Method · Decisions

MoSCoW prioritisation: how to run it

Sort every requirement into Must have, Should have, Could have and Won’t have this time — so a team agrees what a release cannot do without, and what can wait.

55 minutes5 stepsDecisions
Other methods

When it helps

Use it for scoping a release, a project or a budget with a fixed deadline, when the list of wants is longer than the time available.

When to use something else

Skip it when everything ends up as a Must — then the exercise has failed. Agree beforehand roughly how much of the effort Musts may take.

How to run it, step by step

  1. List the requirements10 min
    • Everything being asked for, in plain words.
  2. Agree the rules5 min
    • A Must means the release fails without it. Musts should be well under the time available.
  3. Sort each item25 min
    • Must, Should, Could or Won’t (this time). Argue the Musts hardest.
  4. Check the Musts fit10 min
    • Do the Musts fit comfortably in the time? If not, demote.
  5. Record and share5 min
    • Write the four lists down, including the Won’ts.

What comes out — an example

Made up, to show the shape.

Must. Customers can book; staff can see bookings; payments work.

Should. Reminder emails.

Could. Calendar sync.

Won’t (this time). Mobile app; loyalty points.

Check. Musts take about 60% of the time — fits.

Where it comes from

MoSCoW was created by Dai Clegg at Oracle in 1994 and became part of the DSDM agile method.

Questions

What does MoSCoW stand for?

Must have, Should have, Could have and Won’t have (this time); the o’s are added to make it a word.

Who created MoSCoW?

Dai Clegg, while working at Oracle in 1994; it was later adopted by the DSDM agile framework.

How many items should be Musts?

Few enough that they fit well within the available time — DSDM suggests no more than about 60% of the effort.

Other methods

Six Thinking HatsThe group looks at one question from six angles in turn — facts, feelings, risks, benefits, new ideas and process — so everyone thinks the same way at the same time instead of arguing.Dot votingEverybody gets a few votes — dots — to put on the options they like best, so a group can see its priorities in minutes instead of debating every item.RACIA grid that says, for each task or decision, who does the work (Responsible), who answers for it (Accountable), who is asked first (Consulted) and who is told after (Informed).DACIA way to make a group decision clear before discussing it: one Driver runs the process, one Approver makes the call, Contributors give input, and the Informed are told the result.RAPID decision rolesAssign five roles for an important decision — who Recommends, who must Agree, who will Perform it, who gives Input, and the one person who Decides — so it gets made and carried out.Six-page memo meetingInstead of slides, someone writes a narrative memo of up to six pages; the meeting starts with everyone reading it in silence, then discusses it.

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