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Small Business Definitions

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In its simplest form, a business plan is a guide—a roadmap for your business that outlines goals and details how you plan to achieve those goals. At its heart, a business plan is just a plan for how your business is going to work, and how you're going to make it succeed. Read our full article on "What is a business plan" here.

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The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally only one to two pages. Most people write it last, though.

The opportunity section answers these questions: What are you actually selling and how are you solving a problem (or "need") for your market? Who is your target market and competition?

In the execution chapter of your business plan, you'll answer the question: how are you going to take your opportunity and turn it into a business? This section will cover your marketing and sales plan, operations, and your milestones and metrics for success.

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Your business plan isn't complete without a financial forecast . We'll tell you what to include in your financial plan, but you'll definitely want to start with a sales forecast, cash flow statement, income statement (also called profit and loss), and your balance sheet.

If you need more space for product images or additional information, use the appendix for those details.

Read our full article "How to Write a Business Plan — the Comprehensive Guide" for more information, here.

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Why should you pay someone to write your business plan?

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Article • 9 min read

The MoSCoW Method

Understanding project priorities.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

(Also Known As MoSCoW Prioritization and MoSCoW Analysis)

You probably use some form of prioritized To-Do List to manage your daily tasks. But what happens when you're heading up a project that has various stakeholders, each of whom has a different opinion about the importance of different requirements? How do you identify the priority of each task, and communicate that to team members, stakeholders and customers alike?

This is when it's useful to apply a prioritizing tool such as the MoSCoW method. This simple project-management approach helps you, your team, and your stakeholders agree which tasks are critical to a project's success. It also highlights those tasks that can be abandoned if deadlines or resources are threatened.

In this article, we'll examine how you can use the MoSCoW method to prioritize project tasks more efficiently, and ensure that everyone expects the same things.

What Is the MoSCoW Method?

The MoSCoW method was developed by Dai Clegg of Oracle® UK Consulting in the mid-1990s. It's a useful approach for sorting project tasks into critical and non-critical categories.

MoSCoW stands for:

• Must – "Must" requirements are essential to the project's success, and are non-negotiable. If these tasks are missing or incomplete, the project is deemed a failure.
• Should – "Should" items are critical, high-priority tasks that you should complete whenever possible. These are highly important, but can be delivered in a second phase of the project if absolutely necessary.
• Could – "Could" jobs are highly desirable but you can leave them out if there are time or resource constraints.
• Would (or "Won't") – These tasks are desirable (for example, "Would like to have…") but aren't included in this project. You can also use this category for the least critical activities.

The "o"s in MoSCoW are just there to make the acronym pronounceable.

Terms from Clegg, D. and Barker, R. (1994). ' CASE Method Fast-Track: A RAD Approach ,' Amsterdam: Addison-Wesley, 1994. Copyright © Pearson Education Limited. Reproduced with permission.

People often use the MoSCoW method in Agile Project Management . However, you can apply it to any type of project.

MoSCoW helps you manage the scope of your project so that it isn't overwhelmingly large. It is particularly useful when you're working with multiple stakeholders, because it helps everyone agree on what's critical and what is not. The four clearly labeled categories allow people to understand a task's priority easily, which eliminates confusion, misunderstanding, conflict, and disappointment.

For example, some project management tools sort tasks into "high-," "medium-," and "low-" priority categories. But members of the team might have different opinions about what each of these groupings means. And all too often, tasks are labeled "high" priority because everything seems important. This can put a strain on time and resources, and ultimately lead to the project failing.

Using the MoSCoW Method

Follow the steps below to get the most from the MoSCoW method. (This describes using MoSCoW in a conventional "waterfall" project, however the approach is similar with agile projects.)

Step 1: Organize Your Project

It's important that you and your team fully understand your objectives before starting the project.

Write a business case to define your project's goals, its scope and timeline, and exactly what you will deliver. You can also draw up a project charter to plan how you'll approach it.

Next, conduct a stakeholder analysis to identify key people who are involved in the project and to understand how its success will benefit each of them.

Step 2: Write out Your Task List

Once you understand your project's objectives, carry out a Gap Analysis to identify what needs to happen for you to meet your goals.

Step 3: Prioritize Your Task List

Next, work with your stakeholders to prioritize these tasks into the four MoSCoW categories: Must, Should, Could, and Would (or Won't). These conversations can often be "difficult," so brush up on your conflict resolution, group decision making and negotiating skills beforehand!

Rather than starting with all tasks in the Must category and then demoting some of them, it can be helpful to put every task in the Would category first, and then discuss why individual ones deserve to move up the list.

Step 4: Challenge the MoSCoW List

Once you've assigned tasks to the MoSCoW categories, critically challenge each classification.

Be particularly vigilant about which items make it to the Must list. Remember, it is reserved solely for tasks that would result in the project failing if they're not done.

Aim to keep the Must list below 60 percent of the team's available time and effort. The fewer items you have, the higher your chance of success.

Try to reach consensus with everyone in the group. If you can't, you then need to bring in a key decision-maker who has the final say.

Step 5: Communicate Deliverables

Your last step is to share the prioritized list with team members, key stakeholders and customers.

It's important that you communicate the reasons for each categorization, particularly with Must items. Encourage people to discuss any concerns until people fully understand the reasoning.

Zhen is a project manager for a large IT organization. She's working with a team of designers, marketers and developers to redesign a large corporate client's website.

At the initial meeting, each group has strong opinions about which tasks are most important to the project's success, and no one wants to give up their "high priority" objective.

For example, the marketing team is adamant that the new website should gather visitors' personal information, for use in future marketing campaigns.

Meanwhile, the designers are arguing that, while this is important, the site may be more successful if it had a professionally produced streaming video. They also want a feed streaming onto the website's home page from the client's social networking accounts.

The developers counter that the current prototype design won't translate well onto mobile devices, so the top priority is retrofitting the site so people can view it on these.

Zhen can see that, while each priority is important, they're not all critical to the project's success. She decides to use the MoSCoW method to help the group reach consensus on which task is truly "mission critical."

She starts with a key question: "If I came to you the night before rollout and the following task was not done, would you cancel the project?" This question helped everyone in the group drill down to the project's most important priority.

The group finally agreed on the following priorities:

• Must – The retrofit website must be easily viewable on mobile devices.
• Should – There should be a social networking stream included.
• Could – There could be a streaming video on the site to help users.
• Would – Personal information would be gathered for future marketing efforts, but not on this occasion.

The MoSCoW method helped everyone agree on what was truly important for the project's final success.

The MoSCoW method is a simple and highly useful approach that enables you to prioritize project tasks as critical and non-critical. MoSCoW stands for:

• Must – These are tasks that you must complete for the project to be considered a success.
• Should – These are critical activities that are less urgent than Must tasks.
• Could – These items can be taken off the list if time or resources are limited.
• Would – These are tasks that would be nice to have, but can be done at a later date.

The benefit of the MoSCoW approach is that it makes it easy for team members and key stakeholders to understand how important a task is for a project's success.

Apply This to Your Life

Try using the MoSCoW method to prioritize your daily tasks. Look at what you completed at the end of the day. Did prioritizing enable you to get more done?

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What does MoSCoW stand for?

1. must have, 2. should have: , 3. could have, 4. won’t have, conducting the moscow analysis, pro #1: simple and accessible, pro #2: encourages stakeholder involvement, pro #3: flexible, pro #4: helps with scope creep, pro #5: effective resource distribution, con #1: oversimplifies priorities, con #2: no cost or effort considerations, con #3: risk of misalignment, con #4: neglects non-essential features (potentially), con #5: useless for long-term planning, how moscow compares to other prioritization techniques , the pm’s hot take, what is the moscow prioritization method (and how to use it).

While managing product development projects, you may find yourself asking repeatedly:

“Are we working on actually important features?!”

This lack of clear prioritization in your project can quickly backfire. It’s tough to manage a project where nobody really knows the direction you’re moving towards.

But don’t worry. Smart product management pros already came up with something extra for you. It’s called the MoSCoW prioritization method, and it’s a tool that helps any PM prioritize projects, tasks, and other initiatives.

In this article, we’ll share all the info to help you start using it and give you insights about its pros and cons.

MoSCoW is a prioritization technique that helps you communicate what you’re working on and why. It’s excellent for managing expectations across the organization about the upcoming product’s release. 

Dai Clegg, a software developer, created MoSCoW for the dynamic system development method (DSDM) to simplify organizing the work with a fixed deadline. This system lets the team understand what should be done and in which order to make progress and deliver the project on time.

You can apply MoSCoW prioritization in multiple scenarios – from User Stories to tasks, products, tests, etc. But it’s most commonly applied to User Stories – and we’ll focus on this application here, too.

MoSCoW is an acronym for “must-have,” “should-have,” “could-have,” and “won’t-have (this time).” The two “O’s” were added to simplify the acronym’s pronunciation. Each item is a prioritization category. MoSCoW sorts your tasks from the most crucial to ones you should put on hold for now.

Let’s take a closer look at each category:

What are the four categories of MoSCoW?

The MoSCoW prioritization method consists of four categorization rules for the projects:

Here, you put all the Minimum Usable SubseT (MUST) requirements, without which the launch would be a terrible idea. This could be for several reasons:

• Business-related: There’s no point deploying a solution lacking a critical feature.
• Legal-related: You probably don’t want to go to jail for launching a faulty product…
• Safety-related: …or pay a fine for putting your users’ data at risk.

For example, if you worked on a messaging app for product teams, you’d most likely not launch it without some form of end-to-end encryption that protects the users’ privacy.

Or if the marketing campaigns generated lots of buzz around a specific feature of your product, launching without it might feel a bit anticlimactic to your users.

When thinking about the “must-have” features, think of the worst-case scenario for not including it in the final release. If you just imagined an absolute horror, you found one!

High-priority features. They’d be a fantastic addition to the final release, but if you can’t deliver them before the deadline – you’re not destined for disaster.

Say you opened the top requests panel for your messaging app and saw that you should deliver two features by the end of the next sprint: support for sending images and voice recordings.

If they’re not the product’s core functionality, you might choose one and release the other in the upcoming sprint. 

Optional features. They’d be nice to include if you have the resources, but they aren’t necessary for success.

The difference between “could have” and “should have” may sometimes be thin. To clarify, consider how a specific feature will affect the user experience. 

For example, sending images and voice recordings are two features that might help users communicate better.

But will adding the ability to search Spotify songs and send the links to them directly from your app achieve the same?

Probably not. Unless your app is dedicated to musicians.

Features you won’t implement now. You should list them while defining the project’s scope for a specific timeframe. This way, no one can reintroduce them in the middle of the project (and annoy everyone).

It doesn’t mean the idea is trash and shouldn’t be implemented.

Instead, it’s a way to communicate with stakeholders about the lack of time or resources to deliver the feature in the current release.

But how do you exactly implement this method into your work?

Demonstrate how the MoSCoW analysis is done in Fibery.

First, you need to put some rules in place. 

While Must Have features are easy to explain and understand – communicating a difference between Should Haves and Could Haves might cause confusion, leading to heated discussions later.

To avoid throwing chairs during team standups, set rules for applying the lower-level priorities upfront and put them in an easily accessible space for everyone dealing with task prioritization:

Include things like:

• How to decide if a feature is a Should Have or a Could Have?
• When to raise or lower the priority of a task?
• Who makes the final decision about the priorities?

Once everyone’s on the same page about how to set MoSCoW priorities, you need to set the right balance between the Must Haves and any other types of tasks in the project. 

DSDM recommends setting a proportion of Must Haves at a level where the team’s confidence to deliver them is high.

Typically, Must Haves should include around 60% of all project tasks . This lets you avoid the overly positive approach to planning the work, leading to unfinished features on the release date.

To control the number of Must Haves, you can set up an automated report in Fibery:

That’s not the rule, though. The exact proportions of all three task categories will depend on your project circumstances. 

Plus, if your team is already familiar and comfortable with the MoSCoW model, you can crank up the Must Haves above 60%. Just make sure it doesn’t cause massive eye-rolls from your team members.

