The Execution Framework workshop is for planning a broad-scale delivery framework for your organization. Leaders representing each major area of your development organization participate in mapping the best of what you already do onto a delivery model framework, which we then tighten up into a strong executable model for project planning and execution oversight. 

Topics Include:

• Framework Structure
• Boundary Deliverables
• Review Mechanism
• Project Implementation
• Execution Oversight

The outcome is a set of phases and boundary deliverables - typically in the form of a Stage/Gate model or a Scaled Agile model (or hybrid) - you can use to bring structure and predictably to a complex development environment.

This is typically a 2-day in-person workshop, with a series of individual pre-meetings to prepare, and post-meetings to wrap things up.

The Initiative Management and Change Control Workshop leads you through the setup of an initiative intake and prioritization process, which seeks to align the initiatives you work on with the strategic objectives of the organization.

The workshop then leads you through the formation of a Roadmap bounded by the present capacity of the development teams, a Gap Analysis to explore the potential upside of a Resource Ask, and then the formation of a Plan of Record once the resource situation is confirmed.

The Workshop finally leads you through the setup of a Change Control process which seeks to safeguard the Plan of Record by ensuring that all changes follow a reponsible process of intake, analysis, and review before a decision is made. Once a decision is made, the process ensures the Plan of Record is updated and key stakeholders are informed of the change.

Topics Include:

• Green Light Process (intake mechanism)
• Prioritization & Alignment with Strategic Objectives
• Roadmap Planning - with Gap Analysis & Resource Planning
• Change Control - with request intake & review
• Scenario Planning - with stakeholder participation in decision-making

The outcome is a connected set of processes to handle annual roadmap preparation, ongoing operational change control, with regular progress reporting.

This is typically a 2-day in-person workshop, with a series of individual pre-meetings to prepare, and post-meetings to wrap things up.

The Strategic Plannng Workshop is slightly different for Product Organizations than it is for Central or Service Organizations. However, in either case, the workshop leads through a deep-dive into the organization's driving purpose and reason for existence, then uses that purpose to address the optimal way to serve customers  through products and services in a competitive environment.

Topics include:

• Mission, Vision, Values
• Customer Identification
• Competitive Analysis
• Products & Services
• Strategic Objectives

The outcome is a Strategic Plan with a series of Strategic Objectives to be delivered over the coming 1-3 years. The organization can use these Strategic Objectives in their subsequent objectives and execution planning.

This is typically a 1-2-day in-person workshop, with a series of individual pre-meetings to prepare, and post-meetings to wrap things up.

The Execution Planning & Objective Setting Workshop differs from traditional goal-setting workshops in that its focus is driven by the Strategic Objectives (or at least pillars / themes) deriving from the organization's Strategic Plan.

The workshop leads through high-level execution plan formation, subdividing the work into parcels to be owned collectively by participating teams, who then translate their participation into concrete team and individual objectives with solid metrics to back them up.

Topics include:

• Strategic Objectives Review
• Execution Plan Formation
• Organizational Alignment & Ownership
• Team Objectives & Metrics
• Individual Objectives & Metrics

The result is a set of objectives that collectively form a plan for each team to contribute to the overall completion of the Strategic Objectives. In turn, each individual has a set of objectives that contribute to completion of the team's objectives in addition to addressing the ongoing personal and professional development that contribute to their growth in capacity and capability.

This is typically a 1-day in-person workshop, with optional pre- and post- meetings for preparation and follow-up.

The Organization Structue & High-Performing Teams Workshop leads through a definition of the optimal structure for the direct and functional (matrix) organizations based on the delivery expectations of each constituent team.

It then walks through the roles, responsibilities, and accountability of each team and each major rolein the establishment of strong team culture and team health.

Topics include:

• Teams & Structure (Direct & Matrix)
• Roles, Responsibilities & Accountability
• Team Health & Culture
• Interviews & Successful Hiring
• Team & Individual Development & Growth

The result is a direct and functional organization model, with key roles, responsibilities , and best practices for team health and development.

This is typically a 2-day in-person workshop, with a series of individual pre-meetings to prepare, and post-meetings to wrap things up.

The Service & Support Model Workshop leads through the setup of an efficient model for providing exceptional service and support to customers without undue distraction of the development team.

The workshop starts with a review of customer needs and baseline expectations, and reviews the costs of unchecked demands on the dev team to provide support.

It then leads through establishing a graduated series of support elements ranging from self-service choices like deep documentation and tutorials to high-touch support via a support ticket system.

Topics include:

• Customer Needs & Expectations
• Self-Serve Opportunities
• Community Involvement
• Service Level Agreements
• Tiered Support & Support Ticket Management

The result is a multiple-level Support Model designed to optimize and protect high-cost developer time and leverage lower-cost, lower-touch options wherever appropriate.

This is typically a 1-2-day in-person workshop, with a series of individual pre-meetings to prepare, and post-meetings to wrap things up.

Every organization is distinct in the set of operational and leadership work they need to do. If there is a topic you would like to have conducted in a workshop form or other consulting engagement that is not listed here, please let me know. I'll be happy to discuss with you how we could accommodate it.

Leader Development coaching in Game Development and Central Team Development can focus on a variety of topics. Some common ones include:

• Leading through Influence
• Business Leadership
• Strategic Planning
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Execution
• Time Management & Overwhelm
• Onboarding New Role
• Addressing Blind Spots

Coaching engagements may include a 360 assessment - with interviews with coachee's boss, direct reports, and peers, in establishing the particular goals of the coaching engagements.

The engagements are typically made up of a combination of one-on-one sessions along with e-mail communication to check in on progress against the objectives and deliverables set out in the engagement.

These are typically done in a one-on-one Zoom meeting format.

Sometimes it can be valuable - particularly as a follow-up to an implementation or workshop - to hold a single or a series of group coaching sessions to reinforce principles or talk through issues or disagreements on how to proceed.

These are typically done in a multi-person Zoom video meeting format.

Following workshops and Game Dev PMO implementations, it is often useful to set up a series of Operational Advisory sessions. These are typically one-on-one sessions with the leader responsible for implementation and focus on addressing any emergent questions or concerns, and helping them steer the implementation forward.

Sometimes this takes the form of attending group meetings as an observer, and providing feedback or critique at a later time to aid in steering the implementation forward.

The key here is to give the leader whatever assistance they find useful to help ensure the implementation sticks and achieves the goals set out for it.

These are typically done in a one-on-one Zoom meeting format.

Sometimes there is value in blending an Operational Advisory with a Leader Coaching session into something resembling a "sounding board" session. In this forum, a series of sessions might be formed around providing a knowledgeable ear to hear and feedback on ideas and potential approaches a leader is considering for a course of action.

This is typically done in a one-on-one format via a Zoom meeting.