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Production Health Check

Find out what is really slowing delivery down, and what to do about it.

When delivery keeps slipping, almost everyone in the studio has a theory about why. A Health Check gives you an independent view of what is actually getting in the way. You get a short report for leadership, a detailed findings report for the people doing the work and a debrief to agree what happens next.

Book a free discovery call

Free · 30 minutes · for new clients

The seven-stage production fire loop, with a Panda highlighting the break point: make demand visible before commitment. Full text follows.

Production Health Check Remote review

£1,250 fixed fee

Includes the review, both reports and a 60-minute debrief. Anything that follows is quoted separately.

Book a free discovery call Request the Health Check

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Reports
Two, linked
Review session
60 minutes
Reports arrive after the review session
Within 5 working days
Debrief session
60 minutes
The production fire loop

Why production gets stuck

The production fire loop

When the same pressure comes back every milestone, the cause is usually the system rather than the people. A Health Check helps you see the pattern early enough to do something about it.

The seven-stage production fire loop, with a Panda highlighting the break point: make demand visible before commitment. Full text follows.
View the full-size infographic
Read the production fire loop
  1. Work enters through visible and invisible routes. Formal plans, urgent requests, small fixes and exploratory work all compete for capacity.
  2. True load and dependencies remain unclear. The system cannot see enough early enough.
  3. Teams overcommit and context-switch. Everything appears possible because the trade-off is hidden.
  4. Problems surface when options are limited. Missing context, late changes and unclear ownership become expensive.
  5. Downstream teams absorb the surprise. Quality, release and customer-facing teams compensate.
  6. Improvement work is deferred. Bugs, tooling, automation and debt lose capacity.
  7. Firefighting consumes the next cycle. The same conditions are recreated with less confidence.

Heroics keep delivery moving - and keep the system dependent on heroics.

Break point: make demand visible before commitment.

We map how work really enters and moves - including informal routes - so teams can break the cycle before pressure reaches delivery and release.

What the review examines

We look at how the work actually moves.

Status reports tell you where things are meant to be. The review looks at how your risks and bottlenecks connect to the way the team plans, talks and makes decisions.

Flow & bottlenecks

Where is work slowing down?

Workflow friction, delivery pressure and the bottlenecks affecting progress.

Risks & dependencies

What could disrupt delivery?

Key risks, dependencies and priorities as a milestone approaches.

Ownership & communication

Where is responsibility unclear?

Ownership gaps, communication issues and the visibility leaders need to make decisions.

Planning & operating rhythm

Does the process support the work?

How planning, review and day-to-day production habits help or hinder delivery.

How it works

Four steps, from first call to agreed next steps.

  1. Discovery call (free, 30 minutes)

    Check the fit and agree which production decision the review should help with.

  2. Focused review (60 minutes)

    We read the material you send, then hold one discussion with the people you choose.

  3. Two reports

    An Executive Findings Report for leadership, linked to a detailed Production Findings & Recommendations Report. We say clearly what the evidence shows and what is still a hypothesis.

  4. Findings debrief (60 minutes)

    Agree which decisions or further checks would help most. Implementation isn't included.

Joe Stevens, Co-Founder and COO at Red Rover Interactive.

Joe Stevens

Practical problem-solving

“Liam will hunt it down and come armed with practical solutions.”
Joe StevensCo-Founder & COO, Red Rover Interactive
Read Joe’s full testimonial

What you receive

Two reports that work together.

Need a different kind of help?

Who it helps

Production and development directors, executive producers, studio heads and producers making the case for outside help.

Clear limits, so you know what you’re buying.

It isn't a full audit of the whole organisation. There are no extra interviews beyond the review session. We don't promise savings or particular outcomes. If you want help putting things right afterwards, we quote that separately.

Ask your studio to fund this

Need approval first? Answer a few questions in Ask the Production Panda. It turns your answers into a short request that describes your studio’s situation, ready to send to whoever holds the budget.

Write my request with Ask the Production Panda →
Rather write it yourself? Start from this note and fill in the brackets.

I’d like approval for a £1,250 Production Health Check from Game Production Academy. It would look at [specific production concern] through a focused evidence review and one stakeholder discussion. We would receive a concise leadership report and a supporting production findings report with recommended actions, followed by a debrief. I would use the results to support [decision]. The fee does not include wider implementation. Could we approve the review?