Lesson 4: Team Structure & Development Workflow

Welcome to Team Management & Workflow Setup!

Excellent progress! You've defined your art style and set up your asset pipeline. Now it's time to build a professional development team and establish workflows that will keep your project organized, efficient, and on track. This lesson will help you create a collaborative environment that scales from solo development to a full team.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will:

✅ Define team roles and responsibilities
✅ Set up collaboration tools and workflows
✅ Establish communication protocols
✅ Create project management systems
✅ Plan development milestones and sprints
✅ Set up code review and quality assurance processes
✅ Understand version control workflows for teams

Part 1: Team Structure & Roles

Step 1: Core Team Roles

1.1 Essential Roles for Battle Royale Development

Technical Roles:

Lead Game Developer

Responsibilities: Architecture decisions, code reviews, technical leadership
Skills: C++, Unreal Engine, networking, systems design
Time Commitment: Full-time or part-time lead

Network Programmer

Responsibilities: Multiplayer systems, replication, server optimization
Skills: Networking, server architecture, performance optimization
Time Commitment: Critical for multiplayer games

Gameplay Programmer

Responsibilities: Core mechanics, player systems, combat
Skills: C++, Blueprint, game design implementation
Time Commitment: Full-time during core development

UI/UX Programmer

Responsibilities: Menus, HUD, user interface systems
Skills: C++, UMG, UI design principles
Time Commitment: Part-time or full-time

Art Roles:

Art Director

Responsibilities: Visual direction, style consistency, art reviews
Skills: Art direction, team management, style guides
Time Commitment: Part-time oversight

3D Artist

Responsibilities: Character models, weapons, environments
Skills: Blender/Maya, texturing, optimization
Time Commitment: Full-time or multiple artists

Environment Artist

Responsibilities: Level design, world building, terrain
Skills: Level design, environment art, lighting
Time Commitment: Full-time

UI Artist

Responsibilities: Interface design, icons, menus
Skills: UI/UX design, graphic design, typography
Time Commitment: Part-time or full-time

Design Roles:

Game Designer

Responsibilities: Mechanics design, balance, systems
Skills: Game design, documentation, playtesting
Time Commitment: Full-time

Level Designer

Responsibilities: Map design, spawn points, zone mechanics
Skills: Level design, game balance, player flow
Time Commitment: Full-time

Production Roles:

Project Manager

Responsibilities: Timeline, milestones, team coordination
Skills: Project management, communication, organization
Time Commitment: Part-time or full-time

QA Tester

Responsibilities: Bug testing, playtesting, feedback
Skills: Testing methodologies, documentation, attention to detail
Time Commitment: Part-time or full-time

Step 2: Team Size Planning

2.1 Solo Developer Approach

Structure:

You handle all roles
Use contractors for specialized tasks
Focus on core mechanics first

Advantages:

Full creative control
Lower costs
Faster decision-making
Learn all aspects

Challenges:

Limited expertise in all areas
Longer development time
Risk of burnout
Quality may suffer

Best For:

Indie developers
Learning projects
Small-scale games
Prototypes

2.2 Small Team (2-5 People)

Structure:

1-2 Programmers
1-2 Artists
1 Designer (or shared)
Shared production duties

Advantages:

Diverse skills
Faster development
Better quality
Shared workload

Challenges:

Coordination needed
Communication overhead
Limited specialization
Budget constraints

Best For:

Indie studios
Small multiplayer games
Early-stage projects
Bootstrapped teams

2.3 Medium Team (6-15 People)

Structure:

3-5 Programmers (specialized)
3-5 Artists (specialized)
2-3 Designers
1 Project Manager
1-2 QA Testers

Advantages:

Professional quality
Faster iteration
Specialized expertise
Scalable structure

Challenges:

Higher costs
More management needed
Communication complexity
Process overhead

Best For:

Established studios
Commercial projects
Full-featured games
Professional releases

Part 2: Collaboration Tools & Workflows

Step 3: Version Control Workflow

3.1 Git Workflow Strategy

Branching Strategy:

main (production-ready)
  ├── develop (integration branch)
  │   ├── feature/player-movement
  │   ├── feature/weapon-system
  │   └── feature/matchmaking
  ├── release/v1.0.0
  └── hotfix/critical-bug-fix

Branch Types:

main/master:

Production-ready code only
Protected branch (requires review)
Tagged releases
Stable and tested

develop:

Integration branch for features
Daily merges from feature branches
Continuous testing
Pre-release staging

feature/[name]:

