Initial, I assumed that making a visual novel would be a simple affair. Write the novel, incorporate some branching dialog and get an artist to make me some pictures to go along with it. However, as I was going through the assignments for the Project Management course, I began to fully understand the scope and cost that goes into creating even something as simple as a visual novel.
In the beginning I assumed that it would take no more than 6 months tops to create a finished product with everything I wanted. However, as I got to the Work Breakdown structure (WBS) I realized that it would take much longer and expanded the time for the project to 9 months. Unfortunately, reality would not have it as when I reached the Budget assignment I learned that not only would my original budget not be enough but that if I wanted to be anywhere close to within budget I had to find a way to cut back on the time required in order to save on costs as the majority of the budget went to workers pay. So, eventually I settled on a 7 month time frame.
Beyond the stated, I also learned many important aspects needed to create a successful project, such as the plethora of different leading styles and strategies I can use to appropriately lead a team, who I would need on my team, and how to get that team to how affectively and efficiently. I also learned how to create a Risk Management Plan (RMP) as well as its importance. Learning about the RMP helped me see the potential dangers I could face with my Visual novel and how I can avoid them or short of that mitigate their influence upon my visual novel.
Finally, I learned how to get my visual novel off the ground and get the funding I would need to hire potential artists and audio engineers to help me bring my story to life.