Ready, Set, Sprint: Scoping my project for a game sprint

TL;DR: I’m trying out a trigger list (included below) to help me scope my games and focus my game design sprints. How do you design your games?

I’ve got a few games on my plate, and I’m getting ready to dive into SPRINT WEEK for one of my newest projects. To get organized, I’m using a slightly more structured approach than I usually do—less “let’s just build and see what happens” and more “let’s plan this out and make it happen.” Here's how I’m getting it all set up.

Project Roll Call! Here's where my projects stand:

• Demo done! In prioritizing phase: King Salmon, MeetCute!
• SPRINT WEEK: Duck Hunter, Seagull v. Fry
• In the waiting room: Everybody else

Right now, I'm keeping some game settings as standard to help me reduce some decision fatigue as I go through my projects. These "pre-sets" include:

• Engine: Godot
• Language: GDScript
• Timeframe: 9 weeks
• Release Date: Pre-planned in my 2025 calendar. Hint: it's seasonal!!
• Pricing & Sales Goals: Free-$3 x 500 downloads

My Scoping Process
I usually just build and figure it out as I go, but this time, I’m trying something a little more structured. Let’s see how it goes!

1. Ideate on trigger list – What’s the big picture?
2. Question, comment, edit – Make sure it makes sense.
3. Decide and schedule – Time to lock it down.

What's on my Trigger List?

• Characters: Player, enemies, friends
• Core gameplay loops & game mechanics
  
• Scoring system & outcome (finite or endless)
  
• Input maps
  
• UI design
  
• The sparkle!
  
• What am I experimenting with? (Good to keep things fresh.)

So what does this look like? Let me show you!

Step 1 - Ideate: I brainstorm the game design using my trigger list

So, that's what I'm trying! How about you? What's your approach to scoping projects?