Game Dev PMO Course

Learn The Keys To Productive Delivery

Is Your Game Dev Team or Project In Trouble?
Harness the Management & Operations Secrets of AAA Game Studios to Drive Efficiency & Manage Risk

Any 1 Of These 9 Mistakes Could Be
Putting Your Entire Team At Risk

It’s no secret. A lot of companies over-hired during COVID, and the costs are coming back to bite them. In fact, in the growing climate of weak financials leading to widespread layoffs, the risk to your team of being ineffective or inefficient is serious. Even dire. Axes are falling all over.

Even if you’re one of the so-called “lucky ones” who doesn’t get laid off, what it means is you and what’s left of your team have to pick up the work from the “unlucky ones” and do it all AS WELL AS your own work. There was never a more important time to be highly buttoned-down and efficient.

That’s where the Game Dev PMO can help.

A Game Dev PMO can help you solve the 9 killer mistakes I mentioned earlier:

(1) Failing to Vet and Green Light Ideas – you absolutely must align new ideas with your strategic objectives, or the work you’re doing will fail to add enough value. This exposes you to risk.

(2) Failing to Prioritize and Manage Initiatives – doing the highest-value work first is the only way to ensure your team’s roadmap is always seen as essential. If you don’t do this, you’re taking a big chance.

(3) Failing to Navigate Change with Confidence – things shift a lot in the dynamic world of game dev, and you must have a Change Control function that lets you adapt to more-valuable changes and reject less-valuable ones. If you don’t, you’re asking for trouble.

(4) Failing to Execute Flawlessly – when times are tight, there are no do-overs. One strike and you’re out. An Execution Framework such as a stage/gate or Scaled Agile model gives you a way to manage carefully. It’s not something to take lightly.

(5) Failing to Optimize Game Dev Methodologies – gone are the days the company can be accommodating with “pure Agile” dogma. Now you absolutely must embrace the right hybrid blend of Agile and Waterfall to meet the needs of the business, while keeping the team engaged.

(6) Failing to Manage Operations and Support Seamlessly – it’s often the same set of people who need to support live operations as well as build the next release of the product. If you haven’t set up an Operations and Support model properly, you’ll kill the dev team’s productivity. That’s a disaster.

(7) Failing to Structure Your Org Roles Properly – sometimes org structure can be taken for granted, but roles and responsibilities always matter. If you get these even a little bit wrong, work slips between the cracks, and eventually heads roll. Make sure your org is airtight.

(8) Failing to Allocate Resources Efficiently – let’s face it, resources are scarce just now. Money is tight, headcount is dwindling. The days of massive hiring are over. You need a mechanism to ensure the critical needs are met. It’s the only way to stay in business and stay employed.

(9) Failing to Follow an Efficient Operating Model – it’s cliché to say “do more with less” – and yet, that’s exactly what’s expected of leaders across the board. Having a clear and efficient cadence and plan for how you operate across your organization is the only way to keep your sanity and produce results.

The Game Dev PMO course is the ticket to addressing these 9 critical mistakes, and to gaining an operating system for your game dev projects now and into the future. You will experience the freedom to focus on strategic goals, supported by a set of lightweight routines handling the background tasks.

In addition to solving the burning problems of the day, this is your path to becoming part of a high-performing team, where “A” players thrive and drive the success of strategic initiatives.

Who This Course Is For

Producers

For producers, this will illuminate the key operational functions you need to drive ever-larger teams and projects in your career in game development

Technical Leaders

For technical leaders, this will give you the insight and influence to direct how your teams work, and what they need to perform optimally

Operational Leaders

For operational leaders, this will organize and simplify your job by laying the groundwork for how your org needs to operate well at scale

What You'll Get Out Of This Course

√ Know how to set up a scale-appropriate PMO (Project Management Office) and Operations function within your organization
Every organization - from the brand new startup right up to the Triple-A franchise - needs to deliver results. In this course, we will use a "Maturity Model" to right-size the investment in management structure to deliver a lightweight, effective process.

