Hello Gamedev.net! I have recently started an indie group and we are working on a game because our ambition is to have a product by the time we graduate in an attempt to gain entry to the Game Industry. The cruel part being the only way to get into the game industry is to have experience in the game industry.

A question that I wish to pose to the community is, since being project lead (hopefully I'm not being too obnoxious taking that title) I've attempted to recreate an actual company feel through creating divisions within the group, based on each of my team member's strength's and weakness, is this an effective method of development? Would it be more effective on this small scale development to have everyone do a bit of everything? Feedback would be very appreciated!

I've attempted to recreate an actual company feel through creating divisions within the group,

Well.. how large is your group that you need divisions .... from my experiences organisation structures hinders development more than it helps. You might look at agile development methods which help developing software in a team based fashion.

A question that I wish to pose to the community is, since being project lead (hopefully I'm not being too obnoxious taking that title) I've attempted to recreate an actual company feel through creating divisions within the group, based on each of my team member's strength's and weakness, is this an effective method of development? Would it be more effective on this small scale development to have everyone do a bit of everything?

This question is not about Game Design. Moving it to Producing/Managing.

Sorry will do!

Well.. how large is your group that you need divisions .... from my experiences organisation structures hinders development more than it helps. You might look at agile development methods which help developing software in a team based fashion.

I have about ten people working together on the project, and we are all from different area's of study some computer science, art, music, business, marketing, and other fields. I felt by having each person work on their area of expertise and then have one or two people in the middle organize and manage the team would be very effective.

It really depends.
Is the scope of the project and vision clear to everyone? Is it fixed, or do you expect to iterate?
Who are the stakeholders, who do you expect to potentially alter the scope of the end-product?
What are your expectations and what do you want to ship, and when?

Yes I have made it my goal as project lead to get everyone on the same page, and from the feedback that I am receiving from them at each weekly meeting is very positive. Currently the project is still a bit open and we are able to iterate new ideas and concepts, since it is still in the early stages of development.
Currently I have no stakeholders, and I'm unsure of changing the scope since the concept we are working with currently is still being fully developed.
My expectations for this game is to have a deliverable by the end of next year, and ship about 6 - 8 months after that, but that would be the most optimal timeline.

who do you expect to potentially alter the scope of the end-product?

Note that I said "who" not "do you". If you don't have stakeholders, you still have people that will make the ground decisions. Are you the sole visionary of this project, or do you have any form of tech or creative input and direction from other members on the team? Who has a say, who has the responsibility, and who is accountable for these decisions precisely?
This is a critical information before you can determine whether you want to structure openly or not.

Currently I have no stakeholders

That's not true. Everyone who's involved in the project has some kind of stake in it.

That's not true. Everyone who's involved in the project has some kind of stake in it.

I was mistaken then, yes Tom you are correct everyone in my group then does have a stake in building this game.

Note that I said "who" not "do you". If you don't have stakeholders, you still have people that will make the ground decisions. Are you the sole visionary of this project, or do you have any form of tech or creative input and direction from other members on the team? Who has a say, who has the responsibility, and who is accountable for these decisions precisely?
This is a critical information before you can determine whether you want to structure openly or not.

In this design process, I am not the sole visionary everyone on the team is putting their input in and helping to develop the game. Because I believe having only one creative input has a tendencies to give a blandness, since my team is inter-disciplinary it gives a very wide range of design space to work with since everyone in the group has great ideas. However I am organizing everything, and have final say in the process, however I am very open to changes from my team. The person that is responsible for the group would be me, I am assuming responsibility/accountability for the group. I hope this answers your question, hopefully I'm not misinterpreting again.