You should divide the remaining 40% in half between Should Haves and Could Haves. 

Keep in mind, though, that the main goal is to protect the Must Haves and Should Haves. If Could Haves interfere with more important features, you should put them off until the next iteration.

The key to effective MoSCoW prioritization is balancing risks and predictability for each project. Adding too many Could Haves can quickly dilute the sense of direction and lead to “meh” results. Your team’s productivity is crucial, but the quality of work delivered is non-negotiable.

The upsides and downsides of MoSCoW 

Okay, so should you or should you not use MoSCoW in your work? Well, it depends. It’s a handy tool in PM’s arsenal, but it has some drawbacks, too. Here are the most important pros and cons of MoSCoW you should consider:

The greatest strength of MoSCoW is its simplicity. You don’t need extensive training to understand or implement it. Your team members, regardless of their experience with project management methodologies, can grasp the concept pretty quickly, too. 

Also, MoSCoW simplifies explaining and justifying your decisions to stakeholders when you lack time or resources to deliver the feature in the current release. It’s excellent for managing expectations across the organization about the upcoming product’s release. 

MoSCoW prioritization works best when various stakeholders share their perspectives on the direction you should move towards. This encourages collaboration and ensures your project team isn’t working in isolation.

Say you’re working on AI voice note summaries: a feature everyone’s excited about as it’s supposed to differentiate your app from the competition. 

This also means everyone’s on their toes about all the deadlines involved in the feature’s launch. Here, you can use MoSCoW across various departments. Marketing or Sales might give you some insights into the customers’ expectations and clarify all the Must Haves and Won’t Haves.

Crazy projects need crazy flexibility. And MoSCoW’s categories let you do some gymnastics within the project schedule.

Especially in the startup world, there may be one customer insight that may suggest a feature or a task isn’t the Should Have you thought it to be.

For example, a survey you included inside your app suggested that Spotify integration within your messaging app doesn’t actually make your users go:

Your melomaniac heart is broken but what can we do? It’s time to move this task from Should Haves to Could Haves or Won’t Haves.

MoSCoW doesn’t rely on any internal system for gathering data about the task. As long as your team and you see it’s not worth pursuing it now, you can quickly reprioritize the tasks with this method.

MoSCoW lets you define clear boundaries for each iteration of the projects (the Won’t Haves).

Even if someone comes to your team with a brilliant feature idea or any other thing they saw in a LinkedIn post, you can tell them to hold their horses. 

And if they complain, you can just show them your project board with the MoSCoW prioritization implemented:

Now, this looks like something hard to argue with, right?

When you’re clear about the project’s Must Haves, you can allocate the budget and staff to them first.

There’s nothing more frustrating than an understaffed team working on a crucial feature. Especially when they see another overstaffed team working on something easy.

MoSCoW saves your team members’ nerves and helps you look like a responsible strategist – and who wouldn’t want that?!

Downsides of MoSCoW

Okay, but MoSCoW is not all fun and games. It has a few downsides, too:

While MoSCoW’s simplicity can be useful – it has a darker side as well.

The categories in this method are broad and may overlook certain nuances. 

For example, in your messaging app, you may categorize two features as Should Haves:

• Two-factor Authentication (2FA)
• Chat search capabilities

While these are definitely useful, the reason to include them is entirely different. The first one was added to prepare your app for the launch in the EU next year, where this feature is a must.

The second one is an effect of the competitive analysis your marketing team executed last month.

MoSCoW doesn’t inform you about this context. In cases like this, you must look at the bigger picture while prioritizing the tasks.

MoSCoW doesn’t depict the costs of the tasks within one category.

Coming back to our previous example. The 2FA may consume much more effort and time because of the external restrictions your team must obey.

Suppose you designated the same number of team members to the 2FA and to the chat search feature.

It may quickly turn out that the 2FA team requires much more resources to meet the project’s deadlines. 

When stakeholders aren’t 100% on the same page about your project’s task order, you immediately see one major problem with MoSCoW:

It’s subjective.

While Marketing may think integrating a GIF library into your app is a Must Have, your QA team will prioritize fixing a nasty bug over GIFs (boring!).

If you plan to implement MoSCoW in your work, you need to establish strong guidelines and rules for resolving conflicts like these. Otherwise, you may get stuck in the discussions and delay the project’s delivery.

Usually, the Could Haves and Won’t Haves include enhancements and innovations. You put here all the features your customers suggested or some genius “Eureka!” moments from one of your weekly standups.

But if a feature gets stuck in the Could Haves or Won’t Haves, your product may fail to evolve with customer needs and become stale.

Using the MoSCoW method, you need to review the backlog regularly. If you see a feature from 2008 there, it may be a good idea to either pick it up or remove it from the list entirely.

MoSCoW focuses on the immediate or next release cycle. Because its categories are so subjective and prone to change over time, you can’t plan long-term projects effectively with this method.

This highlights the most important aspect of the MoSCoW method – you can’t rely on it for your entire project.

While it’s a useful tool for organizing your features list quickly, it won’t do a good job with more extensive, strategic tasks.

But you can combine this method with other techniques and tools that fill the gaps MoSCoW leaves. 

One of them is setting clear definitions for each category to ensure stakeholder alignment and prevent heated discussions about priorities later on.

Also, a risk assessment or a complexity analysis framework could compensate for the MoSCoW’s lack of effort consideration.

When you know how to combine different methods, you get the full benefit of each one. But before that, you need to know how MoSCoW compares to other prioritization tools.

When you compare MoSCoW to other prioritization techniques, you’ll immediately notice its simplicity. And that’s its biggest strength. 

Models like the Value vs. Complexity matrix, the Kano model , or the Eisenhower Matrix require analytical skills and tons of data collection. If you immediately feel a migraine coming while thinking of those two, you might find MoSCoW a much better fit.

MoSCoW focuses on the consensus and negotiation within your team. No fancy charts and calculations – you sit with your team and get the prioritization done fast.

But this simplicity and speed may overlook the nuanced trade-offs between tasks and lead to knowledge gaps in your decision-making.

For instance, using the Value vs. Complexity matrix, you can differentiate tasks between quick wins (high value, low complexity) and major projects (high value, high complexity). 

The MoSCoW method could potentially categorize both as “Must haves” without acknowledging the difference in effort required.

The Kano model goes further and helps identify features that can delight customers or make them dissatisfied if missing. 

MoSCoW doesn’t consider customer satisfaction in its prioritization, which may cause your team to deliver features no one has requested. Or ones that are nice to have but don’t solve the real pains your customers experience. And not listening closely to your customers is a road straight to churn.

Lastly, the Eisenhower Matrix, or the Urgent-Important Matrix , helps prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. 

Here, you get a more critical look at what needs immediate attention (“Do first”) versus what is important but not urgent (“Schedule”). This can be especially useful in projects with tight deadlines. MoSCoW, while addressing importance through its “Must” and “Should” categories, doesn’t directly account for urgency.

MoSCoW’s ease of use and clear communication make it excellent for projects requiring rapid alignment among everyone in the team and the stakeholders.

But for more complex and urgent projects, you might consider choosing an alternative. Or you can integrate MoSCoW with other methods. Keep it flexible, and always consider the context of your project.

Early-stage startups might focus more on ‘Must-Have’ features critical to getting the product to market and proving its value proposition. As the company matures and the product becomes more established, the focus might shift towards ‘Should-Have’ and ‘Could-Have’ features that enhance the product and provide additional value to users.

The MoSCoW method is a flexible tool, and its implementation can be adapted to each project’s specific needs and circumstances. Therefore, while the company lifecycle can influence the allocation of resources, it’s not the only factor.

MoSCoW is a solid method for prioritizing tasks in DSDM. But, just like most other methods, it won’t 100% replace the prioritization skills of any good PM. Use it as one of many other tools in your arsenal and apply it to your workflow when it makes sense.

And if that “when” happens to be now, you can quickly add it to Fibery’s free Product Management Template and become more productive with no extra caffeine involved.

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How to Prioritize With the MoSCoW Method

Do you need help prioritizing tasks when managing a project? There’s an acronym for that! It’s called the MoSCow method and it’s a great technique to help with prioritization.

What Is the MoSCoW Method?

The MoSCoW method is a technique that helps organizations prioritize what should be done first in a project. It is done in four steps that follow the acronym MoSCoW, which stands for must have, should have, could have and will not have. It’s used by anyone who needs to prioritize their work and is especially useful in project management.

The MoSCoW method can help when project planning. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that can take the results of your MoSCow method and organize them into a project plan. Our powerful Gantt charts organize tasks, link all four task dependencies to avoid delays and can set a baseline to capture the project plan and compare it to the actual progress to ensure you stay on schedule. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

MoSCoW Prioritization Categories

Managing a project is often about managing what you will – and won’t! – get done in the given project timeline . When there are no priorities set, projects can quickly become free-for-alls, with the loudest voices in the room getting their work prioritized over others, often not for the benefit of the project or the organization.

But there’s a different approach. It’s called the MoSCoW method for defining and managing requirements and tasks in a project . Here is a list to clarify what those requirements are:

Must-Have Requirements (M)

Another way to refer to this is as the minimum usable subset (MUS) or what the project must deliver. In other words, the project must deliver these on the target date for the project to remain on track. No delay is acceptable. It is either going to take the project off track, it’s unsafe or even illegal not to have this done by the time given in the project’s business case .

A way to understand if you’re dealing with a MUS is by asking yourself, “What happens if this isn’t met?” If the answer is, “The project fails ,” then you have a MUS. Any workaround that can be devised to continue with the project and not jeopardize its success, means this isn’t a MUS.

Should-Have Requirements (S)

This type of requirement is almost as important as a MUS, but it’s not vital to the success of the project. In other words, the project doesn’t depend on this requirement. You might not want to leave it out, as it could have a great impact on the project, but in the end, it can be done without causing any irreparable harm. Again, leaving out this requirement means a lot of work⁠ (finding a solution, changing stakeholders’ expectations, maybe experiencing some inefficiency⁠), but the project can go on.

Could-Have Requirements (C)

The difference between a should-have requirement and a could-have requirement is simply by figuring out the degree of pain that would be caused by not meeting it. That is, how will it impact the business value of the project, how many people would be affected, etc. Therefore, a could-have requirement is something you’d like but is less important than a should-have requirement. There will be an impact if it’s left out of the project, but less than the impact of a should-have requirement.

What We Will Not Have This Time (W)

Here is where you can collect those requirements that are not feasible for a specific release. Maybe next time, but the project remains strong without them. This is a great way to avoid project scope creep . Once initiatives are placed in the not-have-time category, teams know that they’re not a priority for this go-around and can place them on the back burner and out of their mind. This allows them to focus more sharply on those requirements that are important to the project.

What Is the MoSCoW Method Used For?

The MoSCow method can be of use to anyone who has work and needs to prioritize that work to know what’s essential and what can be ignored. It’s mostly used in product development, software development and project management. In project management that helps determine which tasks, requirements, products and user stories (in agile projects) the team needs to prioritize.

How to Implement the MoSCoW Method in 3 Steps

The MoSCoW method is a valuable tool, but only if you know how to use it. Here are three steps that will help you use the MoSCoW method when prioritizing your project.

1. Gather Project Requirements

Start by identifying all project requirements . Just make a giant list and be as thorough as possible. You don’t want to leave out anything that might prove essential to the project.

2. Prioritize Project Requirements

Now go through that list and attach a letter to each, according to the MoSCoW method of M for must-have, S for should have, C could have and W for what you won’t have. This allows you to prioritize the work and know what can be put aside to focus on what’s important.

3. Track the Completion of Project Deliverables

Now that you’ve classified your requirements, you can carry out the work in a timely manner. Tracking that work ensures that you don’t miss any deadlines and that all high-priority requirements will be met.

Benefits of the MoSCoW Method

The clear benefit of using the MoSCoW method is that it provides a means to prioritize work and know what is essential to the project and what can be ignored if time and cost prevent one from completing every requirement. But there are more advantages of the MoSCoW method, some of which we list below.

