Design Document? What Design Document?

For a team to succeed it needs a common vision, that is, everyone on the team must know exactly what he or she is aiming for. The best way to get that common vision is through a big, fat, detailed design document. Developing without a design document is like driving without a destination – ultimately, you'll burn a lot of fuel and end up somewhere you don't want to be. Learn to resist the "start developing it now!" impulse that always comes with a new idea, and instead concentrate on getting that idea down on paper in as detailed a form as possible. NEVER start developing a game the same day you think up the idea for it. Wait, and write about it instead.

Also, remember that your design document stands alone as the compete description of your game. If it's not in the design document, don't spend time developing it. For example, if your design document doesn't specifically mention that you need alpha blitting, then don't spend time coding it. Many programmers go insane about "creating toolboxes" and "building a solid library of functions." Toolboxes are certainly important, but you shouldn't spend time developing something just for the sake of developing it – a professional toolbox is a collection of code snippets that have all been used somewhere else. Don't waste time coding stuff that will never be used - make sure that what you're working on has a direct part in your finished title.

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