Report On Developing Mobile Games For AnimeCoup Pty Ltd
Importance of Developing Mobile Games for AnimeCoup Pty Ltd
Risk Management Planning & Processes: Potential Risks
There are several risks that may come up during the project timeline. There may be certain changes requested by the project client or there may be changes in technology that may lead to the issues of schedule or budget overrun. The information present within the game may be exposed to security risks and attacks, such as malware attacks, man in the middle attacks, data breaches, and likewise. Market risks may also come up due to market inflations having an impact on customer expectations and demands. There may be issues with the technical tools as there may be technical faults or failures (Peixoto, Tereso, Fernandes & Almeida, 2014). Quality risks and operational errors may also be witnessed.
The risks have been rated on probability and impact scores on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 indicates lowest value and 5 indicates highest value. The risk rank is determined by multiplying the risk probability and risk impact scores (Serpella, Ferrada, Howard & Rubio, 2014). The risks with values 20 or above are high priority and severity risks, 10-20 and medium risks, and below 10 are low level risks.
|
Risk Name |
Probability Score |
Impact Score |
Risk Rank |
|
Schedule/Budget Overrun |
4 |
5 |
20 |
|
Security Risks |
5 |
5 |
25 |
|
Market Risks |
3 |
4 |
12 |
|
Technical faults and failures |
3 |
3 |
9 |
|
Quality Risks |
1 |
5 |
5 |
|
Operational Errors |
4 |
3 |
12 |
There are two high rated risks that have been identified as schedule/budget overrun and security risks.
The mitigation plan for schedule and budget overrun risk shall include the conduction of project reviews and tracking of project progress by the Project Manager and the senior management involved. The reviews and audits will identify the gaps and areas for improvement that may be made. There shall also be a defined change management plan that will be required to be followed so that the changes approved for the project do not impact the existing schedule and budget (Carbone & Tippett, 2004).
The security risks will be required to be mitigated and it will be possible to be done through the use and implementation of administrative, technical, and physical security controls. The use of tools, such as firewalls, anti-malware tools, intrusion detection systems, anti-denial tools, etc. will be required to be done. Advanced authentication and access control system along with the use of data encryption for all the data sets associated with the game must be done to prevent, detect, control, and mitigate the security risks and attacks.
Required Software Tools and Technologies
- Unreal Engine 4 – It is the next version of Unreal Development Kit that will be used as a primary tool for designing and developing the game
- MongoDB as the NoSQL database for the game for the storage of the game data and information over the cloud
- TestLink and Selenium for manual and automation testing of the game that will be developed
- Microsoft project for development and tracking of the project schedule
- Microsoft Office for designing the project presentations and reports
Pricing and Availability of Software & Hardware Components
Unreal Engine 4 comes with a subscription of $19 per month. The schedule of the project is 3 months so total price associated with the tool will be $57 for 3 months (Unrealengine, 2018).
Operational Changes Introduced and Objectives to be Met
MS Project and Microsoft Office will come at a price of $590 and $70 respectively. The cost of hardware viz. computer systems, Smartphones, tele-conferencing tools, networking peripherals, and database servers will come out to be $10,000. The open-source version of the rest of the software may be used to carry out the project requirements.
|
Proprietary Software |
Open Source Software |
|
There is a fee associated with the software |
It is open-source i.e. comes without any cost |
|
It is purchased without the source code |
It is purchased along with the source code |
|
It is not possible to modify the software |
The software can be modified up to an extent |
|
The installation and configuration activities will be successful and accomplished only when a license will be available (Singh, Bansal & Jha, 2015) |
The installation and configuration activities can be carried out without a license |
|
Vendor takes up the responsibility if anything goes wrong with the software |
No one is responsible for the software |
Data Protection & Privacy Laws, Gambling legislation, Intellectual Property Rights, age ratings and classification on the game
Online Collaborative Development Platform
Unreal Engine 4 is the online collaborative development platform that shall be used in this case. It is the next version of Unreal Development Kit that will be used as a primary tool for designing and developing the game. Unreal Engine 4 comes with a subscription of $19 per month. The schedule of the project is 3 months so total price associated with the tool will be $57 for 3 months.
Use of Online Platform for Improved Sustainability
Sustainability of the project will improve with the use of online platform as all of the activities will be carried out using a central repository. There will be no issues with the accessibility and availability of the platform leading to enhancement of sustainability.
