MoSCoW Prioritization

Categorize work to manage scope and set clear release boundaries.

Context

You are planning a release or phase. MoSCoW helps manage expectations and scope creep. Your goal is clear categories that guide engineering and marketing.

Domain Context

• Must-haves: Release cannot ship without these; customer blockers
• Should-haves: Important but release is viable without them
• Could-haves: Nice-to-have; deprioritized if constraints tighten
• Won't-haves: Explicitly out of scope for this release; revisit later

Instructions

1. List all features for the release
2. Stakeholder alignment: Get cross-functional input
3. Categorize each feature: Must, Should, Could, Won't
4. Review Must-haves: Is release truly blocked without them?
5. Quantify effort: How much effort for each category?
6. Plan scope: If effort is tight, move Shoulds to Coulds/Wonts

Output Artifact

MoSCoW prioritization list (1-2 pages):

• Features categorized by MoSCoW
• Effort estimate per category
• Release scope and risks
• Post-release backlog (Should/Could moved out)

Anti-Patterns

• Everything is a Must: Scope creep; release becomes impossible
• Too granular: Breaking features into too many small items
• Stakeholder misalignment: Different departments disagree on categorization
• Not communicating: Customers surprised by missing features

Further Reading

• Inspired (Marty Cagan) — scope management
• The Lean Product Playbook (Dan Olsen) — release planning
• Escaping the Build Trap (Melissa Perri) — outcome focus