√ Learn how to use Initiative Management and Roadmap Planning to guide development and delivery
The Initiative Management / Green Light Processs ensures strategically important work drives your organization's roadmap for delivery

√ Implement Change Control constructively to deliver optimal value to the organization
Responsive Change Control mechanisms enable flexibility to handle dynamic circumstances while preserving reliable, timely delivery

√ Define the right Execution Framework for structure and stability on your projects
The Execution Framework provides a vehicle for project oversight, ensuring effective planning, management, and review

√ Set up Game Development strategically to combine agility and predictability on your dev teams
Game Development functions support the best methodologies for the team, that deliver performant, quality assets and code

√ Plan your Operations and Support functions to serve your customers without undue strain on the dev team
Operations and Support elements ensure appropriate handling of maintenance, administration, and customer support - while minimizing reliance on the dev team

√ Tune your Organization Structure for clearer accountability and more efficient delivery
Organizational structure models facilitate appropriate and effective arrangement of teams, roles, and responsibilities

√ See how effective Resource Management can make efficient allocations to teams easier and faster
Resource management mechanisms ensure efficient and responsible handling of headcount, budget, and equipment

√ Ensure Team Performance and Growth functions support an upward spiral of top-grade delivery
Team performance and growth functions allow for, support, and deliver healthy, high-achieving teams and leaders

√ Learn how to set up an Operating Model to run your organization efficiently and without drama
The operating model delivers a consistent heartbeat of energy and attention throughout the organization on a healthy cadence

Course Includes

STANDARD

$697

Online Course

9 In-depth online video course modules (~8h)
Optional homework assignments
Lifetime access to all materials
Downloadable PDF lesson slides
Feedback on assignments

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ADVANCED

$997

PROFESSIONAL

$1997

Course + Tools + Advisory

Everything in ADVANCED package
Game Changer Assessment and Strategic Playbook
Live (Zoom) assessment review
3 additional live (Zoom) coaching / advisory sessions (4 total)

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100% Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee.
You can receive a full refund for up to 1 year after
purchasing the course.

Meet Your Instructor

Jason Jantzi

Founder, Managing Partner at Teach Leader Advance

Over the past 17 years, Jason worked at Electronic Arts and Epic Games, overseeing the development and delivery process for numerous releases of FIFA, Frostbite, and Fortnite - along with many other products and teams, large and small.

In 2023, he founded Tech Leader Advance with the intention of helping game dev organizations from small mobile teams right up to massive triple-A franchises deliver more efficiently and predictably, while still retaining the flexibility to respond to a creative and dynamic environment

Check his LinkedIn profile here

Testimonials

Jason has experience shipping some of the industries biggest games. Jason’s depth of experience consistently helped the team make effective decisions while respecting the values and cultures of sub teams. He understands the complexities of building teams, managing budgets, bringing organizational change while building high quality games against a tight timeline. Any advice he provides is always rooted in what really happens and not theoretical environments.

Grace Yen
Development Director, Electronic Arts

Jason has vast experience in interfacing with teams of many sizes and the ability to adapt to the current needs of an organization. I have been impressed in how Jason can identify weak links in process and quickly help teams address these issues, all the while working with other stakeholders, to implement sustainable solutions.

Brett Bourbin
Director of Engineering, Electronic Arts

Jason is very knowledgeable about the gaming industry and the processes used in game development. I found him easy to work with: he is professional and personable, and could readily advise on both people and technical topics.

Eugene van der Meulen
Sr. Director of Operations, Electronic Arts

Jason is a deep thinker and brings broad experience to issues and challenges. He listens, probes, asks questions and has a genuine desire to make things better at individual, team and organisational levels.

Harvey Wheaton
Senior Director, Epic Games

Jason possesses a remarkable depth of knowledge and experience in managing teams of varying sizes, demonstrating a rare understanding of the human element within the professional realm. His adeptness at navigating the intricacies and challenges inherent in leading large, highly technical teams is truly commendable.

Daniel Martin
Director of Engineering, Electronic Arts

Course Modules