Effective Personnel Communication
Personnel will communicate with each other in daily team meetings during the entire project timeline. There will be an internal communication channel that will be developed for sharing of emails and instant messages. SharePoint access will also be provided to the personnel to upload the files and documents in a secure manner and share the same.
Use of Gantt chart and other Project Management Tools
There are several project management tools that have been developed. One such tool is Gantt chart. It is the graphical representation of the project schedule in the form of a timeline. The tool will be used in this project to display the project schedule, its critical path, resources allocated to each of the project activities and the activities completed/pending in the project. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) will be the other tool that will be used to represent the project tasks and activities in a hierarchical manner. The activities will be represented in the form of packages and sub-packages located across different levels (Geraldi & Lechter, 2012).
Use of Microsoft Project or its Equivalent
There are several tools that have been developed which may be used for development of the project schedule and Gantt chart. The tool that will be used in this case is Microsoft Project. It is a tool that will be used to display the project schedule, its critical path, resources allocated to each of the project activities and the activities completed/pending in the project. The schedule will be created in the tool and it will be possible to view the network diagram, PERT chart, tracking Gantt chart etc. using the same. The gaps in the actual and estimated schedule will also be obtained.
Government Bodies
Functional and Non-functional Requirements, and Hardware, Software, Communication Requirements
Ministry of Communications and Arts, Australia monitors the online and web-based games along with the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Industry Associations
AnimeCoup Pty Ltd along with the partner agencies and the internal and external stakeholders will be involved.
Strategic Objectives
The project will be important for AnimeCoup Pty Ltd as there is a lot of scope in the gaming industry in the current times with the development of multi-dimensional graphics, rich audio and video content, and collaborated technologies. The development of the game will provide the company with a competitive edge in the market to deal with the competition. As a result, the customer base will also grow up and the customer engagement for the company will improve. The resources engaged with the company will be able to gain positive results and will be able to succeed in their professional tasks and commitments (Amengual Alcover, Jaume-i-Capo & Moya-Alcover, 2018).
There will be operational changes that will be introduced with the project and the project resources will be required to adhere with these changes. The use of Unreal Engine 4 will be done for the first time and it would be required for the team to gain practical hands-on experience and operational training on the tool. The game development will be done using agile as the development methodology which will make use of agile frameworks and tools. The operational training and adaptation to the changes will be required to make sure that the project goals can be achieved.
Functional Requirements
- Secure login and session management functionality for the users along with the option to register for the game
- Social media integration to post score and share updates using the social media account
- Start a new game or continue from the previous game
- Score management and level management
- Leadership board
- Exit from the game
- Setting to control music, volume, and theme (Wi, 2008)
Non-Functional Requirements
- Performance: Response time and throughout time shall be minimal
- Security: Protection from security risks and attacks
- Availability: Non-stop
- Reliability: Extraction of real-time and valid information
- Scalability: Ability to scale up or down
- Usability: Functional requirements shall be met
Hardware & Software Requirements
- Unreal Engine 4 – It is the next version of Unreal Development Kit that will be used as a primary tool for designing and developing the game
- MongoDB as the NoSQL database for the game for the storage of the game data and information over the cloud
- TestLink and Selenium for manual and automation testing of the game that will be developed
- Microsoft project for development and tracking of the project schedule
- Microsoft Office for designing the project presentations and reports
- Computer systems, Smartphones, tele-conferencing tools, networking peripherals, and database servers
Output & Deliverables
- Working Product: The project will be carried out in sprints and at the end of the sprint a working product shall be released for user acceptance testing and feedback.
- Final Product: The final release will be in the form of the gaming software with all the requirements integrated.
- Progress Reports: The project client will be provided with the progress reports on a weekly basis.
- Project Plan: A detailed description of the project activities, approach, schedule, budget, resources, communication, risks, quality, and procurement management.
- Closure Report: The final deliverable for the project will be the completion report.
Ministry of Communications and Arts, Australia monitors the online and web-based games along with the Australian Communications and Media Authority. AnimeCoup Pty Ltd along with the partner agencies and the internal and external stakeholders will be involved (Wilson, 2018).
The following standards and parameters will be considered during the development of the game:
- Real-money gaming shall be allowed only when there are permissions and licenses available to allow the same.
- Any of the content that may hurt the cultural, religious, or social sentiments of any individual shall not be included.
- The game shall have an age rating while being posted on the gaming marketplaces, such as Google Play Store and App Store.
