it: played violine, worked as a city guide in Ukraine,
worked as a ski instructor, freelance translator (English, German)
Project Manager, Localization testing unit head
Boris Lesun
Project Manager and Ops Manager with many years of expertise across various
business areas. Currently leading "Play&Learn" worldwide educational game
project at Epam using Epic Game Fortnite Meta Universe.
Activities before: Playtica - Product owner at Bingo Studio, Sky Systems -
managed developing games and created and managed first game store in Minsk,
"Open IT" intro sessions in Minsk, eKids (EPAM) intro sessions worldwide online:-
Spain, Turkey, Montenegro, Poland, USA, Serbia, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, etc.
Project Manager, Product Manager
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 3
04
07
09
12
14
Foreword
3 Amigos
Retrospective
Demo
T-Shirt Estimation
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 4
Agile means having no
documentation/design
Agile doesn’t require
managers
Agile = Scrum and
Kanban
Agile doesn’t work in
gaming
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 5
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 5
Agile is flexible enough for everyone
and everything
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 6
Gaming Software Development
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 6
Poor work-life balance and high level of
stress
High turnover due to inadequate
compensation and job dissatisfaction
Poor user experience or interface design
Bugs and technical issues impact usability
Inadequate support and customer service
Strong competition in the market
Challenging deadlines impacted by long
and unpredictable development cycles
Limited availability of specialized talent
Poor user experience or interface design
Performance problems, crashes or bugs
Inadequate marketing or promotion to
reach target audiences
Strong competition in the market
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 7
3 Amigos
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 8
3 Amigos
Experts only
Focused time
For refinements/estimations
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 9
Retrospective
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 10
Retrospective
Make work easier
Chaotic processes
Make action items come
true
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 11
Follow more templates on easyretro.io
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 12
Demo Session
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 13
Demo Session
Provide visuals
Document everything!
Work with your
stakeholders
T-Shirt sizing
• 4
T-shirt sizing is a relative estimation technique where t-shirt
sizes, such as XS, S, M, L, and XL, are used to estimate
product backlog items in a seamless way. Most agile teams
do estimates, as it helps teams to understand, discuss, and
plan what they are going to work on next.
Overall, t-shirt sizing is a useful estimation technique in Agile
projects for quick and relative estimation of user stories,
fostering collaboration and providing a high-level view of
effort needed. However, it may not be suitable for projects
requiring precise planning or those with highly diverse or
complex user stories.
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 15
T-Shirt Sizing for product backlog items
T-shirt sizing is a relative estimation technique used in Agile projects to estimate user stories or
work items. Instead of providing specific time or effort estimates, the team assigns t-shirt sizes (XS,
S, M, L, XL, etc.) to represent the relative size or complexity of each item.
The main idea behind t-shirt sizing is to provide a rough estimation of the size or effort required for
each item in a simple and intuitive way. It allows teams to quickly assess the relative complexity and
size of user stories without going into detailed analysis.
T-shirt sizing is a collaborative process where the whole team participates in the estimation
exercise. Each team member individually assigns a t-shirt size to each user story or work item. Then,
the team discusses and reaches a consensus on the assigned sizes. This process helps in capturing
diverse perspectives and knowledge of the team members
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 16
T-Shirt Sizing: pros
Team collaboration: T-shirt sizing encourages collaboration and discussion among team
members, leading to better shared understanding and alignment.
Focus on relative sizing: T-shirt sizing focuses on the relative size or complexity of user stories instead
of specific time or effort, which reduces the need for unnecessary precision.
Time-efficient: T-shirt sizing is a quick estimation technique that allows teams to estimate a large
number of user stories in a relatively short time.
Simplicity: T-shirt sizing provides a simple and easy-to-understand way to estimate user stories,
making it accessible to everyone on the team
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 17
T-Shirt Sizing: cons
Lack of precision: T-shirt sizing does not provide precise estimates, as it focuses on relative sizing
rather than specific time or effort. This can lead to uncertainty in planning and forecasting. The
difference between different sizes is unclear.
Limited scale: T-shirt sizing uses a limited scale of sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL, etc.), which may not
capture the nuances of complexity for highly diverse or complex user stories.
