I am a software developer who makes games. I really am at my wit's end with the game because of the chaotic workflow. The workflow is getting in the way of me getting anything done properly.
Basically, whenever I think I am getting close to being finished a task I either find a bug in the customer's server or someone gives me new art for the game (which takes time and effort to put into the game) and I need to stop where I am at and integrate their needs. Then I have to go back and start where I left off which takes time.
We can't give the customer an estimate because they keep giving us faulty servers!
I can't seem to get anywhere with this and it's driving me insane.
Another thing to add: before I went on mat leave I left the game partly finished. No one worked on it while I was away. I came back and planned to take 2 weeks off for Xmas (which is coming up). So I would only be back to work for 8 weeks until XMas break. I wanted to get the game finished but now it looks like I won't be able to before I go on vacation and the project manager is annoyed. They don't have a right to be when they didn't give me a hard deadline in the first place. The project manager is only adding to the chaos by adding more feedback into the game. The feedback he is giving should have been done MONTHS ago.
How would you handle this kind of thing? The project manager and the client in particular. The artists just do what they are told.