Helps Ensure Stakeholder Satisfaction

Stakeholders have a vested interest in the project and the project should satisfy their expectations . The MoSCoW method helps manage stakeholders by getting them to all agree on the prioritization of requirements and, therefore, helps to resolve any conflicts that might arise over the execution of those requirements.

It’s Easy to Understand and Implement

Using the MoSCoW method identifies the priority of project requirements. This information can then be disseminated to the project team so it’s clear to everyone what must be done. Now the team understands what’s prioritized and can implement those requirements first.

Helps Teams Cut Unnecessary Costs

The MoSCoW method allows everyone on the project team to know what they have to get done first, which increases revenue by decreasing operational costs, improving productivity and increasing customer satisfaction.

Moscow Method Example

Leadership guru Susanne Madsen leads this training video on how to use the MoSCoW Method to prioritize your requirements in a project.

How ProjectManager Helps You Prioritize

ProjectManager is online project management software that can make sure your requirements are being met throughout the life cycle of the project. Because our software gives you real-time data, you’re able to meet your priorities.

Our real-time dashboard shows real-time data that is displayed over six different project metrics. These numbers are crunched and illustrated in colorful, easy-to-read graphs and charts that keep project managers keenly assessed on the progress of their priorities.

Workflow is also visualized with kanban boards that keep teams focused on their priorities. Online Gantt charts can link dependencies and teams can collaborate at the task level, adding comments, documents and images.

There’s so much more that ProjectManager offers. To get a full picture of what we can do to help you better manage your next project, try our free 30-day trial today.

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MoSCoW Prioritization

What is moscow prioritization.

MoSCoW prioritization, also known as the MoSCoW method or MoSCoW analysis, is a popular prioritization technique for managing requirements. 

  The acronym MoSCoW represents four categories of initiatives: must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have, or will not have right now. Some companies also use the “W” in MoSCoW to mean “wish.”

What is the History of the MoSCoW Method?

Software development expert Dai Clegg created the MoSCoW method while working at Oracle. He designed the framework to help his team prioritize tasks during development work on product releases.

You can find a detailed account of using MoSCoW prioritization in the Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM) handbook . But because MoSCoW can prioritize tasks within any time-boxed project, teams have adapted the method for a broad range of uses.

How Does MoSCoW Prioritization Work?

Before running a MoSCoW analysis, a few things need to happen. First, key stakeholders and the product team need to get aligned on objectives and prioritization factors. Then, all participants must agree on which initiatives to prioritize.

At this point, your team should also discuss how they will settle any disagreements in prioritization. If you can establish how to resolve disputes before they come up, you can help prevent those disagreements from holding up progress.

Finally, you’ll also want to reach a consensus on what percentage of resources you’d like to allocate to each category.

With the groundwork complete, you may begin determining which category is most appropriate for each initiative. But, first, let’s further break down each category in the MoSCoW method.

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Moscow prioritization categories.

1. Must-have initiatives

As the name suggests, this category consists of initiatives that are “musts” for your team. They represent non-negotiable needs for the project, product, or release in question. For example, if you’re releasing a healthcare application, a must-have initiative may be security functionalities that help maintain compliance.

The “must-have” category requires the team to complete a mandatory task. If you’re unsure about whether something belongs in this category, ask yourself the following.

If the product won’t work without an initiative, or the release becomes useless without it, the initiative is most likely a “must-have.”

2. Should-have initiatives

Should-have initiatives are just a step below must-haves. They are essential to the product, project, or release, but they are not vital. If left out, the product or project still functions. However, the initiatives may add significant value.

“Should-have” initiatives are different from “must-have” initiatives in that they can get scheduled for a future release without impacting the current one. For example, performance improvements, minor bug fixes, or new functionality may be “should-have” initiatives. Without them, the product still works.

3. Could-have initiatives

Another way of describing “could-have” initiatives is nice-to-haves. “Could-have” initiatives are not necessary to the core function of the product. However, compared with “should-have” initiatives, they have a much smaller impact on the outcome if left out.

So, initiatives placed in the “could-have” category are often the first to be deprioritized if a project in the “should-have” or “must-have” category ends up larger than expected.

4. Will not have (this time)

One benefit of the MoSCoW method is that it places several initiatives in the “will-not-have” category. The category can manage expectations about what the team will not include in a specific release (or another timeframe you’re prioritizing).

Placing initiatives in the “will-not-have” category is one way to help prevent scope creep . If initiatives are in this category, the team knows they are not a priority for this specific time frame. 

Some initiatives in the “will-not-have” group will be prioritized in the future, while others are not likely to happen. Some teams decide to differentiate between those by creating a subcategory within this group.

How Can Development Teams Use MoSCoW?

  Although Dai Clegg developed the approach to help prioritize tasks around his team’s limited time, the MoSCoW method also works when a development team faces limitations other than time. For example: 

Prioritize based on budgetary constraints.

What if a development team’s limiting factor is not a deadline but a tight budget imposed by the company? Working with the product managers, the team can use MoSCoW first to decide on the initiatives that represent must-haves and the should-haves. Then, using the development department’s budget as the guide, the team can figure out which items they can complete. 

Prioritize based on the team’s skillsets.

A cross-functional product team might also find itself constrained by the experience and expertise of its developers. If the product roadmap calls for functionality the team does not have the skills to build, this limiting factor will play into scoring those items in their MoSCoW analysis.

Prioritize based on competing needs at the company.

Cross-functional teams can also find themselves constrained by other company priorities. The team wants to make progress on a new product release, but the executive staff has created tight deadlines for further releases in the same timeframe. In this case, the team can use MoSCoW to determine which aspects of their desired release represent must-haves and temporarily backlog everything else.

What Are the Drawbacks of MoSCoW Prioritization?

  Although many product and development teams have prioritized MoSCoW, the approach has potential pitfalls. Here are a few examples.

1. An inconsistent scoring process can lead to tasks placed in the wrong categories.

  One common criticism against MoSCoW is that it does not include an objective methodology for ranking initiatives against each other. Your team will need to bring this methodology to your analysis. The MoSCoW approach works only to ensure that your team applies a consistent scoring system for all initiatives.

Pro tip: One proven method is weighted scoring, where your team measures each initiative on your backlog against a standard set of cost and benefit criteria. You can use the weighted scoring approach in ProductPlan’s roadmap app .

2. Not including all relevant stakeholders can lead to items placed in the wrong categories.

To know which of your team’s initiatives represent must-haves for your product and which are merely should-haves, you will need as much context as possible.

For example, you might need someone from your sales team to let you know how important (or unimportant) prospective buyers view a proposed new feature.

One pitfall of the MoSCoW method is that you could make poor decisions about where to slot each initiative unless your team receives input from all relevant stakeholders. 

3. Team bias for (or against) initiatives can undermine MoSCoW’s effectiveness.

Because MoSCoW does not include an objective scoring method, your team members can fall victim to their own opinions about certain initiatives. 

One risk of using MoSCoW prioritization is that a team can mistakenly think MoSCoW itself represents an objective way of measuring the items on their list. They discuss an initiative, agree that it is a “should have,” and move on to the next.

But your team will also need an objective and consistent framework for ranking all initiatives. That is the only way to minimize your team’s biases in favor of items or against them.

When Do You Use the MoSCoW Method for Prioritization?

MoSCoW prioritization is effective for teams that want to include representatives from the whole organization in their process. You can capture a broader perspective by involving participants from various functional departments.

Another reason you may want to use MoSCoW prioritization is it allows your team to determine how much effort goes into each category. Therefore, you can ensure you’re delivering a good variety of initiatives in each release.

What Are Best Practices for Using MoSCoW Prioritization?

If you’re considering giving MoSCoW prioritization a try, here are a few steps to keep in mind. Incorporating these into your process will help your team gain more value from the MoSCoW method.

1. Choose an objective ranking or scoring system.

Remember, MoSCoW helps your team group items into the appropriate buckets—from must-have items down to your longer-term wish list. But MoSCoW itself doesn’t help you determine which item belongs in which category.

You will need a separate ranking methodology. You can choose from many, such as:

• Weighted scoring
• Value vs. complexity
• Buy-a-feature
• Opportunity scoring

For help finding the best scoring methodology for your team, check out ProductPlan’s article: 7 strategies to choose the best features for your product .

2. Seek input from all key stakeholders.

To make sure you’re placing each initiative into the right bucket—must-have, should-have, could-have, or won’t-have—your team needs context. 

At the beginning of your MoSCoW method, your team should consider which stakeholders can provide valuable context and insights. Sales? Customer success? The executive staff? Product managers in another area of your business? Include them in your initiative scoring process if you think they can help you see opportunities or threats your team might miss. 

3. Share your MoSCoW process across your organization.

MoSCoW gives your team a tangible way to show your organization prioritizing initiatives for your products or projects. 

The method can help you build company-wide consensus for your work, or at least help you show stakeholders why you made the decisions you did.

Communicating your team’s prioritization strategy also helps you set expectations across the business. When they see your methodology for choosing one initiative over another, stakeholders in other departments will understand that your team has thought through and weighed all decisions you’ve made. 

If any stakeholders have an issue with one of your decisions, they will understand that they can’t simply complain—they’ll need to present you with evidence to alter your course of action.  

Related Terms

2×2 prioritization matrix / Eisenhower matrix / DACI decision-making framework / ICE scoring model / RICE scoring model

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MoSCoW Method: How to Make the Best of Prioritization

Prioritization played a significant role in the success of most feature-rich apps, such as Slack and GitLab . Initially, they offered a limited set of functionalities that were essential for their users. With time, this set was supplemented with other features. Railsware is going to share its own style of prioritizing and show you how we use the MoSCoW method to get long lists of tasks done.

Why do you need prioritization?

As a rule, the daily routine includes a bunch of tasks. Ideally, you’ll have enough time and energy to cover all of them – but it just might happen that the number of tasks is immense and the resources available are not in abundance. That’s where prioritization comes in.

This term denotes a process to filter what you have to do in order of importance or relevance. For example, if you’re building a house, you are not likely to begin with the roof or walls until your foundation is done. Of course, things are much more complicated in the web development industry, and this example cannot reveal the full-scope value of setting priorities.

Complex projects and numerous startups make use of advanced prioritization techniques. These usually consist of frameworks known for specific requirements or rules that improve decision-making. Success in prioritization often determines the success of the company itself. Getting caught up in pending and undone tasks is a straight road to failure. That’s why businesses pay particular attention to which prioritization methods to use. There are quite a few of them, but they all have some common characteristics, such as orientation towards input (internal or external) and quantitative or qualitative tools.

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External orientation means that you need to involve stakeholders outside the development team to set priorities, while the internally-oriented methods can be executed purely in-house. Quantitative methods entail a deeper focus on numeric metrics in prioritization, and the qualitative one rests on expert opinions, votings, classifications to a greater extent. In view of this, they are traditionally divided into the following categories:

You can read about different Agile prioritization techniques in detail here . If you need, we’ve also gone more in depth on what Agile product development is in a separate article.

Railsware prefers a technique developed by Dai Clegg way back in 1994. Initially, it was named MSCW, but two o’s were added to improve pronounceability. This also made it sound like the capital city of Russia. Let’s see how it works.

What is MoSCoW?

To understand the gist of the MoSCoW method, we need to look at its origin – the dynamic systems development method (DSDM). It is a framework for Agile project management tailored by practitioners with the aim of improving quality in rapid app development (RAD) processes. A hallmark of DSDM projects is strictly determined quality, costs, and time at an early stage. In view of this, all the project tasks have to be allocated by importance. The need for managing priorities triggered the invention of a specialized prioritization mechanism.

This mechanism was implemented via MoSCoW – a simple yet powerful solution to set priorities both with and without timeboxes. However, it shows better efficiency if you have a certain deadline for a task, feature, subfeature, functionality, etc. The framework is applicable to all levels of project prioritization from top to bottom, as well as to all functions and focus areas.

The MoSCoW abbreviation (except for the o’s) is carved with first letters of the priority categories it works with. These are Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves and Won’t-haves. And that’s how you can define which task falls into which category.