- In-app purchases must not involve real-money gaming without the licenses.
- None of the components shall use or promote pornography
|
Risk Name |
Probability Score |
Impact Score |
Risk Rank |
|
Schedule/Budget Overrun |
4 |
5 |
20 |
|
Security Risks |
5 |
5 |
25 |
|
Market Risks |
3 |
4 |
12 |
|
Technical faults and failures |
3 |
3 |
9 |
|
Quality Risks |
1 |
5 |
5 |
|
Operational Errors |
4 |
3 |
12 |
The mitigation plan for schedule and budget overrun risk shall include the conduction of project reviews and tracking of project progress by the Project Manager and the senior management involved. The reviews and audits will identify the gaps and areas for improvement that may be made. There shall also be a defined change management plan that will be required to be followed so that the changes approved for the project do not impact the existing schedule and budget (Gentile, 2011).
The security risks will be required to be mitigated and it will be possible to be done through the use and implementation of administrative, technical, and physical security controls. The use of tools, such as firewalls, anti-malware tools, intrusion detection systems, anti-denial tools, etc. will be required to be done. Advanced authentication and access control system along with the use of data encryption for all the data sets associated with the game must be done to prevent, detect, control, and mitigate the security risks and attacks.
Terms & References
Expected Outputs, Associated Training and Supports, and Expected Delivery Methods
Gantt chart: Tool for schedule estimation and tracking
Unreal Engine 4: Tool for game development
The total budget allocated for the project is $500K. The budget estimation shall be done using bottom-up estimation as the technique.
Unreal Engine 4 comes with a subscription of $19 per month. The schedule of the project is 3 months so total price associated with the tool will be $57 for 3 months. MS Project and Microsoft Office will come at a price of $590 and $70 respectively. The cost of hardware viz. computer systems, Smartphones, tele-conferencing tools, networking peripherals, and database servers will come out to be $10,000.
There will be cost of resources, design & development costs, testing costs, training costs, implementation costs, and maintenance costs involved.
- Software Development Skills: Programming and software development skills will be needed for the development and deployment of the game.
- Game Design & UI skills: These skills will be used to design the game with maximum user interaction and responsiveness.
- Graphic Designing Skills: These skills will be used to enhance the graphics and visual appeal of the game.
- Marketing skills: The game will be marketed on the social media and other channels to earn enhanced customer base.
- Management and leadership skills: These skills will be used by the Project Manager to manage and lead the project.
The human resources will be required in the project as software developers, games designer, graphic designer, marketing associate, and Project Manager.
The software and hardware required for the project are as listed below.
- Unreal Engine 4 – It is the next version of Unreal Development Kit that will be used as a primary tool for designing and developing the game (Aleem, Capretz & Ahmed, 2016)
- MongoDB as the NoSQL database for the game for the storage of the game data and information over the cloud
- TestLink and Selenium for manual and automation testing of the game that will be developed
- Microsoft project for development and tracking of the project schedule
- Microsoft Office for designing the project presentations and reports
- Computer systems, Smartphones, tele-conferencing tools, networking peripherals, and database servers
The total timeframe allocated for the project is 3 months. The project activities will be carried out in sprints and there will be phased that will be used to manage the project activities. These phases will include initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure.
The communication with the clients and sub-contractors will be done weekly and the initiation and facilitation will be carried out by the Project Manager. The manager will send out the invitations for the weekly meeting to the client and sub-contractors in advance and there will be a tele-conferencing medium that will be used to connect the entities on one platform. The notes of the meeting will be shared using the SharePoint location and all of the other information will be circulated through emails (Zulch, 2014).
Communication Matrix
|
Communication/Report Type |
Frequency and Mode |
Resource Responsible |
|
Meeting |
Weekly, tele-conferencing bridge |
Project Manager |
|
Progress Report |
Weekly, SharePoint Location |
Project Manager |
|
Project Risks & defect report |
Weekly, SharePoint Location |
Project Manager |
|
Closure Report |
At the end, SharePoint location |
Project Manager |
Roles & Responsibilities
- Software Developer: Programming and software development skills will be needed for the development and deployment of the game and the resource will carry out game development and unit testing.
- Game Designer: Game designing skills will be used to design the game with maximum user interaction and responsiveness.
- Graphic Designer: The skills will be used to enhance the graphics and visual appeal of the game.
- Marketing Associate: The game will be marketed on the social media and other channels to earn enhanced customer base by the resource.
