Sprint-based game development workflow. Epic/story breakdown, sprint planning, dev-story workflow with story readiness and done criteria. Designed for solo devs and small teams using agile methodology adapted for game development.
Translate game design into actionable development work using sprint-based
agile methodology adapted for games. Epic/story breakdown, sprint planning,
daily workflow, and definition of ready/done.
🤖 Multi-Platform Notes
Platform
Notes
OpenClaw
Best for maintaining sprint boards and backlog as markdown files. Can create sprint/ folder with evolving docs.
Claude Code
Can create task lists and mark files as done. Good for tracking in-IDE.
Cursor/Windsurf
Good for task tracking alongside code.
GitHub Copilot
Chat can help break down epics into tasks. Use GitHub Issues for actual tracking.
Generic LLM Chat
Output sprint plans and task breakdowns as lists. User copies to their tracker.
Any AI
All can help with planning and breakdown. Structured output (task lists, tables) works everywhere.
Integration note: For real sprint tracking, consider linking to a proper
tool (GitHub Projects, Jira, Trello, Notion, HacknPlan). The AI can maintain
a text version and sync notes.
📂 Document Structure
Create in game-dev-studio/sprint/:
text
sprint/
├── backlog.md ← Full backlog (epics + stories)
├── current-sprint.md ← Active sprint
├── done.md ← Completed work log
└── retrospective.md ← Sprint retrospectives
📦 Phase 1: Epic & Story Breakdown
Step 1.1 — Define Epics
Ask:
"What are the major features or systems?"
Epic = A large body of work that spans multiple sprints.
Break your GDD systems into epics:
text
EPIC-001: Player Movement System
EPIC-002: Combat System
EPIC-003: Inventory System
EPIC-004: Level Design (Forest World)
EPIC-005: UI/HUD
EPIC-006: Audio Implementation
EPIC-007: Save/Load
One sentence goal:"This sprint, we implement the core combat loop
with basic enemy AI and damage numbers."
Step 2.4 — Sprint Board Template
markdown
# Sprint [Number] — [Goal]
**Dates:** [YYYY-MM-DD] → [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Velocity:** [planned] points / [actual] points
## Sprint Backlog
| Story | Estimate | Status | Owner |
|-------|----------|--------|-------|
| STORY-001 | 3 pts | 🟢 Done | [name] |
| STORY-002 | 5 pts | 🟡 In Progress | [name] |
| STORY-003 | 2 pts | ⚪ To Do | [name] |
| STORY-004 | 8 pts | 🔵 Deferred | [name] |
## Definitions
### Story Ready (can start work)
- [ ] Acceptance criteria defined
- [ ] Dependencies met
- [ ] Design decisions made
- [ ] Estimated
- [ ] Team understands the work
### Story Done (can close)
- [ ] Code written
- [ ] Code reviewed (if team)
- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Manual QA pass
- [ ] Runs on target platform
- [ ] No regressions introduced
🏃 Phase 3: Dev-Story Workflow
For each story, use this workflow:
Step 3.1 — Start Story
Move story to In Progress
Create a branch: feature/STORY-XXX-short-name
Read GDD section for context
Ask the AI: "I'm starting STORY-XXX. Can you help me implement [feature]?"
Step 3.2 — Implementation Pattern
For each story, the AI should:
Understand context — Read GDD, architecture, and existing code
Plan — Ask: "What's the implementation approach?"
Code — Write the implementation
Test — Run or suggest test steps
Commit — "Ready to commit. Message: '[meaningful commit message]'"
Step 3.3 — Daily Check-in
Ask each day:
"Progress update on STORY-XXX?"
text
1) On track — expected to finish this sprint
2) Blocked — stuck on [issue]
3) Scope creep — found additional work needed
If blocked, ask: "What's blocking you?" and help resolve.
If scope creep, ask: "Should we create a new story for this or is it in scope?"
Step 3.4 — Commit Messages
text
[STORY-XXX] Short description
- Detail 1
- Detail 2
Examples:
text
[STORY-001] Implement basic player movement
- Added InputHandler for WASD movement
- Added PlayerController with smoothing
- Added speed variable exposed in inspector
✅ Phase 4: Definition of Ready & Done
Story Ready Checklist
Before a story enters a sprint:
Acceptance criteria defined — measurable pass/fail
Design decisions made — no open questions
Dependencies met — no blocking epics
Estimated — team agrees on size
Testable — someone can verify it works
Vertical — touches enough layers to be meaningful
Story Done Checklist
For a story to be complete:
Code implemented — all acceptance criteria met
Builds — no compile errors
Self-tested — basic QA passed
No regressions — existing features still work
Asset integration — art/audio/assets in place (or placeholder marked)
Committed — code in version control with good commit message
Documentation — any new API/system briefly documented
Sprint Done Checklist
All stories meet Definition of Done
Build compiles and runs on target platform
Smoke test passed (see qa-test skill)
Backlog updated with any new stories discovered
Retrospective completed
🔁 Phase 5: Sprint Review & Retrospective
Sprint Review Template
markdown
# Sprint [Number] Review
**Goal:** [sprint goal]
## Demo / Walkthrough
[What was built — describe the working features]
## Metrics
- **Planned:** [X] stories / [Y] points
- **Completed:** [X] stories / [Y] points
- **Velocity:** [points per sprint]
- **Burndown:** [on track / behind / ahead]
## What shipped
- STORY-XXX: [feature] — working
- STORY-XXX: [feature] — working
## What didn't ship
- STORY-XXX: [reason] — deferred to next sprint
Retrospective Template
markdown
# Sprint [Number] Retrospective
## What went well 🟢
- [ ]
- [ ]
## What could improve 🟡
- [ ]
- [ ]
## Action Items
- [ ] [Action 1] — owner
- [ ] [Action 2] — owner