Potential bias: T-shirt sizing relies on individual team members' subjective opinions, which can
introduce bias in the estimation process.
T-Shirt estimation (own expirience)
• T - S H I R T S I Z I N G
Playtica: roadmap, miro, yearly plans, feature/product timeframes
EPAM Inc: roadmaps, miro, high level estimations.
Use T-Shirt sizes in SAFe
• F O R T N I T E C O N C E P T : H T T P S : / / E P A . M S / E K I D S - B I N A R Y
Future Development:
→ Programming course for teens and adults
→ New scenarios and ideas implementations​
→ Gameplay scale (co-op, new mechanics, AI)
→ New eKids experience implementation
→ Standard data types (M)
→ Variables (L)
(now in progress)
→ Conditions (M)
→ Cycles (M-L)
→ Loops (M-L)
→ Competitiveness (L)
Game Scenario
Interaction
→ Functional
programming (L)
→ Working with files (L)
→ Code testing (L)
→ Useful libraries,
i.e. intertools,
collections, etc.
(S - M for each)
Game LABS
→ Algorithm basics
(L-XL)
→ Object-oriented
programming (L-XL)
Game AI Mentor
EPAM aims to prove the technical possibilities of adapting educational content in the
Fortnite meta-universe (Creative Island Mode).
Future Level Estimations: S - 1m, M – 2m, L – 3m, XL – 4-6m, XXL – 7+ m
T-Shirt estimation (own experience)
EPAM Binary Concept
• 4
• https://epa.ms/ekids-binary
“
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 21
Sometimes you need to add a
meaningful yet concise quote.”
Firstname Lastname
Job Title, Company
S E C T I O N T I T L E
EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 22
For more information, contact
Ganna Ivanicheva
PM, Localization testing unit head
Ganna_ivanicheva@epam.com
Boris Lesun
Project Manager
boris_lesun@epam.com

Agility is the Key: Power Up Your GameDev Project Management with Agile Practices! / Ganna Ivanicheva and Boris Lesun (EPAM)

  • 1.
    Ganna Ivanicheva Boris Lesun MA R C H 2 0 2 3 EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. Agility is the Key Power Up Your GameDev Project Management with Agile Practices!
  • 2.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 2 Ganna Ivanicheva Agile Project/Portfolio Manager and Delivery Manager with over 11 years of expertise across various business areas. Currently leading game projects at Epam. Activities before it: played violine, worked as a city guide in Ukraine, worked as a ski instructor, freelance translator (English, German) Project Manager, Localization testing unit head Boris Lesun Project Manager and Ops Manager with many years of expertise across various business areas. Currently leading "Play&Learn" worldwide educational game project at Epam using Epic Game Fortnite Meta Universe. Activities before: Playtica - Product owner at Bingo Studio, Sky Systems - managed developing games and created and managed first game store in Minsk, "Open IT" intro sessions in Minsk, eKids (EPAM) intro sessions worldwide online:- Spain, Turkey, Montenegro, Poland, USA, Serbia, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, etc. Project Manager, Product Manager
  • 3.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 3 04 07 09 12 14 Foreword 3 Amigos Retrospective Demo T-Shirt Estimation
  • 4.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 4 Agile means having no documentation/design Agile doesn’t require managers Agile = Scrum and Kanban Agile doesn’t work in gaming
  • 5.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 5 EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 5 Agile is flexible enough for everyone and everything
  • 6.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 6 Gaming Software Development EPAM Proprietary & Confidential. 6 Poor work-life balance and high level of stress High turnover due to inadequate compensation and job dissatisfaction Poor user experience or interface design Bugs and technical issues impact usability Inadequate support and customer service Strong competition in the market Challenging deadlines impacted by long and unpredictable development cycles Limited availability of specialized talent Poor user experience or interface design Performance problems, crashes or bugs Inadequate marketing or promotion to reach target audiences Strong competition in the market
  • 7.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 7 3 Amigos
  • 8.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 8 3 Amigos Experts only Focused time For refinements/estimations
  • 9.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 9 Retrospective
  • 10.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 10 Retrospective Make work easier Chaotic processes Make action items come true
  • 11.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 11 Follow more templates on easyretro.io
  • 12.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 12 Demo Session
  • 13.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 13 Demo Session Provide visuals Document everything! Work with your stakeholders
  • 14.
