A Maturity Matrix for Game Development

A few years ago, I wrote about using a Maturity Matrix to assess software engineering teams. The idea was simple - what does a great team look like, and how honestly can you measure yourself against that picture?Since then, I've moved into the gaming industry. Anyone who has taken the leap from traditional software development and into game development knows how different it is. Reusing the old matrix just wouldn't work.I know what some of you are already thinking - games are creative work, not an assembly line, and a maturity matrix sounds like corporate process creeping into art. I'd have said the same thing a couple of years ago. But the crunch numbers, the missed cert dates, and the launch-week crashes tell a different story. Creativity doesn't suffer because a team has good practices. It suffers when nobody has time to be creative because they're firefighting.So here's the matrix I actually use now - rebuilt from scratch, with the lens I wish I'd had on day one.What is a Maturity…