What Is the MoSCoW Method?

To make progress and meet deadlines on a time-constrained project, it is critical to understand the relative importance and prioritization of the work to be done. 

This understanding of a project’s priorities is aided by the MoSCoW method. Prioritization is most commonly applied to requirements and User Stories, but it can also be applied to tasks, products, Use Cases, acceptance criteria, and tests. 

 In this article, we’ll delve deeper into this method of project prioritization to provide you with a better overview and understanding of this frequently overlooked practice. 

What Is the MoSCoW Method?

In project management, the MoSCoW method is used to prioritize project requirements and features based on their importance and urgency. The method assists project managers and stakeholders in making informed decisions about which features are critical to the project’s success and which can be delayed or eliminated. 

The MoSCoW method can assist project teams in focusing their efforts on delivering the most important features first, ensuring that they meet the project’s primary objectives while minimizing the risk of over-engineering or feature creep. This can help ensure that the project stays on track, stays within budget, and provides value to stakeholders.

Furthermore, the MoSCoW method is a versatile and simple framework that can be applied to projects of any size or complexity, making it a popular project management technique. It is especially useful in software development projects, where many requirements and features must be considered and prioritized. Project teams can avoid developing unnecessary features or missing critical requirements by using the MoSCoW method, which can lead to project failure or delays. 

The MoSCoW method is also useful in agile development methodologies, where priorities can shift quickly, and the project team must adapt quickly to changing requirements. Agile teams can quickly adjust their priorities and focus on delivering the most important features first by categorizing requirements and features into must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have categories. 

Overall, the MoSCoW method is used in project management when it is necessary to prioritize requirements and features to ensure project success, manage stakeholder expectations, and optimize the use of time, budget, and resources. 

What Does MoSCoW Stand for?

The MoSCoW method is an acronym derived from the first letter of each of the four prioritisation categories:

M – Must have

S – Should have

C – Could have

W – Won’t have

Prioritisation of Requirements 

All requirements can be seen to be important; however, as a means to provide the most immediate and impactful business benefits, the requirements must be prioritized.

When creating a project, a project team will treat the MoSCoW method as a checklist, attempting to deliver everything in the “Must Have” category first, then the “Should Have” second, then the “Should Have”, and finally the “Would Have”. As a result, if the project’s timeline is jeopardized, the last two category requirements (i.e. “Should Have” & “Would Have”) will be the first to go in order to free up time, energy, and resources. 

Here’s a breakdown of what each category means: 

Must-Have

These are the features or requirements that must be met in order for the project to be deemed successful. They are the core functionalities required for the project to achieve its primary goals. If these features are not included, the project will be rendered useless or ineffective. 

Everything in this category satisfies the project’s Minimum Usable SubseT (MUST) of requirements. Following the guidelines below, these can be easily identified: 

• There is no point in delivering on time if this requirement is not met. 
• It is illegal to not have this requirement. 
• It is dangerous to not have this requirement. 
• Without this requirement, no viable solution can be delivered. 

Typically, the “Must Have” category accounts for no more than 60% of the total project effort. A good example is when developing a new e-commerce platform. The ability to process payments is a must-have feature in this case. 

When categorizing requirements as “Must Have,” it’s best to consider “what happens if this requirement is not met?” If the answer is “cancel the project because there’s no point in implementing it without this requirement,” it’s a “Must Have” requirement. If there is a way to avoid this requirement while still allowing the project to go live, it can be placed in the “Should Have” or “Could Have” categories.

Should-Have

These are the features or requirements that are desirable but not required. They are the features that may improve the functionality or user experience of the project, but their absence would not prevent the project from functioning. If time and resources allow, these features can be included in the project. Continuing with our e-commerce example, the ability to track order history is a must-have feature. 

The following are examples of requirements that fall into the “Should Have” category: 

• A necessary but not sufficient requirement. 
• Although leaving out this requirement is painful, the end product is still viable. 
• If this requirement is not met, a workaround (perhaps only a temporary one) may be required. 

It can be difficult to determine what should be classified as “Should Have” or “Could Have”. A good way to determine this is to consider the level of pain caused if this requirement is not met. For example, calculating the monetary value of a company or the number of people affected. 

