Run studio-wide problems through one visible backlog and a repeatable Identify–Discuss–Solve (IDS) process. This keeps team tension, stalled publishing decisions and doubts about a game’s core loop from becoming permanent background noise. The approach is outlined in Online Tech Guru’s article updated 14 October 2026.
What counts as a studio issue?
A studio issue is a problem that affects the organisation but does not fit neatly into an ordinary development ticket. Examples include conflict between disciplines that is slowing work, a publishing deal that has stalled with no clear owner, or uncertainty about whether the game’s core loop is delivering the intended experience.
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These problems persist because they cross roles, have no obvious owner and rarely have a dedicated meeting. Treating them as informal complaints or private notes makes them easy to lose and difficult to resolve.
Keep one shared issues backlog
Create a single, visible list separate from the game’s normal production backlog. Everyone—including leadership and marketing—must be able to add an issue they cannot solve alone.
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- Describe the observable problem, not a proposed solution.
- Record why it is blocking the studio or putting performance at risk.
- Make the list accessible to the whole team so context is not trapped in private conversations.
- Add issues as they emerge instead of waiting for a retrospective or crisis.
The backlog is not a list of every task. A bug, art asset or feature belongs in the development tracker; a disagreement about priorities, an unclear business decision or a cross-team blocker belongs here.
Build the first list with a SWOT analysis
If no issues list exists, run a team SWOT exercise. Use the results selectively:
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- Weaknesses: include weaknesses that are specific and actionable, such as unclear decision rights.
- Opportunities: capture opportunities that require a decision or coordinated action.
- Threats: record external risks the studio can actively mitigate.
- Strengths: keep them as context; they normally do not require immediate issue-solving work.
Turn each selected item into a plainly worded issue and place it in the shared backlog. Review the list whenever new information changes the urgency or scope.
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Reserve issue-solving time in every meeting
Make issue solving a standing agenda item in each regular team meeting, with time blocked on the calendar. Do not leave it until the final minutes, when routine updates have already consumed the meeting.
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At the start of the issue segment, choose the most pressing item. Work on that item until the group has a decision or a clearly assigned next step; move less urgent items to a later meeting. This cadence gives cross-functional problems a predictable home instead of encouraging ad hoc debates in chat.
Use IDS to move from problem to action
The IDS sequence is attributed to Gino Wickman’s book Traction. Its order prevents a group from arguing over remedies before it agrees on what is actually wrong.
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1. Identify
Agree on the problem beneath the symptom. Ask what is happening, who is affected and what evidence is available. As the source puts it: “Before you discuss anything, spend time making sure you’re actually solving the right problem.” For example, “the publisher is unresponsive” may turn out to be “we have not assigned one person to provide the publisher with a decision-ready build and deadline.”
2. Discuss
Bring relevant context to the table: what each person knows, what has already been tried and how different parts of the studio are affected. Hear the necessary perspectives before proposing a fix. Keep the discussion on the identified problem rather than reopening unrelated decisions.
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3. Solve
Choose a full or partial solution, define the concrete next step and assign it to one person. State what “done” means and when the owner will report back. Once ownership is clear, move to the next agenda item instead of continuing a debate that no longer changes the decision.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why IDS prevents endless debates
Unstructured conversations often mix symptoms, background and solutions in the same minute. IDS gives the group a shared order: define the problem, gather the relevant facts, then commit to action. It also exposes unresolved ownership—an issue cannot be considered solved when nobody is responsible for the next step.
| Weak implementation | IDS-based implementation |
|---|---|
| Team members keep private lists or raise problems opportunistically. | One shared backlog is visible to the entire studio. |
| Issue discussion is squeezed in after routine updates. | A standing meeting block is reserved for the highest-priority issue. |
| The group jumps straight to competing solutions. | Participants agree on the underlying problem before discussing remedies. |
| The conversation ends with general agreement but no owner. | A named owner receives a concrete next step and a follow-up point. |
A practical first session
- Run a SWOT exercise and convert actionable weaknesses, opportunities and threats into backlog entries.
- Put a recurring issue-solving block on the next team-meeting agenda.
- Select the issue with the greatest current effect on the studio.
- Run it through Identify, Discuss and Solve.
- Write the decision, owner and next checkpoint in the shared list.
Use this first session to establish the habit, not to clear the entire backlog. New issues will continue to appear; the aim is to ensure each one has a visible path to a decision.
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How this fits the studio-management sequence
In the series’ framework, purpose defines the studio’s “why,” while the BHAG and yearly goals set direction. Issue-solving is the operating practice that stops the team from getting stuck between that direction and daily work. The next FIRM pillar is presented as quarterly rocks—shorter-term priorities that can be pursued once persistent issues are being handled consistently.
About the method’s practitioner attribution
Martijn van Zwieten is described as a business and leadership coach and creator of the FIRM and LoGOS studio-management methods. Online Tech Guru reports a biographical claim of more than 150 CEOs, founders and leaders coached, attributed to van Zwieten in 2026; the article does not provide an independent methodology or denominator for that figure.
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