How to Deal with Quiet Times as a Producer

Production IS a service role. So sometimes you are waiting around for things to happen. It really is natural. Definitely don’t feel guilty.

Remember that at other times Production will have to work extra hours to prep for something. e.g. the end of a sprint/milestone/epic/whatever and start of the next one. So your hours are possibly balancing out in the big picture.

Quiet periods are likely to be when everyone else is most productive with their heads down getting things done. It’s a sign that YOU are doing a good job as a producer.

Pat yourself on the back.

And then if you want to, here are EIGHT different things you could do:

1. Relax! Go for a walk outside, bake, do something you find very calming that doesn’t take up much of your brain. If you must, think about some problem you have to see if something new pops up.
2. Groom backlogs. Check old tasks and bugs. Remove ones that don’t make any sense. Re-prioritise others. Add timelines based on your instinct or research similar completed items.
3. Check your risk register.
   • If you don’t have one, think about all the things you’re freaking out about. And put it into a database that tracks likelihood and impact. Example risk register.
   • Risk registers can be for the entire team to see or just for you, if your fears aren’t ready for everyone else.
   • Once you have a risk register, quite times are good chances to check it to consider if your risks are still risky.
4. Play your game. Or play a similar game. From that you’ll probably find more risks to add to your register.
5. Audit processes. Think on all your current processes, consider whether there is room for improvement and whether that’s worth the effort to get that improvement.
6. Organise documentation. Mark old docs as “ARCHIVED” and group docs into folders.
7. Do research about production and tools.
   1. Read a production book (e.g. “A Playful Production Process”)
   2. Read other books like conflict management, leadership or more.
   3. Play with different software or other tools.
   4. Watch past issues of this video blog!
8. Talk to your mentor. Let them know what’s been going well and talk to them about problems you see on the horizon. Get a mentor if you don’t have one.

Remember: This is general advice and it might not be right for you and your team, even if you’re the one who wrote in the question! For me to help better, it needs to be a dialog between me, and you, and your entire team. You can hire me to consult for you —> jennsand.com