Prioritization rules

These rules or requirements estimate the importance of any task/process/feature/etc. Each company or work team uses its own approach to setting requirements, but, in general, they do not differentiate much and look as follows.

These are top-priority requirements, which shape the foundation of the major pipeline. Avoiding them means blocking the entire project or further activities. As a rule, product ideation depends entirely on defining must-haves using such pointers as ‘required for launch’, ‘required for safety’, ‘required for validation’, ‘required to deliver a viable solution’, etc.

• Can we move forward with the project if this task is undone? – if NO , it’s MUST .

Should-haves

This type of requirement is of secondary priority. Should-haves do not affect the launch and, traditionally, are considered important but not crucial. They differ from must-haves by the availability of a workaround. Therefore, the failure of a should-have task is unlikely to cause the failure of the entire project. If you’re building a product, it will still be usable even if these requirements aren’t met.

• Will we move forward with the project if this task is done a bit later? – if YES , it SHOULD .

Could-haves

The next requirement is less important than the two previous ones but still wanted. If we compare could-haves with should-haves, the former is defined by a lower degree of adverse effect if omitted. Traditionally, the third-level priority requirements in the Agile framework MoSCoW are realized if a project is not highly constrained in time. Within the product development, we can call them low-cost tweaks.

• Can we sacrifice this task till the deadline? – if YES , it’s COULD .

Won’t-haves

You can also encounter this type of requirement under the name of would-have or wish-to-have, but these variants are not recognized by the Wiki . However, regardless of the chosen name, these requirements define the lowest priority for tasks that are unviable to implement with a particular budget and deadline. Won’t-have does not mean a complete rejection of something. It envisions reintroduction under favorable conditions in the future.

• Can we get back to it when things are going better? – if YES , it’s WON’T .

In search of the perfect tools and techniques, our team often modifies some well-known approaches and tailors them to our needs. This constant search and improvement led us to brand new product ideation and decision-making framework: BRIDGeS . BRIDGeS is a flexible approach for multi-context analysis suitable for building effective product strategies, solving operational and strategic problems, making day-to-day decisions , and more. Find out how to use BRIDGeS and what advantages BRIDGeS can bring to your team .  

MoSCoW is another tool that we modified to make it even more flexible and versatile. Below, we share our findings to help your team nail prioritization in a more efficient way.

How the Railsware team modified MoSCoW

The main difference between the classical MoSCoW and our version of this technique is that we added another level of prioritization within such groups as Must, Should, and Could. Each of these groups of requirements got another 4 complexity categories :

• 3 – most heavy and unclear requirements
• 2 – heavy complexity
• 1 – normal complexity
• 0 – easiest and the most urgent tasks within the group

This way, when a requirement gets, let’s say, the priority Must, we can also add a numeric matter to the letter M. For instance, our sprint can include several M2 tasks, one M1 task, and three S1 tasks.

When the task is marked with the priority “3” (M3/S3/C3), it most likely means that its scope is too large and complex to be fulfilled fast. You need to decompose it into smaller, manageable chunks and prioritize them as well. This way, from one M3 requirement, you can get a bunch of M2, S1, and C1 tasks, for example.

Sometimes, M, S, C, and W letters are not enough and we may also need an Urgent Must (UM) mark. UMs are the most critical things, such as hotfixes, bug fixes, and patches, which block the work of the whole team. From our experience, we recommend you to fix these tasks ASAP, as they hinder the team’s productive work. So if you set any task as UM, you should ignore all other tasks until the UM task is fixed. In normal situations, your bug tracking system shouldn’t have UMs.

Why do Urgent Must tasks appear? Often, UMs are the Must-haves that your team ignored before the deployment phase or missed during the QA phase. Pay attention to these tricky cases, and try to solve them before they become an obstacle.

Advantages of the modified MoSCoW approach

When we got an additional level of priorities within the MoSCoW system, we felt the following improvements:

• No need to run several rounds of task prioritization . When you have six Must-have requirements, you can’t understand which of them are the most critical or complex and run another round of prioritization. Our approach allows us to set priorities and clearly understand the importance and complexity of each task from the first round.
• Saved time . The ability to set all priorities at once saves time for all the team members who take part in the prioritization process.
• More balanced sprints. A sprint that consists only of Must-have tasks has little chance of being fulfilled. Must-haves are usually more complex requirements that guarantee the viability of a product, meaning their implementation takes more time and concentration from a developer. To dilute high-importance work with some low-hanging tasks, you can add some S0, C0, or S1 tasks to the sprint so that users get a bit more full-featured functionality of the main Must-have flows.
• More pleasant products for end users . While M3 and M2 tasks are usually crucial things necessary for the product viability, Could- and Should-haves may represent more pleasant things (changing a theme, additional filters, notifications, etc.) 

How to use MoSCoW

Everything looks simple in theory, but is it in practice? Let’s check out how a traditional MoSCoW analysis of functionality prioritizing works through the example of a regular web application. As a sample, we’re going to use basic functions taken from one of the Railsware products .

List all tasks

Prioritize cards.

Based on particular requirements for budget and time, we can single out the most fundamental features to be implemented in the minimum viable product . After the priority analysis, we’ve got the following:

• A user MUST sign up.
• A user MUST log in.
• A user MUST reset password.
• A user MUST open a time-tracking page.

The top-priority tasks are followed by important, though not vital,functionalities for the app. These are:

• A user SHOULD choose the billing system.
• A user SHOULD delete an account.
• A user SHOULD choose time-tracking options.

The evolution of the app does foresee its availability on mobile devices. However, this task is only nice-to-have at this point.

• A user COULD install a mobile app version.

And now the least-priority feature. It aims at enhancing the user experience once the app is on track. Theme selectability is definitely not what we’re going to make now, so this feature is saved for later.

• A user WON’T choose the app’s visual theme THIS TIME.

Restructure cards according to their priority

This step allows you to see the quantitative ratio of high and low priority tasks.

The most difficult thing about prioritization is to be icily intelligent and focus on the essential tasks to be done. Otherwise, you can get into the EVERYTHING-IS-MUST trap , according to which any feature like the billing system option or mobile app availability turns into the must-have.

And that’s why the MoSCoW Agile method is cool. It allows you to define a basic feature set, which has top priority and emphasizes that you do not need to abandon anything. The healthy balance of must-haves + should-haves is 50% of the entire scope. All (or almost all) of the tasks will be implemented later but in the order of their importance to your goal. The goal of this example is to build an MVP , and the categorization above shows the expected progress of the app’s functionality.

How to use modified MoSCoW

We took the same example with all the tasks listed above to showcase how we apply our version of this prioritization technique.

Set priorities using the extended MoSCoW model

The main priority (Must, Should, Could, and Won’t) are still the same, however, we dived deeper to make a more precise priority estimation of each task. Here’s what we came up with:

• “A user can sign up” got an M2 mark. It is a complex task, but it’s not critically urgent.
• “A user can log in” got an M1 mark. The task is important but not that complex.
• “A user can reset password” got an M1 mark. 
• “A user can choose the billing system” got an S3 mark. It’s an important feature, but its scope is large and should be split.
• “A user can delete the account” got an S2 mark. 
• “A user can open a time-tracking page” got an M2 mark. 
• “A user can choose time-tracking options” got an S1 mark. This is a low-hanging feature that can be taken to a sprint to balance the workload.  
• “A user can install a mobile app version” got a C3 mark. This epic is too large to be implemented in one sprint. Its scope should be split into smaller tasks and prioritized as well.
• “A user can choose the app’s visual theme” got the same priority mark – Won’t, which we do not decompose.

Our modified approach provides a better understanding of the task’s priority and complexity and shows the parts that need to be reconsidered. This way, it’s easier to plan a balanced sprint, taking only tasks that can be implemented (all cards with the priority “3” should be split into smaller tasks) and some small tasks that allow your team to reduce the workload. 

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MoSCoW pros and cons

The framework is quite popular among Agile projects with fixed timeboxes since it allows for managing the requirements for a specific release of a product. This prioritization method has proved its efficiency and reliability within our company as well, and we do recommend it to our clients. However, it is not perfect of course, and an unbiased look can reveal some flaws associated with MoSCoW technique. Let’s take a look at its strengths and weaknesses.

MoSCoW prioritization at Railsware

Let’s take a look at how we set priorities within the company.

Product development: we rest upon a roadmap where the product features and the order of their implementation are specified. As a rule, we leverage MoSCoW to define which feature goes first, which comes second, and so on, taking into account their importance and the interdependence of features. Must-haves and Should-haves are meant for the product release. Could-haves and Won’t-haves are postponed for the future.

HR and recruitment: prioritization rests upon such requirements as the demand for particular expertise, budget availability, timebox (how urgently we need this expertise), and so on. We leverage the similar patterns of setting priorities in other focus areas including on-boarding, branding, marketing, etc.

The biggest challenge of the methodology is that all stakeholders must be familiar with enough context to estimate features correctly. Besides, stakeholders that represent different functions like sales, development, marketing have their own vision of setting priorities, which not always works towards correct prioritization. Investors usually treat all features as Must-haves from their broad-based perspective and need them done without any respect of their implementation order.

Railsware has a Holacratic organizational structure . We take advantage of collective leadership based on the RASCI model and make decisions on different things including prioritization through voting. Team members can choose from several options like really want, want and don’t want. Each option implies a particular point. The option with the biggest point total has the highest priority. For small contexts, a responsible role (team leader, project manager, etc.) can be in charge of setting priorities on his/her own.

MoSCoW alternatives you may find useful for your project

Railsware uses Agile framework MoSCoW heavily and is pleased with it. However, it does not mean that we are closed to other solutions. Besides, a good product manager must consider the key product metrics and build the prioritization according to them. So here are some other worthwhile techniques that you may benefit from.

With this framework, you can define how happy the users are with product features. The Kano Model rests on a questionnaire, which is used to learn users’ attitude to a particular feature (like, expect, dislike, neutral, etc.). Visually, the model can be expressed via a two-dimensional diagram where the vertical axis is responsible for the level of user satisfaction (from totally frustrated to incredibly happy) and the horizontal one shows either how much was invested in the feature (Investment), how well was it implemented (Implementation), or how much users benefit from it (Functionality).

Categorization of requirements includes four types that are prioritized in the following order: must-be, performance, attractive, and indifferent. Must-bes are some basic things that users generally expect. Performance (also known as One-Dimensional) requirements are the golden mean and allow you to increase the satisfaction level. Attractive requirements are those that improve user experience. These are nice-to-haves or could-haves according to MoSCoW. Indifferent ones are less prioritized and sometimes even entirely omitted.

Value vs. Complexity

This prioritization technique is one of the simplest. You can encounter it under the names of Value vs. Cost or Value vs. Effort as well. The method feels intuitive and is aimed at maximizing value delivery. Estimation of features’ importance rests upon how much effort is invested to implement them and how much value they will bring. Here is how it looks visually:

Wrapping up

The art of setting priorities shows the efficiency of your workflow. Railsware’s choice is the MoSCoW project management framework, which has made a good showing in versatile functionalities and products. However, it might be less useful for immense projects with multiple teams involved in the pipeline. We advise you to find an effective prioritization solution that fits your unique needs, and to always avoid getting caught up in countless pending tasks.

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The MoSCoW method for prioritization: A guide for agile teams

In the messy world of technology, there is an immeasurable demand for the resources from product and development teams. This is where prioritization comes into play.

Prioritization is one of the core responsibilities of the product manager. With the proper prioritization framework and/or criteria, the product manager can save their team resources while moving closer to the business goals.

In this article, we will dive deep into one of the most widely used prioritization techniques, the MoSCoW method.

What is the MoSCoW method?

The MoSCoW method (also known as MoSCoW analysis) is one of many qualitative prioritization techniques used to prioritize features, user stories, and requirements.

The MoSCoW method groups the features into four groups:

• Should-have
• Could-have (or nice-to-have)

1. Must-have

Features or stories are critical for the product’s success. These features represent the non-negotiables which, if not implemented successfully, might put the product at risk of failing.

