MoSCoW Method
A prioritisation framework dividing requirements or tasks into four categories: Must Have (non-negotiable), Should Have (important but not critical), Could Have (nice to have if time/resources allow), and Won't Have this time (explicitly out of scope). It forces explicit scope decisions and is widely used in product management, project planning, and sprint planning.
Cómo ejecutarlo
- 1
List all candidate requirements, tasks, or features on individual cards or sticky notes.
- 2
Set up four columns: Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have.
- 3
Explain the rules: Must Haves are the minimum viable set — without them the deliverable fails. Should Haves are highly desirable. Could Haves are low-priority extras. Won't Haves are explicitly deferred.
- 4
The group places each item into a column. Items in Must Have column should represent no more than 60–70% of effort.
- 5
If Must Haves exceed capacity: promote nothing, reduce the list.
- 6
Review and confirm Won't Haves explicitly — this is as important as the Must Haves.
Consejos
The most common mistake is putting too much in Must Have.
Challenge every Must Have with: 'What happens if we don't deliver this?' If the answer isn't 'the project fails', it's probably a Should Have.
Variaciones
Combine with effort estimation (T-shirt sizing) to make prioritisation more realistic. For agile teams, run MoSCoW per sprint rather than per entire project.
Casos de uso
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