There's an entire discipline focused on this task (and associated activities)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_engineeringEven then systems engineering is just a set of tools. The real tool and the one that really matters is the one behind the wheel.
Level of control and bureaucracy depends on the project and how much risk needs to be mitigated.
Having high level systems design for any remotely complex project helps keep things organised and in check.
Systems design is particularly helpful for splitting up and delegating work effectively but has potential to be done poorly and hamper overall progress; as the sole designer/lead you're probably the most qualified to be handling this.
An exhaustive, enumerated list of system requirements is excessive in most non-critical applications, having an organised list of requirements is still handy though. I'd split up customer/user requirements vs subsystem specifications at the very least.
Like any activity involving multiple individuals, good communication is number one. If nothing else, the tools used in systems engineering are communication tools.
There's usually a trade-off between time and effort used to create documentation and other communications vs the benefits they bring in terms of lubricating and directing work to be more efficient.