    T-Shirt sizing • 4 T-shirtsizing is a relative estimation technique where t-shirt sizes, such as XS, S, M, L, and XL, are used to estimate product backlog items in a seamless way. Most agile teams do estimates, as it helps teams to understand, discuss, and plan what they are going to work on next. Overall, t-shirt sizing is a useful estimation technique in Agile projects for quick and relative estimation of user stories, fostering collaboration and providing a high-level view of effort needed. However, it may not be suitable for projects requiring precise planning or those with highly diverse or complex user stories.
  • 15.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 15 T-Shirt Sizing for product backlog items T-shirt sizing is a relative estimation technique used in Agile projects to estimate user stories or work items. Instead of providing specific time or effort estimates, the team assigns t-shirt sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL, etc.) to represent the relative size or complexity of each item. The main idea behind t-shirt sizing is to provide a rough estimation of the size or effort required for each item in a simple and intuitive way. It allows teams to quickly assess the relative complexity and size of user stories without going into detailed analysis. T-shirt sizing is a collaborative process where the whole team participates in the estimation exercise. Each team member individually assigns a t-shirt size to each user story or work item. Then, the team discusses and reaches a consensus on the assigned sizes. This process helps in capturing diverse perspectives and knowledge of the team members
  • 16.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 16 T-Shirt Sizing: pros Team collaboration: T-shirt sizing encourages collaboration and discussion among team members, leading to better shared understanding and alignment. Focus on relative sizing: T-shirt sizing focuses on the relative size or complexity of user stories instead of specific time or effort, which reduces the need for unnecessary precision. Time-efficient: T-shirt sizing is a quick estimation technique that allows teams to estimate a large number of user stories in a relatively short time. Simplicity: T-shirt sizing provides a simple and easy-to-understand way to estimate user stories, making it accessible to everyone on the team
  • 17.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 17 T-Shirt Sizing: cons Lack of precision: T-shirt sizing does not provide precise estimates, as it focuses on relative sizing rather than specific time or effort. This can lead to uncertainty in planning and forecasting. The difference between different sizes is unclear. Limited scale: T-shirt sizing uses a limited scale of sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL, etc.), which may not capture the nuances of complexity for highly diverse or complex user stories. Potential bias: T-shirt sizing relies on individual team members' subjective opinions, which can introduce bias in the estimation process.
  • 18.
    T-Shirt estimation (ownexpirience) • T - S H I R T S I Z I N G Playtica: roadmap, miro, yearly plans, feature/product timeframes EPAM Inc: roadmaps, miro, high level estimations. Use T-Shirt sizes in SAFe
  • 19.
    • F OR T N I T E C O N C E P T : H T T P S : / / E P A . M S / E K I D S - B I N A R Y Future Development: → Programming course for teens and adults → New scenarios and ideas implementations​ → Gameplay scale (co-op, new mechanics, AI) → New eKids experience implementation → Standard data types (M) → Variables (L) (now in progress) → Conditions (M) → Cycles (M-L) → Loops (M-L) → Competitiveness (L) Game Scenario Interaction → Functional programming (L) → Working with files (L) → Code testing (L) → Useful libraries, i.e. intertools, collections, etc. (S - M for each) Game LABS → Algorithm basics (L-XL) → Object-oriented programming (L-XL) Game AI Mentor EPAM aims to prove the technical possibilities of adapting educational content in the Fortnite meta-universe (Creative Island Mode). Future Level Estimations: S - 1m, M – 2m, L – 3m, XL – 4-6m, XXL – 7+ m T-Shirt estimation (own experience)
  • 20.
    EPAM Binary Concept •4 • https://epa.ms/ekids-binary
  • 21.
    “ EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 21 Sometimes you need to add a meaningful yet concise quote.” Firstname Lastname Job Title, Company S E C T I O N T I T L E
  • 22.
    EPAM Proprietary &Confidential. 22 For more information, contact Ganna Ivanicheva PM, Localization testing unit head Ganna_ivanicheva@epam.com Boris Lesun Project Manager boris_lesun@epam.com