For example, if you’re releasing a healthcare application, a must-have initiative may be security functionalities that help maintain compliance. They represent non-negotiable needs for the project, product, or release in question. But, first, let’s further break down each category in the MoSCoW method.Īs the name suggests, this category consists of initiatives that are “musts” for your team. With the groundwork complete, you may begin determining which category is most appropriate for each initiative. If you can establish how to resolve disputes before they come up, you can help prevent those disagreements from holding up progress.įinally, you’ll also want to reach a consensus on what percentage of resources you’d like to allocate to each category.

Then, all participants must agree on which initiatives to prioritize.Īt this point, your team should also discuss how they will settle any disagreements in prioritization. First, key stakeholders and the product team need to get aligned on objectives and prioritization factors. How Does MoSCoW Prioritization Work?īefore running a MoSCoW analysis, a few things need to happen. But because MoSCoW can prioritize tasks within any time-boxed project, teams have adapted the method for a broad range of uses. You can find a detailed account of using MoSCoW prioritization in the Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM) handbook. He designed the framework to help his team prioritize tasks during development work on product releases. Software development expert Dai Clegg created the MoSCoW method while working at Oracle. What is the History of the MoSCoW Method?

Some companies also use the “W” in MoSCoW to mean “wish.”

The acronym MoSCoW represents four categories of initiatives: must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have, or will not have right now. MoSCoW prioritization, also known as the MoSCoW method or MoSCoW analysis, is a popular prioritization technique for managing requirements.

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