Column #216: "The Final Frontier"

[DanQ]

The Column has returned. The two-hundred-and-sixteenth article is written by Rasbelin, Stella Polaris' Development Team Manager. Entitled "The Final Frontier", Rasbelin talks at length about the SP project.

Comments etc. on this article are welcome in the related forum thread. Archives of previously published articles in The Column series can be accessed by clicking here. If you previously submitted an article for The Column and it has a) not yet been published and b) you have not received a response rejecting the piece outright, please re-submit it. On behalf of the Apolyton CS staff and administration, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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Dan; Apolyton CS

[Rasbelin]

Just correcting that Blake is the Project Manager, while I'm SPDT Manager. The old information must have slipped through as the text was written in August. But nice to see the text finally published.

[MarkG]

what's the DT in the SPDT?

[DrSpike]

Just one of the things he had to do to get the job.

[Rasbelin]

Markos,

SPDT - Stella Polaris Development Team, so DT stands for development team.

Spikey,

[MarkG]

ok i now i have to ask
what's the difference betwen the Development Team Manager and the Project Manager?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

The Project Manager gets to use the mug with the unbroken handle.

[Rasbelin]

/me gets worried for his mugs because of Laz's comment.



All 2 mugs were still in good shape.

[Rasbelin]

Originally posted by MarkG
ok i now i have to ask
what's the difference betwen the Development Team Manager and the Project Manager?

The Project Manager is in charge for the whole project and is responsible for the content, while the SPDT Manager is leading the team of developers and is in charge for the development work. However I also handle other issues as Community and PR Manager. As Blake is absent, I'm now doing everything related to the project administration.

[FrustratedPoet]

What is there to the project besides the development of the game?

What things are Blake's responsibilities (when he's around) that you don't get involved in?

[Rasbelin]

Maintaining and developing the Stella Polaris community is also something which is a part of the work. Especially when the 1.0 version has been published and MP playing of StP becomes more popular.

Blake has been more into the content of the game and being in charge for co-ordinating the overall design of the game. I'm keeping the machinery working.

[FrustratedPoet]

OK, that makes sense.

[MarkG]

ok, to close this line of silly questions, why is the Project Manager called a Project Manager and not SPP Manager?

[Rasbelin]

Silly questions? The old saying says that no questions are silly.

It's SPDT Manager because it refers directly to the SPDT and not a development team in general, so that's why it's the only title that has the letters SP included. It would just get more confusing if everyone would be something SP as the full titles are anyway be SPDT, Project Manager; SPDT, Helpmate or SPDT, Director. So that's why it's not SPP Manager.

But I want to point out that it's really not a strict hierarchy as e.g. I'm more of an all-hands-person; starting with the website, replying to work applications from SourceForge and ending up in something like running a BNT game for the StP community.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Rasbelin
It's SPDT Manager because it refers directly to the SPDT and not a development team in general, so that's why it's the only title that has the letters SP included.

Well doesn't the term project manager relate specifically to SP also, and not project manager in general? You are digging yourself in deeper and deeper Rasbey