Hey there! This is an old version, please go here to use the updated version:
https://www.notion.so/mvavz/FIRM-V2-2c76c58dddeb80ce93b4e01082294ad2
This version will be deleted after March 1st
A minimalist studio management framework for indies, with implementation instructions.
If you share this, please share the sign-up page: https://www.martijnvanzwieten.com/firm 🙏
“You do not rise to the level of your ambitions. You fall to the level of your systems.” —James Clear
After more than 15 years in the games industry, I've come to believe that most indie studios are more like project groups than they are companies.
You’re a small group of likeminded individuals, all that matters is that the game gets finished, and you really don’t have to bother with most of the additional management hassle that comes with running a more fully fledged company.
I still think that’s mostly true, but I also think there are a best practices that indie devs can borrow from the world of management to increase their odds of long-term success.
After all, you still need to have a shared understanding of where you’re going, what you’re doing to get there, and solve problems along the way. These things are bigger than the game you’re working on, and they still need to be managed.
The easiest way to do so is to use the FIRM framework, which will let you run your company in less than 90 minutes per week using just two one-page documents.