Empowerment — unlock the full potential of your team

What the talk is about

Pylyp Dziuba explains how a new studio built its development process around empowerment: people get freedom and responsibility for results rather than detailed task lists. This is not delegation but giving a team the means to reach a goal. The team first shaped the game vision together with key specialists, producing a game concept, an art bible and a technical vision. Rules are transparent and can change, but everyone must be told. The framework is based on SAFe: two-week sprints, releases of two to three sprints, milestones of two to three months, whole-studio planning around goals, release demos, feedback sessions and retrospectives. He also covers training, assigning decision areas to directors, and hiring people who play games. The approach does not suit every studio, for example one led by a single visionary. Useful for team leads and managers.