For example, let’s say you are the PM of a university’s e-learning system. A must-have feature might be the assignment submission feature because it serves a primary and essential need for both ideal customer profiles.

2. Should-have

This classification represents the features that are important, but not as crucial as the must-haves. These features, if not implemented, can cause a severe risk to the product’s success, but their risk is lower than the must-haves.

Typically, product teams use this classification for minor bug fixes and/or performance improvement initiatives.

Returning to our example, a should-have feature for our e-learning system might be an integrated plagiarism tool for teachers to use. This can be a should-have because it would not stop the teachers from doing their work, but not implementing it might lead them to churn and move to other platforms that save them time.

3. Could-have (or nice-to-have)

This classification represents desirable features that are not important to the core function of the product. Not implementing this feature will not cause any risk or failure.

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Could-have features might help your product or do nothing at all. Features that are tagged with the could-have classification end up deprioritized and treated as a sprint filler.

For our e-learning, one feature could be the ability for the teachers to message other students through the platform. This is nice-to-have because this problem is typically dealt with through email and other platforms.

4. Won’t-have

This classification represents features that are not aligned with the vision and the strategy of the product. These are the features requested by other departments or stakeholders, but are entirely irrelevant.

If we were to reflect this in our e-learning example, this might be a feature that enables teachers to develop a curriculum collaboratively on the platform. This feature is a won’t-have because it doesn’t align with the vision of the product because the product is intended to mainly serve the students.

MoSCoW prioritization template

The MoSCoW prioritization method can be used to prioritize both the product backlog and the sprint backlog . This tells engineers what they need to deliver first and gives them an idea of what task could potentially spill over into the next sprint.

Below is a simple template that can get you up and running with the MoSCoW prioritization technique:

History of the MoSCoW method

The MoSCoW method was introduced first in 1994 by Dai Clegg , a British business consultant and software engineer.

Clegg was working on a software project with the British government and was looking for a method to prioritize the system requirements based on their urgency and criticality. He came up with the MoSCoW method to rank and prioritize the features and ensure the right investments were put into the top features.

How to use the MoSCoW prioritization method (5 steps)

Using the MoSCoW in the real world is more than tagging features with four different tags. It requires additional steps to ensure the proper prioritization is put into place and that features align with your stakeholders.

To apply the MoSCoW prioritization method in product management, take the following steps:

1. Groom your features

It is always a best practice to start by listing your features in your product backlog. Add some details to them like the basic idea of the feature, some simple user flows, and wireframes, and meet with your engineers/technical navigators, or system analysts to check on the technical feasibility and the edge cases.

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2. Prioritize initially

After you have all of your features groomed, start prioritizing them. Classify them into must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have. Prioritize based on the available resources and insights gathered from any user research and product analytics.

3. Align with your stakeholders

Present your initial priority to your stakeholders. Gather their input and try to persuade them of your priority based on the insights and the data you have.

Don’t leave the meeting without alignment on the priority of each feature. The outcome of the meeting should be a prioritized list agreed on by each and every stakeholder.

4. Adjust your roadmap and announce

After finalizing the backlog, make sure to give it a final review and announce it publicly using your internal roadmap and any communication channel that includes all the stakeholders.

5. Communicate continuously

We are in the agile era . That means we should embrace change and understand that changes happen all the time.

A feature that is a could-have in this quarter might be a must-have in the next one. So make sure to communicate changes in the business and feature priorities continuously with your stakeholders.

Ensure all the related documents, like the roadmap and the backlog , are updated accordingly and on a timely basis to avoid any miscommunication and to make sure that everyone is aligned on the timeline and the priorities.

Final thoughts

The MoSCoW method is one of the most powerful and widely used prioritization techniques worldwide. It helps classify features and initiatives into four groups.

For the MoSCoW method to be applied effectively and deliver the intended value, it should include a lot of stakeholder alignment and involvement. The product manager should dedicate more time to the must-have features to come up with a killer solution that helps solve the major problem for the users.

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8 Projects that Exemplify Moscow's Urban Movement

• Written by Marie Chatel
• Published on July 27, 2016

When it comes to urbanism these days, people’s attention is increasingly turning to Moscow . The city clearly intends to become one of the world’s leading megacities in the near future and is employing all necessary means to achieve its goal, with the city government showing itself to be very willing to invest in important urban developments (though not without some criticism ).

A key player in this plan has been the Moscow Urban Forum . Although the forum’s stated goal is to find adequate designs for future megacities, a major positive side-effect is that it enables the city to organize the best competitions, select the best designers, and build the best urban spaces to promote the city of Moscow. The Forum also publishes research and academic documents to inform Moscow’s future endeavors; for example, Archaeology of the Periphery , a publication inspired by the 2013 forum and released in 2014, notably influenced the urban development on the outskirts of Moscow, but also highlighted the importance of combining urban development with the existing landscape.

Concluding earlier this month, the 2016 edition of the Moscow Urban Forum focused on smart cities and the impact of technology on the ways we interact with people and use public infrastructure and civic spaces. The 2016 Forum invited city officials, urbanists, and architectural practitioners – including Yuri Grigoryan from Project MEGANOM ; Pei Zhu from Studio Pei Zhu ; Hani Rashid from Asymptote ; Reinier de Graaf from OMA ; Yosuke Hayano from MAD Architects ; and Kengo Kuma from Kengo Kuma Architects – to share about their knowledge and experiences in urban design. With the city looking forward to the built results of the latest Forum, we take a look back at some of the major developments in Moscow that have emerged in the past five years.

1) Gorky Park and Garage Museum

In 2010 the city government decided to improve Muscovites’ urban environment and create public spaces, and Gorky Park was the first project of note. The Russian equivalent of Central Park, it used to attract masses of tourists to its amusement park, but no residents would spend time there. Its reconstruction began in 2011 and featured infrastructure for strolling, sport, work, culture and leisure.

Inside the park lies the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art , a landmark building from the Brezhnev communist era which was renovated and transformed by OMA in 2015. The Dutch firm kept the original structure “as found,” only repairing elements from its prefabricated concrete walls – often clad with brick and decorative green tiles. Instead, the redesign focused on a double-skin facade of polycarbonate plastic that enclosed the original structure and preserved it from decay.

2) Zaryadye Park, Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Due to open in 2018, Zaryadye Park designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro is probably one of Moscow ’s most cutting-edge projects. Located next to the Kremlin, the Red Square, and St Basil’s Cathedral, the project embodies what the architects calls “Wild Urbanism.” The project notably includes four artificial microclimates that mimic Russian landscape typologies: the steppe, the forest, the wetland and tundra. “It is a park for Russia made from Russia,” as Charles Renfro explains , in that “it samples the natures of Russia and merges them with the city, to become a design that could only happen here. It embodies a wild urbanism, a place where architecture and landscape are one.”

3) Moscow Riverfront, Project Meganom

Russian firm Project Meganom has also designed an ambitious project for Moscow ’s riverfront. Their masterplan also aims for a dialogue between the built and natural environment. A series of linear green spaces follow the river, and lines for pedestrians, cyclists, cars, and public transport are clearly delineated, improving the use of the public squares. River embankments are also transformed to function as areas for activities, communication, education and creativity nodes for public gathering.

4) Krymskaya Embankment, Wowhaus Architecture Bureau

Wowhaus Architecture Bureau recently transformed the 4-lane road at Krymskaya Embankment into a landscape park that connects Gorky Park with Krymsky bridge. The area used to be deserted, but is now reactivated with distinct transit and sport zones, as well as pavilions for artists’ exhibitions. Wave-shaped bicycle ramps, paths, and benches feature on the artificial landscape, which is also used for sledding, skiing, and skating in the winter.

5) Hermitage Museum and ZiL Tower in Moscow, Asymptote Architecture

New York architectural firm Asymptote Architecture are currently building two projects, a 150-meter residential tower and a satellite facility for St Petersburg’s well-known Hermitage Museum , where modern and contemporary art collections will be displayed. Situated in one of Moscow ’s oldest industrial areas, Asymptote’s buildings will lie in place of a Constructivist factory – which explains why the museum was reportedly inspired by El Lissitzky's "Proun" painting, as the terrace interior clearly shows.

6) “My Street”

“My Street” is the largest-scale program led by Moscow ’s government. The project aims to create about 50 kilometers of new pedestrian zones within the city center and periphery. The extensive program aims to solve parking issues, renovate street facades, and repair sidewalks and walkways with delimited areas for public transports, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. “My Street” also requires a strong governance strategy and coordination; led by the Strelka Institute’s consultation arm KB Strelka , the project also involves 17 Russian and foreign architecture practices that were all individually in charge of one street, square or group of streets. Notable architects include the German firm Topotek 1 , the Dutch group West 8 , and the Russian firm Tsimailo , Lyashenko and Partners.

7) Moscow Metro

Moscow Metro is an architectural masterpiece that has been elaborated on since the 1920s. Its stations from the Stalin era are known for their unique designs with high ceilings, elaborate chandeliers and fine granite and marble cladding. To ensure that Moscow Metro remains an emblem of the city’s urban culture and powerful transportation system, the city’s government organized various competitions for the renovation of some Metro stations. Russian-based practice Nefa Architects was chosen to redesign Moscow’s Solntsevo Metro Station, while Latvian firm U-R-A will transform Novoperedelkino Subway Station . New stations are also being built, including two stations by Russian firms Timur Bashkayev Architectural Bureau and Buromoscow which should be completed by the end of 2018.

8) Luzhniki Stadium

Luzhniki Stadium is Moscow ’s main venue for sporting and cultural events. With Russia hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup , the stadium should reflect Moscow’s intent to become a leading megacity, which is why $540 million has been spent on construction works. Its renovation mainly focuses on the roof and seating areas, and the capacity is planned to increase up to 81,000 seats. Works will be completed by 2017.

Find out more information and talks on Moscow’s urban development and the future of megacities on Moscow Urban Forum’s YouTube channel .

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Home » Agile Development » Prioritizing Requirements with MoSCoW Method: A Guide for Agile Projects

Prioritizing Requirements with MoSCoW Method: A Guide for Agile Projects

• Posted on March 28, 2023
• / Under Agile & Scrum , Agile Development , Project Management

The MoSCoW method is a prioritization technique used in project management, software development, and business analysis. It helps to prioritize requirements based on their importance and urgency, and allows project managers to allocate resources and budget accordingly. In this article, we will explore the MoSCoW method and provide an example of its implementation.

What is the MoSCoW Method?

The MoSCoW method is a prioritization technique that categorizes requirements into four groups: Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and Won’t-haves. The acronym MoSCoW stands for:

• Must have: critical requirements that are essential for the project’s success. These requirements are mandatory and must be included in the project scope.
• Should have: important requirements that are necessary for the project’s success but can be delayed if necessary. These requirements are important, but not critical, and can be deferred to a later phase of the project.
• Could have: desirable requirements that are not essential for the project’s success, but can enhance the project’s value. These requirements are optional and can be included if time and budget allow.
• Won’t have: requirements that are not needed for the project’s success and are not included in the project scope.

The MoSCoW method helps project managers prioritize requirements based on their importance and urgency. It allows them to focus on the critical requirements and allocate resources and budget accordingly.

Example of MoSCoW Method

Let’s consider an example of a software development project to understand how the MoSCoW method works.

Suppose a company wants to develop a new mobile app for its customers. The app should allow customers to order products, track their orders, and receive notifications. The company also wants to include some additional features to make the app more appealing to customers.

The project team identifies the following requirements:

• Must have: The app must allow customers to order products, track their orders, and receive notifications.
• Should have: The app should have a search feature that allows customers to search for products, and a payment feature that allows customers to pay for their orders using various payment methods.
• Could have: The app could have a loyalty program feature that rewards customers for their purchases, and a referral program feature that incentivizes customers to refer the app to their friends and family.
• Won’t have: The app won’t have a social media integration feature that allows customers to share their purchases on social media platforms.