Individual feature development
Created from develop
Merged back to develop when complete
Short-lived branches

release/[version]:

Release preparation branch
Bug fixes only
Final testing
Merged to main and develop

hotfix/[name]:

Critical bug fixes
Created from main
Merged to main and develop
Emergency fixes

3.2 Git Workflow Best Practices

Commit Guidelines:

Write clear, descriptive commit messages
Commit frequently (small, logical changes)

Use conventional commit format:

feat: add player movement system
fix: resolve networking replication bug
docs: update README with setup instructions
refactor: optimize weapon damage calculation

Pull Request Process:

Create feature branch from develop
Develop and commit changes
Push branch to remote
Create pull request
Code review and feedback
Address feedback and update
Merge to develop after approval

3.3 Code Review Guidelines

Review Checklist:

[ ] Code follows project style guide
[ ] No obvious bugs or errors
[ ] Performance considerations addressed
[ ] Documentation updated
[ ] Tests added/updated
[ ] No security vulnerabilities
[ ] Proper error handling

Review Process:

At least one approval required
Address all comments before merging
Use constructive feedback
Learn from reviews

Step 4: Project Management Tools

4.1 Task Management

Recommended Tools:

Jira (Paid, Professional):

Full-featured project management
Agile/Scrum support
Custom workflows
Integration with other tools

Trello (Free/Paid):

Simple kanban boards
Easy to use
Good for small teams
Visual task management

Asana (Free/Paid):

Task and project management
Timeline view
Team collaboration
Good for medium teams

GitHub Projects (Free):

Integrated with Git
Simple kanban boards
Issue tracking
Good for small teams

4.2 Task Organization

Task Categories:

Epics (Large Features):

Player Systems
Weapon Systems
Matchmaking
UI/UX
Performance Optimization

User Stories (Features):

As a player, I want to move smoothly
As a player, I want to pick up weapons
As a player, I want to see other players

Tasks (Implementation):

Implement player movement
Create weapon pickup system
Add player visibility system

Bugs (Issues):

Player falls through ground
Weapon doesn't replicate
UI doesn't scale properly

4.3 Sprint Planning

Sprint Structure:

Sprint Duration: 2 weeks (recommended)

Sprint Planning:

Review backlog
Select tasks for sprint
Estimate effort (story points or hours)
Assign tasks to team members
Set sprint goals

Daily Standups:

What did you do yesterday?
What will you do today?
Any blockers or issues?

Sprint Review:

Demo completed features
Gather feedback
Update product backlog

Sprint Retrospective:

What went well?
What could be improved?
Action items for next sprint

Part 3: Communication Protocols

Step 5: Communication Tools

5.1 Communication Channels

Slack (Recommended):

Team chat and channels
File sharing
Integrations with tools
Threaded conversations
Good for async communication

Discord (Free Alternative):

Voice and text channels
Screen sharing
Good for small teams
Gaming-focused features

Microsoft Teams (Enterprise):

Integrated with Office 365
Video conferencing
File collaboration
Good for enterprise teams

5.2 Channel Organization

Channel Structure:

# general - Team announcements and general discussion
# development - Technical discussions and code questions
# art - Art-related discussions and feedback
# design - Game design discussions
# bugs - Bug reports and tracking
# releases - Release planning and deployment
# random - Off-topic discussions

5.3 Communication Guidelines

Response Times:

Urgent: Within 1 hour
Important: Within 4 hours
Normal: Within 24 hours
Low priority: Within 48 hours

Meeting Schedule:

Daily Standup: 15 minutes, same time daily Sprint Planning: 2-4 hours, start of sprint Sprint Review: 1-2 hours, end of sprint Retrospective: 1 hour, end of sprint Technical Reviews: As needed, scheduled

Documentation:

Document important decisions
Keep meeting notes
Update project wiki
Share knowledge regularly

Part 4: Development Workflows

Step 6: Development Process

6.1 Feature Development Workflow

1. Design Phase
   - Create design document
   - Get team feedback
   - Approve design

2. Implementation Phase
   - Create feature branch
   - Develop feature
   - Write tests
   - Self-review code

3. Review Phase
   - Create pull request
   - Code review
   - Address feedback
   - Update documentation

4. Testing Phase
   - QA testing
   - Bug fixes
   - Performance testing
   - Integration testing

5. Release Phase
   - Merge to develop
   - Deploy to test server
   - Final testing
   - Release to production

6.2 Quality Assurance Process

Testing Levels:

Unit Testing:

Test individual functions/classes
Automated tests
Run on every commit
Fast feedback

Integration Testing:

Test system interactions
Network testing
Server-client testing
Automated where possible

Playtesting:

Manual gameplay testing
Balance testing
User experience testing
Regular sessions

Performance Testing:

Frame rate testing
Network performance
Server load testing
Memory profiling

6.3 Bug Tracking

Bug Severity Levels:

Critical:

Game-breaking bugs
Security vulnerabilities
Data loss issues
Fix immediately

High:

Major functionality broken
Significant performance issues
Affects many players
Fix in current sprint

Medium:

Minor functionality issues
Workarounds available
Affects some players
Fix in next sprint

Low:

Cosmetic issues
Minor annoyances
Edge cases
Fix when time permits

Part 5: Milestone Planning

Step 7: Development Milestones

7.1 Project Phases

Phase 1: Foundation (Lessons 1-4)

Project setup
Art style definition
Team structure
Milestone: Project foundation complete

Phase 2: Core Systems (Lessons 5-8)

Player movement
Networking
Map design
Combat systems
Milestone: Core gameplay functional

Phase 3: Game Features (Lessons 9-12)

Matchmaking
UI/UX
Audio
Performance
Milestone: Full game loop playable

Phase 4: Polish & Launch (Lessons 13-20)

Anti-cheat
Analytics
Monetization
Testing
Marketing
Launch
Milestone: Game released

7.2 Milestone Checklist

For each milestone:

[ ] All planned features complete
[ ] Testing completed
[ ] Bugs fixed or documented
[ ] Documentation updated
[ ] Team review completed
[ ] Stakeholder approval
[ ] Next phase planned

Mini Challenge: Set Up Your Team Workflow

Task: Create a complete team workflow setup for your battle royale project.

Requirements:

Define team roles and responsibilities
Set up version control workflow (Git branches)
Create project management board (Trello/Jira)
Set up communication channels (Slack/Discord)
Define sprint structure and planning process
Create bug tracking system
Document workflows and processes
Set up code review process

Deliverables:

Team structure document
Git workflow documentation
Project management board setup
Communication guidelines
Sprint planning template
Bug tracking system
Code review checklist

Pro Tips:

Start simple and add complexity as needed
Use free tools initially, upgrade when needed
Document everything for team reference
Regular retrospectives to improve workflows
Adapt workflows to your team size
Automate repetitive tasks
Keep communication channels organized

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. No Clear Roles

❌ Everyone does everything without structure
✅ Define clear roles and responsibilities

2. Poor Communication

❌ No communication protocols or tools
✅ Establish communication channels and guidelines

3. No Project Management

❌ Tasks tracked in heads or random places
✅ Use project management tools consistently

4. Inconsistent Workflows

❌ Different processes for different people
✅ Standardize workflows and document them

5. No Code Reviews

❌ Code merged without review
✅ Require code reviews for all changes

6. Ignoring Documentation

❌ No documentation of decisions or processes
✅ Document important decisions and workflows

Troubleshooting

Q: How do I manage a remote team? A: Use async communication tools, regular video calls, clear documentation, and trust-based workflows.

Q: What if I'm working solo? A: Still use version control, project management, and documentation. Prepare for when you add team members.

Q: How do I handle conflicts in code reviews? A: Discuss constructively, focus on code quality, be open to feedback, and have a lead make final decisions.

Q: What's the best sprint length? A: 2 weeks is standard, but adjust based on your team size and project needs. Start with 2 weeks.

Q: How do I prioritize tasks? A: Use impact vs. effort matrix, consider dependencies, focus on core features first, and get stakeholder input.

Key Takeaways

✅ Team Structure: Define clear roles and responsibilities for efficient collaboration ✅ Version Control: Use Git branching strategy and code reviews for quality code ✅ Project Management: Use tools to track tasks, sprints, and milestones ✅ Communication: Establish channels and protocols for effective team communication ✅ Workflows: Create standardized development processes for consistency ✅ Quality Assurance: Implement testing and review processes for quality ✅ Milestones: Plan and track project phases for successful delivery

What's Next?

In Lesson 5: Player Controller & Movement Systems, we'll:

Build responsive player movement with C++ and Blueprint
Implement camera controls and input handling
Create character controller systems
Add movement animations and states
Implement jump, sprint, and crouch mechanics
Test movement in multiplayer environment

Get ready to bring your characters to life with smooth, responsive movement!

Additional Resources

Ready to continue? Move on to Lesson 5 to start building your player movement systems!