- Project Manager: The management and leadership skills will be used by the Project Manager to manage and lead the project.
RACI Matrix
|
Project Activity |
Software Developer |
Games Designer |
Graphics Designer |
Marketing Associate |
Project Manager |
|
Project Planning & Initiation |
C |
C |
C |
I |
R, A |
|
Requirements Analysis |
C, I |
I |
I |
I |
R, A |
|
Source code development |
R, A |
C |
C |
I |
I |
|
Unit testing |
R, A |
C |
C |
I |
I |
|
Game Designing |
C |
R, A |
R, A |
I |
I |
|
Implementation & Deployment |
R, A |
R, A |
R, A |
I |
C |
|
Testing of the Game |
R, A |
R, A |
R, A |
I |
C |
|
Marketing of the Game |
I |
I |
I |
R, A |
C |
|
Closure Activities |
C |
C |
C |
I |
R, A |
The communication with the project team members will be done daily and the initiation and facilitation will be carried out by the Project Manager. The manager will send out the invitations for the weekly meeting to the team members in advance and there will be a meeting room and tele-conferencing medium that will be used to connect the entities on one platform. The notes of the meeting will be shared using the SharePoint location and all of the other information will be circulated through emails.
|
Communication/Report Type |
Frequency and Mode |
Resource Responsible |
|
Meeting |
Daily, meeting room & tele-conferencing bridge |
Project Manager |
|
Progress Report |
Daily, SharePoint Location |
Project Manager |
|
Project Risks & defect report |
Weekly, SharePoint Location |
Project Manager |
|
Closure Report |
At the end, SharePoint location |
Project Manager |
Summary of Project Management Tools and Methodologies
The project will be developed using the methodology as agile methodology for system development. Under this methodology, the project activities will be carried out in sprints. There will be six sprints that will be involved and will be executed to carry out the project tasks. The project requirements will be divided in the sets and sub-sets which will be allocated as a working set for a sprint (M.M.Safwan, G., N., Senduran & D. Manawadu, 2013).
Relevant Authorities and Legislation for the Games Industry
The management methodology that will be used for the project will be Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK). The project will involve five phases as initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure. There are several project management tools that have been developed. One such tool is Gantt chart. It is the graphical representation of the project schedule in the form of a timeline. The tool will be used in this project to display the project schedule, its critical path, resources allocated to each of the project activities and the activities completed/pending in the project. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) will be the other tool that will be used to represent the project tasks and activities in a hierarchical manner. The activities will be represented in the form of packages and sub-packages located across different levels.
- 360 degree feedback: Each of the project team members will receive a feedback from the peers, seniors, manager, and clients. The feedback will be analysed to measure the performance.
- Absenteeism Rate: The working hours of the resource will determine the performance of the resource in the project.
- Manager’s rating: The project manager will assess the goals of the team member and will provide a rating.
The project activities will be controlled using certain control steps. The schedule and budget will be controlled using Earned Value Analysis (EVA) as the approach. In this approach, the gaps between the actual and estimated values of budget and schedule will be determined to make sure that the project is on-track.
There will also be reviews and audits that will be conducted during the project timeline to ensure that none of the deviations take place.
The performance of the resources will be assessed using certain indicators as 360 degree feedback, absenteeism rate, and manager’s rating. The Project Manager will also conduct one on one discussion with the resources to make sure that any of the issues are resolved immediately.
The conflict resolution approach will be followed in the project in which the conflicts will be discussed during the team meetings. The perspective of all the parties will be put forward and the decision will be made by the Project Manager.
Checklist to Verify and Validate the Project
- Requirements Completion Evaluation Checklist: The checklist will be used to make sure that all of the project requirements have been fulfilled and are completed to declare the project as finished.
- Project Evaluation Checklist: The project will be evaluated on the aspects as project schedule, project budget, project quality, and project resources to make sure that all of the components are on track.
The handover of the project will be done after a final round of review and user acceptance testing. It will be necessary to make sure that the feedback and comments in the review process and testing activities are positive. The project will then be provided to the end-users and the project client.
There will be a debrief session that will be arranged for the project client and the staff members of the client. The basic functionality of the game and the common points of errors will be discussed and informed in this session. It will be a training and induction for the members of the staff and will enhance the usability levels.