Using the MoSCoW method, the project team has prioritized the requirements based on their importance and urgency. The must-have requirements are critical for the success of the project and must be included in the app. The should-have requirements are important, but can be deferred to a later phase of the project if necessary. The could-have requirements are optional and can be included if time and budget allow. The won’t-have requirements are not needed for the project’s success and are not included in the project scope.

Real-life Example – CRM System

Project Description: Development of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System

The objective of this Agile project is to develop a CRM system for a small business that specializes in providing customized solutions to its clients. The CRM system will be designed to streamline the sales process and improve customer interactions, allowing the business to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The project will follow the Agile methodology, which involves iterative and incremental development. The Agile team will work closely with the client to gather requirements, develop prototypes, and deliver functional software increments in short iterations, typically two weeks.

Identify a List of User Stories

To create the list of user stories, you can considered the different roles that would interact with the system, such as sales representatives, managers, and customers, and thought about the various tasks they would need to perform in order to achieve their goals. you can also considered the different types of data that would need to be stored and managed within the system, such as customer information, sales data, and marketing campaigns.

Based on this analysis, you can then generated a list of user stories that covered a broad range of functionality, from lead tracking and customer service, to sales proposals and reporting. The list of user stories is intended to provide a starting point for the development team to use in prioritizing and planning the development of the CRM system.

Here is a list of user stories for the CRM system development project:

• As a sales representative, I want to be able to track all of my leads in one place so that I can easily manage my sales pipeline.
• As a sales manager, I want to be able to view and monitor my team’s progress in real-time so that I can provide coaching and support as needed.
• As a customer service representative, I want to be able to view all of a customer’s interactions with our company so that I can provide personalized support.
• As a marketing manager, I want to be able to segment our customers based on their preferences and behavior so that I can target them with relevant campaigns.
• As a customer, I want to be able to view my purchase history and account information so that I can easily manage my relationship with the company.
• As a customer service representative, I want to be able to log and track customer complaints and inquiries so that I can ensure that they are addressed in a timely manner.
• As a sales representative, I want to be able to generate quotes and proposals quickly and easily so that I can close deals faster.
• As an administrator, I want to be able to manage user permissions and access levels so that I can control who has access to sensitive information.
• As a sales representative, I want to be able to schedule and manage appointments with my clients so that I can stay organized and on top of my schedule.
• As a manager, I want to be able to generate reports on sales performance, customer satisfaction, and other metrics so that I can make informed business decisions.

These user stories cover a range of functionality that the CRM system should provide. The development team can use these user stories to prioritize the most important features for the system, and to ensure that the system meets the needs of all stakeholders.

In table format, let’s present a clear and concise summary of the 10 user stories related to a business scenario to provide an overview of the user stories.

The table provides information on the user role, the specific goal they want to achieve, and the user story number to easily reference each story. By organizing the user stories in a table, it is easier to understand and prioritize the features that need to be developed to meet the needs of the stakeholders involved in the project. This table can serve as a reference for the development team to design and implement features that align with the needs of the end-users and stakeholders.

Prioritize the User Stories

It is important to prioritize the user stories based on their business value and impact on the project goals. This ensures that the development effort is focused on the most important and valuable features, and that the project can be delivered on time and within budget.

Prioritization can be done using various techniques such as the MoSCoW method, which categorizes user stories as “must-haves,” “should-haves,” “could-haves,” and “won’t-haves.” User stories categorized as “must-haves” are the most critical and should be developed first, while “should-haves” and “could-haves” can be developed later in subsequent iterations or releases.

Here’s a table for the 10 user stories mentioned earlier, with the relevant information and prioritization based on the MoSCoW method:

In this table, the user stories are listed in order of priority, with the “must-have” features listed first, followed by the “should-haves” and “could-haves.” The “won’t-haves” feature is not planned for implementation in this project, but may be considered for future development.

By prioritizing the user stories, the development team can ensure that the most critical features are developed first, providing value to the stakeholders and enabling the project to meet its objectives within the time and budget constraints.

Example: A Scrum Development Plan for the CRM

here is a high-level outline for a Scrum development plan to start the agile project. However, the specific details of the plan will depend on the project requirements, team structure, and other factors. Here’s an example of a Scrum development plan:

• Define the Product Backlog: The first step is to define the product backlog, which is a prioritized list of all the features, functionalities, and requirements that need to be implemented in the project. This backlog will be maintained throughout the project and will be continually refined and updated based on the changing needs of the stakeholders.
• Conduct Sprint Planning: After the product backlog has been defined, the team will conduct a sprint planning meeting to select a set of user stories from the backlog to be developed in the upcoming sprint. The team will estimate the effort required for each user story, and select the user stories that can be completed within the sprint timeframe.
• Conduct Daily Scrum Meetings : Once the sprint has started, the team will conduct daily scrum meetings to review progress, identify any obstacles or challenges, and adjust the plan as needed. The daily scrum meetings should be short and focused, with each team member providing an update on their progress.
• Develop the Product Increment: During the sprint, the team will work on developing the selected user stories, focusing on delivering a working product increment by the end of the sprint. The team will collaborate closely, with developers, testers, and other team members working together to deliver the product increment.
• Conduct Sprint Review: At the end of the sprint, the team will conduct a sprint review meeting to demonstrate the product increment to the stakeholders, gather feedback, and review the progress made during the sprint.
• Conduct Sprint Retrospective: After the sprint review, the team will conduct a sprint retrospective meeting to review the sprint process, identify areas for improvement, and plan for the next sprint.
• Repeat the process: The team will repeat this process for each subsequent sprint, continuing to refine and update the product backlog, and focusing on delivering a working product increment at the end of each sprint.

This Scrum development plan provides a framework for managing the agile project, with regular meetings and reviews to ensure that the project is on track and delivering value to the stakeholders.

The article discusses the MoSCoW method, which is a prioritization technique used in Agile project management to prioritize project requirements. The MoSCoW method divides requirements into four categories: Must-have, Should-have, Could-have, and Won’t-have. The article provides a real-life example of an Agile project and how to identify user stories for the project. The user stories are then prioritized using the MoSCoW method, with the Must-have requirements given top priority.

The article also outlines a Scrum development plan, which includes defining the product backlog, conducting sprint planning, daily scrum meetings, developing the product increment, sprint review, sprint retrospective, and repeating the process. The Scrum development plan provides a framework for managing the Agile project, ensuring that the project is on track, and delivering value to stakeholders.

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MoSCoW Method: How to Maximize Prioritization in Development

Written By Ahmed Shahid – Last Modified On April 22, 2024

The technique of assigning relative importance to various aspects of a set of things is known as prioritization. It is necessary in product planning to assign a priority ranking to each of the projects that are stored in the backlog in order to determine what should be created next.

In product designing and development , MoSCoW prioritization method is one of the most commonly used methods because it is the simplest and most practical to determine the right  software development lifecycle  to make your team most productive.

What is MoSCoW Prioritization?

The MoSCoW technique is a four-step process for determining which aspects of a project deserve the highest priority in order to get the greatest benefit (ROI). The o’s in MoSCoW were added so that the abbreviation would be easier to say. MoSCoW is an acronym that stands for must have, should have, could have, and will not have.

The MoSCoW approach is utilized in a wide range of different company specializations. It makes it possible for everyone working on a project to be aware of what tasks need to be accomplished first and how completing those tasks will contribute to the project’s goals of increasing revenue, reducing operating costs, improving productivity, or boosting customer happiness. 

When it comes to the business side of things, it can assist stakeholders frame talks about the value of particular product characteristics when selecting a software provider. The MoSCoW technique plays a significant part in Agile project management on the information technology (IT) side by assisting project teams in prioritizing story points.

In addition, putting needs in order of importance allows project teams to have a better understanding of the amount of time and resources that will be necessary for each component of the project. With this information, the team will be able to better manage their time and projects. In addition, it increases the chances of finishing tasks before deadlines and maximizes return on investment.

When working on a DSDM project with a predetermined amount of time, it is essential to have a solid understanding of the relative significance of the work that has to be completed in order to make headway and meet deadlines. Prioritization may be applied to a variety of different things, including demands, tasks, products, use scenarios, assessment criteria, and tests; however, requirements/User Stories are the areas in which it is used most frequently. A particularly effective method of creating requirements in an agile manner is to use user stories.

By outlining distinct criteria for each degree of importance, MoSCoW prioritization is able to evade one of the most significant challenges presented by less sophisticated prioritizing methods.

The use of a straightforward high, medium, or low categorization is less effective due to the absence of definitions for these priorities or the necessity of their definitions. This classification does not in any way give the company a clear indication of what to anticipate in the future. A classification system that just offers one option in the center, such as “medium,” leaves room for uncertainty.

The use of a straightforward sequential priority, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., is less powerful since it manages items of comparable significance in a less efficient manner. There is a possibility of lengthy and intense debates on whether or not an item should be positioned one spot higher or lower.

This item and the expectations for its completion are made abundantly plain by the particular use of the phrases “Must Have,” “Should Have,” “Could Have,” and “Won’t Have” at this time.

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In 1994, Dai Clegg provided Oracle with consultancy services related to software development. Teams were adopting RAD which stands for, Rapid Application Development, but they had limited time, which motivated Dai Clegg to establish the MoSCoW rule to assist prioritize development work during product releases.

In the early 2000s, the rule known as MoSCoW gained widespread acceptance within the agile project delivery framework known as DSDM (Dynamic Systems Development Method). DSDM is an initiative that aims to enhance RAD development.

Fixing the criteria for cost, quality, and timing at the very beginning of the project is one such technique. This is crucial. MoSCoW is an appropriate solution.

The usefulness of the MoSCoW principles for decision-making has become more obvious as the agile methodology has gained favor. Within the context of the agile framework, the MoSCoW approach of prioritization is currently seeing widespread use.

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MoSCoW Prioritization: What are the best practices?

Here are a few measures to keep in mind if you’re thinking about giving MoSCoW prioritizing a go in your organization. If your team is using the MoSCoW technique, including these in your process can help your group get more value out of it.

1. Decide How to Number Each Category

MoSCoW assists your team in categorizing products into the proper groups, ranging from items that are an absolute must to items that may be added to a wish list for the future. However, MoSCoW by itself does not provide any assistance in determining which items should be placed in which categories.

You will need to come up with your own method of ranking. You have several options to pick from, including the following:

• The use of weighted scoring
• Value vs. sophistication
• Kano method
• Opportunity evaluation and scoring

2. Make Your MoSCoW Process More Organized

You may be able to develop support for your work throughout the whole organization using this strategy, or at the very least, it may assist you in demonstrating to stakeholders why you made the choices that you did in this situation.

Your team now has a concrete approach to demonstrate to your company which activities should be prioritized for your products or projects thanks to MoSCoW.

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When you communicate the priority plan of your team to the rest of the organization, it helps you set expectations for everyone. Stakeholders in other departments will realize that your team has carefully considered and balanced all of the decisions you’ve made once they see your approach for picking one campaign over another and when they observe how you arrived at that conclusion.

If any of the stakeholders in the project have a problem with one of your choices, they will be aware that they cannot just complain; rather, they will be required to give you proof in order to change your plan of action.

3. Involve All of Your Important Stakeholders in the Process

Your team requires context to ensure that each project is placed in the appropriate bucket—must-have, should-have, could-have, or won’t-have.

As part of your MoSCoW process, your team should assess which stakeholders can contribute useful context and insights. Sales?

Is it possible to achieve customer satisfaction?

Is this referring to the top levels of management? 

Is there a product manager in another part of your company? 

If you believe they can assist you in identifying potential possibilities or risks that your team may have overlooked, consider including them in your initiative scoring process.

How Does MoSCoW Prioritization Work?

Certain steps must be taken prior to conducting a MoSCoW analysis. First, key stakeholders and the product team need to be on the same page about the goals and priorities of the project. The next step is for everyone to agree on which objectives should be given top priority.

Your team should also talk about how to resolve differences over priority settings at this time. You may assist keep development from being slowed down by figuring out how to handle arguments before they arise.

