The UK is now in its second lockdown, and although students are able to continue with college and university courses, we want to make sure that you remain safe throughout this period. As such, we have created this simple guide to help you during the game jam. It is important that you follow the government guidelines.
Maintain Regular Hours
Set a schedule, and stick to it...most of the time. Having clear guidelines for when to work and when to call it a day helps many remote workers both physically and mentally.
Schedule Breaks
Give yourself adequate time during the day to walk away from the computer screen and phone. A lunch hour and two 15-minute breaks.
Use your mentor
Each team will be assigned a mentor who can help guide you through this experience. Make sure to get in contact with your mentor to discuss and schedule time periods in which they are available to have a call with you and your team.
Morning brief
Having a call in the morning with your team can help to align workloads. It also provides time for team members to discuss any issues they feel they may face, or to ask for help on a particular part of the project.
Plan ahead
When working in a team remotely, it is imperative that you set out a plan so that each team member knows exactly what they are expected to do and for when. This can be a simple list of tasks that need completing with an assigned team member next to each one.
There are also various tools that are available to use for free:
- Trello
- Asana
- Jira
- Proofhub
Check out more here.
File storage and sharing
If the team are working entirely remotely from one another, setting up cloud storage that allows everyone to access and upload the relevant project files is vital. Here are some free cloud storage platforms:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Github
Your university or college may have a file sharing server already set up. Speak to your course leader to find out more information if you are unsure.
Communicate
It should really go without saying that you should be in regular communication with your team. If your team are working remote from one another, there are various tools you can use to keep in contact with your team members:
- Zoom
- Microsoft Team
- Discord
- Slack
As this event is only held over two days, you should aim to have regular check-ins with the team to ensure everyone is on the right path.
Evening debrief
Ending the day with a short team meeting allows you to breakdown the current status of the project and it ensures team members are able to give an update on their work. You should also use this time period to outline any needs for change or improvements to make certain the project is completed on time.
Stay Safe
