# [Ep589] The One Skill Holding Back Indie Game Devs

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/game-dev-podcast-coffee-with-butterscotch-46606/ep589-the-one-skill-holding-back-indie-game-devs
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/game-dev-podcast-coffee-with-butterscotch-46606/ep589-the-one-skill-holding-back-indie-game-devs.md
Podcast: [Game Dev Podcast | Coffee with Butterscotch](https://stenobird.com/podcast/game-dev-podcast-coffee-with-butterscotch-46606)
Published: 2026-09-09T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/38adfcc3
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/38adfcc3/ac68af53.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/game-dev-podcast-coffee-with-butterscotch-46606/episodes/ep589-the-one-skill-holding-back-indie-game-devs
Duration seconds: 4024

## Resource

In episode 589 of 'Coffee with Butterscotch,' the brothers make the case that understanding your own workflow might be the most underrated skill in game development. They dig into how invisible bottlenecks and unchecked error rates quietly drain productivity, why most studio problems trace back to work that nobody can see, and what it actually looks like to map, measure, and improve the way your team gets things done. "How Many Dudes?": https://howmanydudes.com Stress-Free Game Development GDC Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9HRzE7_2Xc The Phoenix Project: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988262592 The DevOps Handbook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09G2GS39R 00:00 Cold Open 00:38 Introduction and Welcome 02:16 Understanding Workflows in Game Development 05:34 The Importance of Managing Workflows 08:24 The Role of Bottlenecks in Development 11:22 Defining Workflows and Their Impact 14:24 Identifying Errors and Waste in Workflows 17:15 Improving Quality of Life in Workflows 20:22 Personalizing Workflow Solutions 22:24 Understanding Error Rates and Workflow Efficiency 26:14 Chaining Problems Together in Workflows 32:04 Making Work Visible for Better Workflow 36:15 The Importance of Documentation and Communication 40:26 From Pre-Production to Production: Establishing Processes 48:13 Iterative Improvement in Game Development 01:00:28 Managing Team Growth and Complexity Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coffeewithbutterscotch Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/1LxNEnk Chat with us on Discord: https://discord.gg/bscotch Support the podcast: https://moneygrab.bscotch.net Looking for help making and publishing your own games? Check out LudoKit, the web service we're building to help us with our own games: https://ludokit.com ★ Support this podcast ★

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