Finally, it’s important to agree on the percentage of resources that should be allocated to each of the categories. You may now begin the process of deciding which category is best suited for you.

Categories of MoSCoW Prioritization

  1- Must-Have. 

This category contains activities for your team that are considered “musts,” as the name of the category indicates. They indicate requirements for the project, product, or release in an issue that cannot be negotiated away. For instance, if you are going to release an application for the healthcare industry, one of the must-have initiatives may be security functions that assist in the upkeep of compliance.

In order for the team to earn credit for the “must-have” category, they are required to carry out an essential step. They can be defined by:

• Without this, there is no sense in delivering on the target date; similarly, there would be no value in deploying the solution on the planned date if it were not provided.
• Risky in the absence of it
• Without it, we are unable to provide a solution that is viable.

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 2- Should-Have. 

The projects that should be pursued are only one level below the must-haves. They are not absolutely necessary for the completion of the product, project, or release; nonetheless, their presence is highly recommended. The functionality of the product or project is not affected if anything is omitted. Nevertheless, the projects may provide a substantial amount of value.

The distinction between “should-have” efforts and “must-have” initiatives lies in the fact that the former can be put on the schedule for a subsequent release without having an effect on the latter. Initiatives that “should have” been done, for instance, include performance enhancements, minor bug repairs, and the addition of new features. The product is still functional even without them. They can be defined as:

• Not critical, but still important.
• It might be difficult to exclude, but a solution is still a workable option.
• Possible requirements include the managing of expectations, the acceptance of some level of inefficiency, the use of an existing solution, documentation, and so on. It’s possible that the workaround is only a temporary solution.

3- Could-Have.

Nice-to-have initiatives are another term that may be used to refer to “could-have” actions. Initiatives that “could-have” been taken are not essential to the primary operation of the product. However, in comparison to other projects that “should have been done,” their absence has a considerably less significant bearing on the final result.

Therefore, projects that were assigned to the “could have” category are frequently the first ones to lose their priority if a project that was assigned to the “should have” or “must-have” category turns out to be more extensive than anticipated.

• Desirable, yet of secondary importance
• Less effect compared to should have if left out

 4- Won’t Have.

One of the advantages of using the MoSCoW technique is that it automatically assigns several projects to the “will not have” category. It is possible for the category to manage expectations on what the team will not add in a certain release (or another period that you are prioritizing).

One strategy that may be utilized to assist in the prevention of scope creep is to place efforts in the category of “will not have.” If an effort falls into this category, the team is aware that it is not a priority for the time that is being considered.

The “will-not-have” group contains a number of efforts, some of which will be emphasized in the future while others are highly unlikely to occur. Some of the teams have come to the conclusion that the best way to separate themselves from others is to establish a subcategory inside this larger group.

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How Development Teams Can Use Moscow Prioritization Method?

Although this method was devised to assist in prioritizing activities around the constrained amount of time that teams had available, the MoSCoW method is useful even when development teams are faced with limits other than time. Take, for instance:

1. Prioritize Skill Sets

It’s possible that a cross-functional team may find that the experience and knowledge of its developers place a limit on what they can do. This limiting factor will be taken into consideration when the team is ranking those items in their MoSCoW analysis if the product roadmap asks for features that the team does not have the capabilities to create.

2. Budget-Based Priorities

What happens if the constraining factor for a development team is not a timetable but rather a strict budget that the corporation requires? 

MoSCoW may be used by the team, in conjunction with the product managers, to determine which efforts constitute must-haves and which represent should-haves as the first step in the process. The group will then be able to determine which tasks they are able to carry out by consulting the financial plan for the department of development.

3. Prioritize corporate needs

It is possible for cross-functional teams to run across roadblocks caused by different goals inside the firm. The group is eager to make headway on a new product release; however, the executive staff has set stringent timelines for further product releases to be completed within the same timeframe. In this scenario, the team may utilize MoSCoW to evaluate which components of their targeted release represent must-haves and temporarily backlog anything else that is not one of the must-haves.

Benefits of using the MoSCoW technique 

Dividing the tasks of your team into categories according to their importance during the development can have many advantages in planning the sprints and a map of how to build the application in the most efficient way. MoSCoW prioritization can have the following benefits:

 1. Speed 

When you have several must-have initiatives and don’t know what order to follow during development, you’ll have to run several rounds of prioritization. It can make you slow. 

This method allows speed and efficiency.

2. Efficiency

Development with more efficiency and speed saves time thus cutting down costs by reducing development time.

3. Smaller more Achievable Tasks

If a sprint solely includes “must-have” tasks, there is a slim probability that it will be completed successfully. Because must-haves are often needs that are more difficult and serve to ensure the sustainability of a product, the process of implementing them requires a greater investment of time and focus on the part of a developer. You can add some S0, C0, or S1 activities to the sprint in order to dilute high-importance work with some low-hanging jobs. This will ensure that consumers receive somewhat more comprehensive functionality of the primary Must-have processes.

4. Better Features

Should and could have initiatives help create a more pleasant product for users because they represent extra features or premium feel to the  product.

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Drawbacks of MoSCoW Prioritization

Even while many design/development teams have made MoSCoW a priority method, there are possible problems associated with the method. The following are some examples:

1. Unreliable scoring can misclassify jobs

One of the most prevalent complaints leveled against MoSCoW is that it does not provide a technique that is objective for evaluating different projects against one another. This technique is going to be necessary for the analysis that your team is doing. The only way for the MoSCoW method to be effective is to guarantee that your team will use a uniform score system for all of the initiatives.

A tried and true technique is called weighted scoring, and it entails your team evaluating each endeavor in your backlog by comparing it to a standard set of cost and benefit criteria. In the road map app provided by ProductPlan, you have the option to apply the weighted scoring method.

2. Team prejudice can impede MoSCoW’s efficacy

MoSCoW does not offer an objective grading mechanism, the members of your team are susceptible to being swayed by their own viewpoints towards particular activities.

One of the potential drawbacks of utilizing MoSCoW to determine priorities is the possibility that a group would erroneously believe that MoSCoW itself is an objective means of evaluating the things on their list. 

They discuss a proposal, come to the conclusion that it is a “should have,” and then go on to the following one.

However, your team will also want a framework that is objective and consistent in order to rate all of the efforts. This is the only method to reduce the amount of prejudice that your team has in favor of or against particular products.

3. Not including all stakeholders might lead to miscategorized things

You will need as much information as you can get your hands on in order to determine which of the efforts that your team is working on constitute must-haves for your product and which are just should-haves.

For instance, you could require a member of your sales staff to provide feedback about the perceived significance (or lack thereof) of a proposed new feature from potential customers.

If your team does not get feedback from all of the essential stakeholders, you run the risk of making bad judgments on where to slot each initiative when using the MoSCoW technique. This is one of the system’s potential pitfalls.

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Although MoSCoW (Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Will not Have) is typically used to prioritize needs, the concept is applicable in a great number of other areas as well. The DSDM methodology suggests allocating no more than 60 percent of the whole project work to Must-Have needs and maintaining a reasonable pool of Could-Haves, which typically takes up around 20 percent of the total project effort. If the environment and any technology are not well known, the team is not well established, and the external risks are not small, then anything above sixty percent of the work must be considered a have and poses a danger to the success and predictability of the project.

Interested in how the MoSCoW method can help us plan your next project? Hit us up for more information.

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What exactly is the MoSCoW strategy for prioritization?

Prioritization based on the MoSCoW model, which is also known as the MoSCoW approach or MoSCoW analysis, is a strategy that is commonly used for the management of needs. The abbreviation MoSCoW refers to four distinct types of initiatives: those that are a must-have, those that should have been done, those that could have been done, and those that will not be done at this time.

What does the acronym MoSCoW stand for?

The o’s in MoSCoW were added so that the abbreviation would be easier to say. MoSCoW is an acronym that stands for must have, should have, could have, and will not have. The MoSCoW approach is utilized in a wide range of different company specializations.

What exactly does MoSCoW imply when it comes to agile?

Although MoSCoW (Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Will not Have) is typically used to prioritize needs, the concept is applicable in a great number of other areas as well.

Is the backlog a top priority for MoSCoW?

The Product Owner is the one who is in charge of preparing the Product Backlog and assigning priorities to the things that are included in the Product Backlog.

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What we know so far about Trump Tower project for Moscow

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Confused about the business proposal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow? Join the club.

President Donald Trump’s lawyer-spokesman Rudy Giuliani and a disputed Buzzfeed News report have muddied the waters on exactly how long negotiations over the project went on. It’s a key question because Trump was pursuing the deal during the 2016 campaign while he was publicly calling for easing U.S. sanctions on Russia and as Moscow was directing a large-scale operation aimed at swaying the election his way.

Here’s what we know so far:

— September and October 2015: As a Trump Organization lawyer, Michael Cohen receives a proposal for a hotel, office and residential building in Russia that comes to be known as the Trump Tower Moscow project. One of Trump’s numerous corporate entities then enters into a letter of intent on the project.

— Late 2015: Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump are copied on emails about the project. In one email, Ivanka Trump suggests an architect for the building.

— May 4-6, 2016: Felix Sater, an executive who had worked on and off for the Trump Organization, and Cohen discuss having Trump visit Russia after the Republican National Convention. They also discuss the possibility of Cohen meeting in mid-June with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Sater said Peskov had invited Cohen as his guest.

— Aug. 28, 2017: Cohen submits to Congress a two-page letter about the Trump Tower Moscow deal, saying the project ended in January 2016, that he only discussed it three times with Trump, that he never considered traveling to Russia or asking Trump to travel there, and that he did not recall having contact with the Russian government about the proposal. All of those statements were false, according to court papers.

— September and October 2017: Cohen says in prepared remarks to the Senate intelligence committee that the Moscow deal ended “before the Iowa caucus and months before the first primary.” He says the same during testimony before the committee. Those statements turned out to be lies.

— Nov. 29, 2018: Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress. He says he briefed Trump and his family members on the Russia proposal through June 2016. Cohen says he lied to minimize the public understanding of Trump’s Russia ties, to try to limit the various Russia investigations and to be consistent with Trump’s “political messaging.”

— Dec. 12, 2018: Cohen is sentenced to three years in prison.

— Jan. 17, 2019: BuzzFeed News, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials, reports that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow proposal. The report does not specify what Trump said to Cohen or when he said it.

— Jan. 18, 2019: In a rare public statement, a spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller disputes the BuzzFeed report. “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” spokesman Peter Carr says in a statement. BuzzFeed stands by the story and asks for clarity from Mueller’s team.

— Jan. 20-21, 2019: Giuliani suggests in TV interviews that Trump remembers conversations with Cohen about the project “up to as far as October, November,” or right up until the election. That would have extended the timeline for the Russian business deal well beyond what the president has publicly acknowledged. Giuliani also leaves open the possibility that Trump and Cohen might have discussed Cohen’s testimony. The next day, Giuliani walks back his comments, saying they “did not represent the actual timing or circumstances of any discussions.” He says his comments were “hypothetical” and “not based on conversations” he had with the president.

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Michael Biesecker contributed to this report.

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Drone wall: NATO members to build high-tech warfare wall against Russia

N ATO members bordering Russia have agreed to develop a drone wall in an effort to safeguard their external borders. Interestingly, this wall will be constructed using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

A drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland will be developed, according to Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė.

Anti-drone systems will also be employed to provide safety against provocations from enemy countries. Finland, Norway, Poland, and the Baltic states have agreed to create the wall.

Goal is to use drones

“This is a completely new thing and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders against provocations from unfriendly countries and to prevent smuggling,” said Bilotaitė.

Lithuania has already made plans to step up the protection of its border with the help of drones. Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service has recently established a UAV unit and is in the process of acquiring additional drones and anti-drone systems, reported LRT.

A plan to develop the drone wall

With the help of experts, other countries’ national authorities will form a plan to develop the drone wall. While no specific timeline has been given for the wall’s completion, Bilotaitė suggested that EU funds could be utilized for its creation.

Estonia’s Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets stated that the plan presented to the ministers involves covering the entire eastern border with technology capable of detecting and bringing down drones. Laanemets feels this capability is essential within and around major cities.