Could-Have

These are characteristics or requirements that are desirable but not required. They are the features that would be nice to have but are not necessary for the project’s success. These features are typically low-priority, and their inclusion is contingent on time, budget, and resources. A loyalty rewards program, for example, would be a desirable feature in our e-commerce platform example. 

Those requirements classified as “Could Have” are as follows: 

• Wanted or desirable requirements that are less important than others. 

• The impact felt if it is left out is less than those in the “Should Have” category if they are also left out. 

This category’s requirements are typically the primary area of contingency. This is because, in the best-case scenario, these requirements will be met in their entirety. This means that if problems arise and the deadline is jeopardized, these requirements will be the first to go. 

It’s also important to remember that classifying a requirement as “Should Have” or “Could Have” does not imply that it won’t be delivered; rather, it means that delivery isn’t always guaranteed. 

Won’t-Have

These are the features or requirements that are deemed unnecessary or beyond the scope of the project. These features can be postponed or eliminated entirely without affecting the project’s primary goals. In our e-commerce platform example, a social media sharing feature would be considered a must-have. 

This category contains requirements that the project team has agreed will not be met (at least during this timeframe). As a result, they are documented in the Prioritised Requirements List, where they help to clarify the project’s scope. This is done to prevent them from being reintroduced informally at a later date. This also aids in managing client and project expectations by stating that while these requirements will not be included in the final product, it does not mean that they will not/cannot be added later. 

Having a consistent list of requirements within the “Won’t-Have” category can help you focus on the more important requirements in the other categories.

Stakeholders can prioritize their efforts to deliver the most important features first by categorizing project requirements and features into these four categories. This ensures that the project’s primary goals are met while reducing the risk of over-engineering or feature creep. The MoSCoW method is a versatile and simple framework that can be applied to projects of any size or complexity, making it a popular project management technique. 

What Are the Practical Implications of the MoSCoW Method? 

The MoSCoW method is frequently used in conjunction with timeboxing, in which a deadline is set so that the focus must be on the most important requirements. Because of the method’s nature, it’s most commonly used in agile software development approaches like Scrum, rapid application development (RAD), and DSDM.

The method also overcomes the drawbacks of a simpler approach to prioritisation. Some common approaches include the use of “High,” “Medium,” and “Low” labelling, as well as simple sequential tags (e.g. 1,2,3,4,…). However, these approaches fall short of the MoSCoW method due to ambiguous definitions and no clear indication of what a client can expect at the end of the project. 

As a result, the MoSCoW method’s specific use of “Must Have,” “Should Have,” “Could Have,” or “Won’t Have” provides a clear indication of the level of importance for a specific requirement, as well as what to expect upon completion. 

Having said that, the MoSCoW method has many practical implications in project management, including: 

1. Prioritizing Project Requirements

Project teams can use the MoSCoW method to prioritize project requirements and features based on their importance and urgency. This ensures that the most important features are delivered first and that the project remains on track and within budget. 

2. Managing Stakeholder Expectations 

Project managers can use the MoSCoW method to communicate project priorities to stakeholders. Stakeholders can see which features are critical to the project’s success and which can be postponed or excluded by categorizing requirements and features into must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have categories. 

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3. Reducing Scope Creep 

The tendency of a project to expand beyond its original objectives is referred to as scope creep. By defining project priorities and ensuring that stakeholders focus on delivering the most important features first, the MoSCoW method helps manage scope creep. 

4. Improving Decision-Making 

The MoSCoW method provides a framework for making informed decisions about which features to include and which to exclude in a project. Project teams can ensure that they meet the primary objectives of the project and deliver value to stakeholders by focusing on the most critical features. 

5. Managing Project Resources 

The MoSCoW method assists project teams in effectively managing their resources. By concentrating on the most important features, project teams can better allocate their resources and avoid wasting time and money on features that aren’t critical to the project’s success.

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Overall, the MoSCoW method is a helpful tool for project teams that can help them prioritize requirements and features, manage stakeholder expectations, reduce scope creep, make informed decisions, and effectively manage project resources. 

What Are the Downsides of Using the MoSCoW Method? 

Final Thoughts

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Benjamin Argyle-Ross A Zenkit aficionado and ardent communicator. Published on January 11, 2022, updated on April 5, 2023 · 9 min read