Switching from Spreadsheets to Trello: Pros and Cons

From Spreadsheet Chaos to Trello Clarity: An Indie Dev’s Journey

Many indie game developers start their journey with tools they know. For project management, that often means spreadsheets. But what happens when your passion project grows into a sprawling beast of tasks and ideas? We sat down with Alex, an indie dev who recently transitioned from detailed spreadsheets to Trello, to understand the highs and lows of this switch.

The Spreadsheet Struggle: A Developer’s Pain Points

“My first few games, I tracked everything in a massive Google Sheet,” Alex explains, a slight grimace on their face. “It started simple, just a few columns for ‘Task,’ ‘Owner,’ ‘Status.’ But it quickly became a nightmare.”

The core issue, Alex points out, was a severe lack of visual overview. “I couldn’t just glance at it and know where things stood. To see progress, I had to scroll endlessly, cross-reference cells, and basically build the picture in my head. It was exhausting.”

Real-time task tracking was another major hurdle. “If someone updated their progress, I wouldn’t know unless I manually checked their cells or they told me. Collaboration was clunky; assigning tasks involved typing names, and checking if they saw it was guesswork.”

Overwhelming data was a constant companion. “The sheet became so dense with information, it was hard to extract anything meaningful. What were our biggest blockers? Which features were behind schedule? The answers were buried in a sea of cells. Version control was also a huge headache; one wrong move and you could mess up the whole thing.”

Why Trello? The “Aha!” Moment and Initial Setup

“I heard about Trello from other developers,” Alex recalls. “My ‘aha!’ moment came when I saw a demo board. The visual representation of a workflow, the Kanban style – it immediately clicked.”

Trello’s visual nature was the primary draw. “Tasks are cards, and cards move between lists. It’s so intuitive. You can see your entire project’s progress at a glance.” This visual clarity extends to task assignment and updates. “Assigning a card is a click, and collaborators can update status by simply dragging it. Comments and attachments are right there on the card, streamlining communication.”

Alex walks us through their initial Trello board setup for game development. “We started with very common lists: ‘Backlog,’ ‘To-Do,’ ‘In Progress,’ ‘Testing,’ and ‘Done.’ This basic flow covers most of our development cycle.”

Structuring cards effectively was key. “Each card represents a specific task, like ‘Implement Player Movement’ or ‘Design Level 3 Assets.’ Inside the card, we use checklists for sub-tasks – ‘Add jump mechanics,’ ‘Implement dash ability,’ etc. Due dates keep us on schedule, and we use labels for categories: ‘Code,’ ‘Art,’ ‘Design,’ ‘Sound,’ ‘Bug,’ ‘UI,’ 'Urgent.’”

Pros of Trello for Indie Devs

The benefits quickly became apparent for Alex’s team. “The biggest pro is improved clarity and transparency. Everyone knows what everyone else is working on, and where a task stands. There’s no more guessing.”

Task prioritization also became simpler. “The ‘Backlog’ and ‘To-Do’ lists make it easy to see what’s important next. We can reorder tasks by dragging cards, which feels very fluid.”

Enhanced team collaboration was a massive improvement. “Comments on cards keep discussions focused on the task at hand. Attachments for design docs or art assets are right there. It reduced the need for endless email chains or chat messages.”

“It significantly reduced my mental load,” Alex admits. “Instead of constantly trying to remember who’s doing what or what’s next, I just open Trello. It’s all laid out clearly. And it scales well. As our project grew, we could add more lists, more labels, without the system breaking down.”

Cons and Potential Pitfalls to Avoid

While Trello offered many advantages, Alex also encountered a few cons and potential pitfalls. “Over-customization can be an issue. You can create endless lists and labels, which can ironically lead back to complexity. Keep it simple initially, and only add complexity when necessary.”

The biggest pitfall, however, is human nature. “Not regularly updating cards. Trello is only as good as the information it holds. If tasks aren’t moved or commented on, the board loses its value. We had to build a habit of daily updates.”

Detailed reporting is another area where Trello falls short compared to more robust project management suites. “For indie devs, this is often okay. We don’t need complex burn-down charts usually. But if you require very granular data analytics on team performance or progress, Trello alone might not be enough.”

Alex advises that Trello might not be the right fit for everyone. “Very large teams with extremely complex, interdependent tasks might find it lacks the deep dependency tracking and advanced resource management features they need. But for most indie game developers, it’s more than sufficient.”

Real-World Application & Decision Making

“Switching to Trello fundamentally changed how we approached project management,” Alex states. “It informed our subsequent decisions significantly. We started holding shorter, more focused stand-up meetings because everyone could already see the board.”

Trello helped them avoid common development pitfalls, especially scope creep. “When we could visually see all the tasks piling up in ‘Backlog,’ it made us more disciplined about what we committed to. If a new feature idea came up, we’d add it to the backlog, but seeing the existing workload made us more realistic about when it could be tackled.”

“It also highlighted bottlenecks instantly. If a list like ‘Testing’ was overflowing, we knew we needed to dedicate more resources there or refine our testing process. This immediate visual feedback was invaluable.”

Tracking game development progress effectively requires a system that not only organizes tasks but also provides clear visibility and fosters collaboration. For those looking to keep a game dev journal and stay on top of their game development log, Trello offers a compelling solution that streamlines the process and helps you organize your creative process. If you’re serious about improving your workflow and keeping your game development journal organized, consider exploring our dedicated journaling tool. It’s designed to help you track your game development progress seamlessly. Check it out at our game dev journaling tool and see how it can transform your development journey.