Drone surveillance, anti-drone capability are crucial

“As a venture of this scale, it’s unique. Drone surveillance and anti-drone capability is crucial both for deterrence and for countering the influence activities of our eastern neighbor,” Laanemets told The Baltic Times .

“We must be increasingly prepared for situations where Russia will try to disrupt our lives using drones, as it is becoming more and more difficult to physically access Estonian territory.”

Concerns around Moscow, Belarus

The minister believes that Moscow and Belarus will continue to do everything to disrupt the internal security of their neighbors, and “it is our duty to stand together against this. In a timely and proportionate manner.”

The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board has chalked out a plan to install equipment along the eastern border to detect drones. Authorities in Estonia believe that it is imperative to cover the entire eastern border and major cities with stationary drone surveillance and control capabilities.

Cover the entire eastern border

“In order to ensure the safety of our people, it is necessary that the Estonian state is able, at any moment, to detect drones flying over us and also bring them down if necessary,” Deputy Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board Veiko Kommusaar told The Baltic Times .

“Drones are in daily use today by smugglers, and we know from foreign experience that drones have been used in densely populated areas to commit crimes, prepare them, and also to gather information about residents and critical infrastructure.”

New Downtown Memphis hotel planned by FedExForum: What we know about Blues Note Hotel project

FedExForum might have some new neighbors soon.

On Thursday, development group Blues Note Hotel Development LLC submitted a planned development permit for a 15-story, 191-room hotel and mixed-use development with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. The development, which is called Blues Note Hotel, is located at 0 Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. and 0 Fourth Street, according to the permit application.

Blues Note Development LLC purchased two parcels, totaling 2.2 acres, along Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue for $3 million in August 2022, according to the Shelby County Register of Deeds. The site development is the overflow parking lot, located catty-corneredfrom FedExForum and directly across from Robert R. Church Park.

In addition to the 191 hotel rooms, the development will include 65 apartments and 360 parking spaces. The proposed renderings of the development plan include three buildings: Blues Note Hotel, luxury condos and an unnamed boutique hotel for future construction. The 65-unit condominium and apartment will be nine stories. The hotel will include retail and restaurant amenities along with a guitar-shaped pool on its rooftop, according to the permit application.

Lakeland-based A2H Inc. is helping with architecture and design for the project. Javier Michael Bailey of Memphis-based Bailey Company Real Estate Services is a consultant in the Blues Note Hotel.

In 2021, Blues Note LLC, comprised of Nash Hassen, Bill McCrary, Reginald Fentress and Kennieth Richardson, proposed a 100-room hotel and 40-unit residential buildings along 463 N. Front St. in the Pinch District .

Adaptive reuse in Downtown Memphis How the old is making Downtown Memphis new again, from the Sterick Building to 100 N. Main

Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at  [email protected] , 901-426-0679 or via X: @neilStrebig .

Ukraine-Russia war latest: What's happening with conflict right now?

At least 16 people were killed in a Russian missile strike on a DIY store in Kharkiv city this weekend - read about this in our overview of what's happening in Ukraine below, and we'll be back with live updates on Tuesday.

Monday 27 May 2024 08:11, UK

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• The big picture: What you need to know about the war right now
• Number killed rising after Russian attack on DIY store kills more than 40 people | 16 confirmed dead
• Eyewitness: Russia producing shells three times faster than Ukraine's allies
• We'll be back with live updates on Tuesday

 We'll be back with live updates on the war tomorrow - but for now, as always, we start the week by taking a few steps back and giving an overview of where the conflict is at right now.

Conflicting claims on the second front

Kharkiv remains a major focus after Russia opened a new front on the northeastern border. 

It has been the subject of conflicting reports, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Ukraine had secured "combat control", while the Russian ministry of defence claimed its forces were advancing.

The British defence ministry said Russian gains in the northeast had not been joined up, allowing Ukraine to contain Moscow's momentum.

It assessed Vladimir Putin's attempt to create a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia had been unsuccessful thus far and further gains were unlikely in the coming week.

But this will be little comfort to those living under the constant threat of Russian shells in the region.

An attack on a DIY store in Kharkiv city this weekend killed at least 16 people, injured more than 40, and the search is still on for others.

A 12-year-old girl was among the dead.

The US announced a new $275m package of weapons and equipment for Ukraine to help it repel Russia's assault in the Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian troops have been forced to train without firing ammunition due to shortages. 

Analysis shared with Sky News revealed the scale of the challenge facing Kyiv, with Russia producing artillery shells around three times faster than Ukraine's Western allies and for about a quarter of the cost. 

Across the year, that means Russian factories are forecast to manufacture 3.2 million more shells than European nations and the US combined.

Peace summit

Mr Zelenskyy directly called on his US and Chinese counterparts to join his latest summit for peace in Ukraine. 

Speaking from Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on Friday, he announced a "global peace summit", co-hosted by Switzerland, starting on 15 June. He claimed 80 countries had already confirmed their attendance.

Putin's 'freeze'

Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a ceasefire that recognises current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told the Reuters news agency. 

The narrative is widely viewed as a strategy to consolidate Ukrainian land under Russian control, with little or no guarantees Mr Putin wouldn't use it to launch another attack on what remains of Ukraine. Russian propogandists have previously advocated reducing Ukraine to the size of the Lviv region in the west.

Nuclear drills

Russia's defence ministry said it had begun a round of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons in response to remarks by senior Western officials about the possibility of deeper involvement in the war. 

According to the ministry's statement, the first stage of the new drills included nuclear-capable Kinzhal and Iskander missiles in southern Russian regions.

Ukraine claimed to have destroyed the last Russian warship armed with cruise missiles that was stationed on the occupied peninsula. It said a long-range attack destroyed the Russian minesweeping navy vessel Tsiklon in Sevastopol.

Vladimir Putin has arrived in Uzbekistan ahead of formal talks on Monday.

The Russian president laid a wreath at a monument to Uzbekistan's independence in the capital, Tashkent.

He is expected to hold formal talks with President Shavkay Mirziyoyev that are expected to focus on deepening the countries' relations.

The pair spoke in what were described by the Kremlin as informal talks on Sunday.

The visit is President Putin's third foreign trip since being inaugurated for a fifth term in May. 

He first went to China , where he expressed appreciation for China's proposals for talks to end the Ukraine conflict, and later to Belarus. 

For context: Now separated from Russia by Kazakhstan in central Asia, Uzbekistan was once part of the Soviet Union.

However, the invasion of Ukraine is believed to have accelerated a process of reducing Russian influence in the country.

In the two-plus years since February 2022, Uzbekistan has also boosted its relations with the EU. 

Fighting continues along the Kharkiv frontline as Russian forces try to overwhelm defenders.

In an update on Sunday evening, Ukraine's armed forces said its troops were seeking to repel attacks and in places have mounted offensives.

The General Staff said on social media: "The Russian aggressor is trying to use superiority in manpower and equipment and air support. 

"Ukrainian soldiers are giving battle to the enemy, and in some directions they themselves are carrying out effective assault actions to improve the stability of the defence and restore positions."

Twelve clashes were reported in the direction of Kharkiv, the update said, as well as near the villages of Lyptsi and Ternova.

"The situation is under control," the statement said.

Ukrainians gathered outside the US embassy in Kyiv as part of mounting demands to remove restrictions on where Ukraine can use Western weapons.

Many NATO countries who provide military aid to Ukraine currently do so on the condition that it is not used to strike targets inside Russia. 

The US and Germany in particular have been strict on this issue, likely out of concern about escalation with Moscow.

Other countries - the UK and Sweden, for example - have confirmed or suggested that Ukraine can use their weapons to hit targets across the border.

In Kyiv today, activists held up placards saying "let Ukraine strike back" and "remove the restriction". 

The US will participate in Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace summit next month, an official has said.

It comes after the Ukrainian president called on America's President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping to attend the event.

However the US official did not say who would attend or at what level.

The summit, co-hosted by Switzerland, starts on 15 June and, according to President Zelenskyy, 80 countries have already confirmed their attendance.

Battling against the odds, the Ukrainians say they have become skilled at trying to make every round count.

"Often, with just one, two or three shells, we can completely destroy a target," said Senior Lieutenant Kostiantin, an artillery battery commander with the 57th Brigade.

His troops are fighting against a new Russian invasion into the Kharkiv region, in the northeast of Ukraine.

"We have to keep holding the Russians back… and make every metre of land they try to take cost them hundreds of lives."

Watch this report from our defence and security editor, Deborah Haynes :

Crowds of people marched through the Georgian capital, Tblisi, today to mark the country's Independence Day - and also to protest against the government's divisive "foreign agents" law.

The legislation is seen by some as threatening press and civic freedoms and there are concerns it's modelled on laws used by Vladimir Putin in neighbouring Russia.

Hundreds of people walked through the city on Sunday, as the EU anthem played. 

Many held white and red Georgian flags, others the blue and yellow of the EU or the stars and stripes of the US.

There was also a military parade in the city centre as part of the celebrations, attended by Georgia's president and prime minister.

The pair are at odds over the "foreign agents" bill after President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the bill.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media congratulating the Georgian people on their Independence Day.

"Both our nations know all too well that freedom and independence are won rather than granted," he said on X.

"I wish the Georgian people to prosper and strengthen their statehood and ties will all other free nations. I also wish magnificent Georgian culture, identity, and hospitality to multiply over the years." 

The parents of a Ukrainian girl who died after a Russian missile strike have bid goodbye to their daughter in emotional scenes at her funeral.

Just five years old, Zlata Rostochil was seriously wounded in an attack at the end of April and later died.

Today, her mother Nadiia and father Vyacheslav knelt beside her body during the memorial service in Odesa. 

Other mourners stood solemnly behind them holding candles.

Russian forces are making "maximum efforts" to break through Ukraine's defences, amid fighting on the frontline near Kharkiv.

Kyiv's armed forces said there have been 83 clashes with the enemy on Sunday.

"Ukrainian troops are taking measures to maintain positions and destroy the offensive potential of the enemy," the General Staff said in an update on social media.

It said there were "no major changes" in the direction of Kharkiv but Russian troops continue to mount offensives around Vovchansk city and the village of Lyptsi.

Is National Service a good idea?

Rishi Sunak has talked a lot this week about security in Europe and the need to invest in defence - and then he announced that he would bring back National Service.

Our military analyst Sean Bell broke down the announcement on Sky News earlier...

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Times of San Diego

Local News and Opinion for San Diego

Mall Developer Plans 850-Unit Luxury Apartment Project at Fashion Valley

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Mall developer Simon has announced plans to develop 850 luxury apartments at Fashion Valley on the site of the JC Penney store that is closing next year.

“We’re excited about this next phase of Fashion Valley as we continue to reinvest and add a walkable, livable lifestyle community that is intertwined with handpicked luxury brands that can only be found here,” said Mark Silvestri, president of development at Simon.

“This redevelopment marks a new era of sophistication and convenient living in San Diego,” he added.

Simon is partnering with luxury apartment developer AMLI Residential on the Mission Valley development, which will include 100,000 square feet of new retail and dining space. Work is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete by the end of 2026.

Fashion Valley has just completed a multimillion-dollar revitalization to continue to draw shoppers from greater San Diego and northern Baja.

“Due to this unique positioning and Simon’s continued reinvestment, it attracts some of the most prominent names in luxury and European fashion” said Vicki Hanor, senior executive vice president and managing director of luxury leasing for Simon.

The mall recently announced that three first-to-market luxury brands will join the lineup including Celine in 2024, and both Christian Louboutin and Fendi in 2025. 

Few details of the planned housing were released, but AMLI described it as a “dynamic living environment — a vibrant, diverse and exclusive residential enclave featuring incomparable amenities and high-end finishes.”

AMLI owns and manages 77 apartment communities, including about 26,000 apartment homes, and has over 2,900 additional units under development at seven new communities.

Chris Jennewein

Chris Jennewein is Editor & Publisher of Times of San Diego. More by Chris Jennewein