Collaborating on Postmortems: Tips for Small Teams

The Implosion of Chrono-Shift Crusaders: A Postmortem on External Forces

Chrono-Shift Crusaders promised a new era for our small indie studio, Pixel Forge. We envisioned a tactical RPG where players manipulated time itself, creating intricate battle scenarios. The initial buzz was incredible; investors were intrigued, and the team was buzzing with creative energy. We had a solid demo, a passionate team, and a clear vision.

Then, everything unraveled. The failure wasn’t due to a lack of talent or effort; it was a slow, insidious erosion caused by unaddressed external pressures.

Our lead artist, Maya, faced unexpected family health issues. She started missing deadlines, and her typically vibrant concept art became muted. Instead of communicating this openly, she internalized the stress, believing she was letting the team down. This led to a bottleneck in asset creation.

Around the same time, a major publisher announced a similar time-manipulation game. The perceived competition sent our lead designer, Ben, into a panic. He insisted on a drastic pivot, shifting the game’s core mechanics to differentiate us, even though our existing design was already strong. This sudden change invalidated months of work and demoralized the programming team.

Meanwhile, I, as the project lead, was wrestling with investor expectations that suddenly ballooned after a small initial grant. I pushed for unrealistic deadlines, fueled by a desire to impress and secure further funding. This created a culture of overwork, leading to burnout. Early playtests, which were supposed to be constructive, became highly critical after an uncurated public showing. We reacted defensively, blaming the players rather than examining the underlying issues.

The lack of transparent communication was Chrono-Shift Crusaders’ undoing. Maya’s silence about her personal struggles meant we couldn’t offer support or adjust workloads. Ben’s sudden pivot, driven by unshared anxiety about competition, felt arbitrary and undermined team trust. My own external pressures translated into internal pressure on the team, leading to a cycle of exhaustion and resentment. We all reacted in isolation, creating a labyrinth of misunderstandings and creative blocks that ultimately led to the game’s cancellation.

Journaling: Your Early Warning System and Communication Catalyst

The Chrono-Shift Crusaders debacle taught us a hard lesson: external influences are unavoidable, but their impact is manageable with proactive communication. This is where a consistent journaling practice becomes invaluable for small teams. A game dev journal or game development log isn’t just about tracking tasks; it’s about tracking the human element of creation.

A consistent journaling practice helps individual team members process and articulate the external forces impacting their work and creative flow. It acts as an early warning system. When you regularly reflect on your day, you can flag burnout before it becomes debilitating, identify creative blocks, or recognize shifts in your personal commitment to the project. This self-awareness is the first step toward effective communication.

When relevant insights from individual journals are shared thoughtfully, they foster team empathy and understanding. It’s not about publicizing every personal detail, but about creating a safe space to acknowledge how external factors might be affecting the work. This shifts the focus from blame to problem-solving and support.

Actionable Steps for Integrating Journaling into Your Team’s Routine

Integrating journaling into your team’s workflow doesn’t require a radical overhaul. It’s about building a habit of reflection and opening new channels for communication.

Step 1: Individual Reflection

Encourage every team member to keep a game dev journal. This is a personal space to write about their creative process, any external stresses they’re experiencing, and how these factors might be influencing their work on the game. This could be daily, weekly, or after specific project milestones. The key is consistency.

For example, a journal entry might read: “Feeling drained this week. The news about [competitor game] is making me question our core design. Also, my internet was out for two days, messing with my flow. Struggling to get excited about the level design.” This personal game dev journal entry allows for private processing, which is crucial before any sharing. It’s a fundamental step to track game development progress in a holistic way.

Step 2: Structured Sharing (Optional but Recommended)

Once individuals are comfortable with their personal journaling, consider brief, regular “reflection sessions.” These aren’t critique sessions; they’re safe spaces for team members to share relevant insights from their journals. This could be a 15-minute slot at the start of a weekly meeting, where each person shares one “high” and one “low” from their week, perhaps referencing something they noted in their game development log. The emphasis is on empathy and understanding, not judgment.

For instance, Maya could have shared: “My family situation is taking a lot out of me right now. I’m finding it hard to focus on the detailed art assets. I logged this in my game dev journal and realized it’s impacting my energy.” This simple acknowledgment opens the door for the team to respond with support.

Step 3: Actionable Insights

These shared reflections are not just for venting. They are powerful sources of actionable insights. When external pressures or internal struggles are brought to light, the team can collaboratively adjust development plans, reassign roles, or simply provide a space for empathy and support. If Maya had shared her struggles, we could have temporarily redistributed some art tasks or given her a break. If Ben had voiced his anxiety about the competitor, we could have discussed strategy rationally, reinforcing our unique selling points instead of pivoting blindly. This structured approach helps small teams to consistently track game development progress beyond just task completion.

The Resilient Studio: Benefits for Small Teams

Implementing this journaling and reflection process strengthens small teams significantly. It builds resilience by acknowledging and addressing external pressures rather than letting them fester in isolation. It cultivates a culture of open communication and empathy, essential for navigating the unpredictable nature of indie game development. You’re not just building a game; you’re building a more robust, understanding team that can overcome challenges together. Consistent journaling helps to track game development progress in a way that includes the human element, making your team stronger and your projects more likely to succeed.