Engine planning 101

With all due respect your missing the point. I'm not asking what you would do on budget or anything like that. Like I said in the OP starting with a clean slate. How do you plan an engine build? This all about the learning process not what I should do on my budget. But what a reputable engine builder thought process is when planning a build. I have a plan with my engine that is not what this thread is about. I want to know what was your thought process and how did you go about planning your 408 build?
410 build. I bought a block from the machine shop and have them prep it. I bought a stroker kit from Jags and had them install it. And I had them dial in the cam that I chose and put the heads on that I chose. But since then I've had the heads off and the cam out several times.
(Stop taking bong hits so you can get your thoughts together?)