Risk Analysis and Mitigation Plan
There will be several reviews that will be done in the project. These reviews will be initially done internally by every project resources for their respective set of activities. For example, the software developer will review the source code for its correctness and likewise. The Project Manager will then review the project deliverables and will hand them over to the sponsor and client. The client will review these deliverables and the final review will be done by the end-users.
The improvements will be made as per the comments received in each of the review processes.
Organisations Improvements – Process Changes
There are a few organizational changes that shall be made to enhance the quality of the processes carried out.
The first change shall be the use of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) approach so that the organization spends lesser on the devices used for testing and validation activities. The second is the deployment of biometric recognition on the entry and exit gates for enhanced access control and identity management.
Lessons Learned
- Sustainability of the project will improve with the use of online platform as all of the activities will be carried out using a central repository. There will be no issues with the accessibility and availability of the platform leading to enhancement of sustainability.
- Microsoft Project is a tool that will be used to display the project schedule, its critical path, resources allocated to each of the project activities and the activities completed/pending in the project. The schedule will be created in the tool and it will be possible to view the network diagram, PERT chart, tracking Gantt chart etc. using the same (Rhodes & Dawson, 2013).
- The project was developed using the methodology as agile methodology for system development. Under this methodology, the project activities are carried out in sprints. There were six sprints that were involved and were executed to carry out the project tasks. The project requirements were divided in the sets and sub-sets which were allocated as a working set for a sprint.
- The management methodology that was used for the project was Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK). The project involved five phases as initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure.
User acceptance testing was carried out by the customers and end-users on the application provided to them. The testing results showed positive comments and feedbacks with certain cosmetic issues that could be improved upon.
The senior management also reviewed the game and came up with positive feedback.
References
Aleem, S., Capretz, L., & Ahmed, F. (2016). Game development software engineering process life cycle: a systematic review. Journal Of Software Engineering Research And Development, 4(1). doi: 10.1186/s40411-016-0032-7
Amengual Alcover, E., Jaume-i-Capo, A., & Moya-Alcover, B. (2018). PROGame: A process framework for serious game development for motor rehabilitation therapy. PLOS ONE, 13(5), e0197383. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197383
Carbone, T., & Tippett, D. (2004). Project Risk Management Using the Project Risk FMEA. Engineering Management Journal, 16(4), 28-35. doi: 10.1080/10429247.2004.11415263
Gentile, D. (2011). The Multiple Dimensions of Video Game Effects. Child Development Perspectives, 5(2), 75-81. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00159.x
Geraldi, J., & Lechter, T. (2012). Gantt charts revisited. International Journal Of Managing Projects In Business, 5(4), 578-594. doi: 10.1108/17538371211268889
M.M.Safwan, M., G., T., N., V., Senduran, K., & D. Manawadu, C. (2013). An Empirical Study of Agile Software Development Methodologies: A Sri Lankan PerspectiveAn Empirical Study of Agile Software Development Methodologies: A Sri Lankan Perspective. International Journal Of Computer Applications, 84(8), 1-7. doi: 10.5120/14593-2832
Peixoto, J., Tereso, A., Fernandes, G., & Almeida, R. (2014). Project Risk Management Methodology: A Case Study of an Electric Energy Organization. Procedia Technology, 16, 1096-1105. doi: 10.1016/j.protcy.2014.10.124
Rhodes, L., & Dawson, R. (2013). Lessons Learned from Lessons Learned. Knowledge And Process Management, 20(3), 154-160. doi: 10.1002/kpm.1415
Serpella, A., Ferrada, X., Howard, R., & Rubio, L. (2014). Risk Management in Construction Projects: A Knowledge-based Approach. Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, 119, 653-662. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.073
Singh, A., Bansal, R., & Jha, N. (2015). Open Source Software vs Proprietary Software. International Journal Of Computer Applications, 114(18), 26-31. doi: 10.5120/20080-2132
Unrealengine. (2018). What is Unreal Engine 4. Retrieved from https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/what-is-unreal-engine-4
Wi, J. (2008). Management of an Online Game Development Project. Annals Of Business Administrative Science, 7(0), 33-44. doi: 10.7880/abas.7.33
Wilson, R. (2018). Australia’s missed $3.7 billion opportunity. Retrieved from https://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/gaming/lack-of-government-support-is-holding-australian-gamesmaking-back-from-world-stage/news-story/d131b542e8e7c2b393fe27f8ecdc1e77
Zulch, B. (2014). Leadership Communication in Project Management. Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, 119, 172-181. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.021