MoSCoW prioritisation is a technique used in project management, business analysis, and software development to help stakeholders and team members understand the importance of each requirement and its priority for delivery. This method is extremely useful in managing scope, scheduling and resource allocation of projects.
The term MoSCoW is an acronym representing four categories of priorities:
- Must have (M): These are critical requirements that must be delivered for the project to be successful. Without these, the project will be considered a failure. These are non-negotiable and must be completed as a matter of urgency.
- Should have (S): These are important but not vital requirements. While these features are highly desirable and beneficial, the project’s success does not hinge on their completion.
- Could have (C): These are desirable features that are considered to be a lower priority. They are ‘nice-to-haves’. If the project is running behind schedule or if resources are tight, ‘Could have’ features may be dropped.
- Won’t have (W) (sometimes referred to as Would like to have): These are features that have been agreed upon as the least critical or may not align directly with the objective of the current project phase, and therefore, will not be implemented in the current cycle of work. They are deferred for future consideration.
This method helps teams manage stakeholder expectations and ensures that all work is aligned with the business value. In the context of Agile methodologies, MoSCoW prioritisation can be used during the backlog refinement or sprint planning processes to agree upon the importance and the delivery order of backlog items.
