---
name: production-planning
description: Use when planning milestones, scoping features, sequencing work, tracking progress or managing risk. Keeps scope honest, dependencies visible and decisions recorded.
---

# Production planning

Draft from the Game studio skills library by THE DREAMING JESTER. Adapt it to your game, team and engine.

## Goal

Ship the game that matters most, within the time and people available.

## Before you start

- Know the fixed constraints: dates, budget, team, platforms and commitments.
- Gather the feature list with rough sizes and the dependencies between them.

## Process

1. Define milestones by what is playable and proven, not by tasks completed.
2. Rank features by value to the player and risk. Do the risky, valuable work first.
3. Split work into pieces small enough to finish in a few days, with a clear definition of done.
4. Make dependencies visible, especially across disciplines.
5. Track progress against the plan weekly. When reality differs, change scope before changing quality or people's hours.
6. Keep a risk list with owners and mitigations, and review it regularly.
7. Record decisions and why they were made.

## Quality bar

- Anyone can see what is in, what is out and why.
- Milestones end with a playable build and a review.
- Scope cuts happen early and deliberately, not at the last minute.

## Output

A milestone plan, a ranked backlog, a risk list and a decision log.

## Avoid

- Plans that assume everything goes right.
- Hiding slipping work until it cannot be recovered.