# MoSCoW Prioritization Worksheet Use this worksheet to systematically prioritize requirements using the MoSCoW framework. --- ## Prioritization Session Info **Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD] **Facilitator:** [Name] **Participants:** [Names/roles of stakeholders involved] **Scope:** [What are we prioritizing? Epics for Q1? Stories for Sprint 5?] **Target/Goal:** [What are we trying to achieve? MVP? V1.0? Next release?] **Constraints:** [Time, budget, team size, deadlines] --- ## Decision Criteria **Value to Users:** [Weight: High / Medium / Low] - Impact on user experience - Number of users affected - Frequency of use **Business Value:** [Weight: High / Medium / Low] - Revenue impact - Strategic importance - Competitive advantage **Risk:** [Weight: High / Medium / Low] - Technical complexity - Uncertainty / unknowns - Market assumptions **Effort:** [Weight: High / Medium / Low] - Time required - Resources needed - Technical dependencies --- ## Items to Prioritize List all items (epics, stories, or tasks) that need prioritization: | ID | Item Name | Description | Value | Risk | Effort | Dependencies | |----|-----------|-------------|-------|------|--------|--------------| | 1 | [Name] | [Brief desc]| H/M/L | H/M/L| H/M/L | [IDs] | | 2 | [Name] | [Brief desc]| H/M/L | H/M/L| H/M/L | [IDs] | | 3 | [Name] | [Brief desc]| H/M/L | H/M/L| H/M/L | [IDs] | |... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | --- ## MoSCoW Classification ### Must Have (≤60% of items) > Critical requirements without which the product cannot launch or function | ID | Item Name | Rationale | |----|-----------|-----------| | [#]| [Name] | [Why this is absolutely essential] | | [#]| [Name] | [Why this is absolutely essential] | |... | ... | ... | **Total Must Haves:** [Count] out of [Total] = [%] --- ### Should Have (~20% of items) > Important requirements that significantly enhance value but can be deferred if necessary | ID | Item Name | Rationale | Workaround if Deferred | |----|-----------|-----------|------------------------| | [#]| [Name] | [Why important but not critical] | [How users cope without it] | | [#]| [Name] | [Why important but not critical] | [How users cope without it] | |... | ... | ... | ... | **Total Should Haves:** [Count] out of [Total] = [%] --- ### Could Have (~20% of items) > Nice-to-have requirements that provide marginal value | ID | Item Name | Rationale | |----|-----------|-----------| | [#]| [Name] | [Why nice to have but low priority] | | [#]| [Name] | [Why nice to have but low priority] | |... | ... | ... | **Total Could Haves:** [Count] out of [Total] = [%] --- ### Won't Have (This Time) > Requirements explicitly excluded from current scope | ID | Item Name | Rationale | Future Consideration? | |----|-----------|-----------|----------------------| | [#]| [Name] | [Why not now] | [When might we revisit?] | | [#]| [Name] | [Why not now] | [When might we revisit?] | |... | ... | ... | ... | **Total Won't Haves:** [Count] out of [Total] = [%] --- ## Sequencing Within Categories ### Must Haves - Execution Order Ordered by dependencies, risk, and value: 1. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] 2. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] 3. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] ... ### Should Haves - Execution Order 1. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] 2. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] ... ### Could Haves - Execution Order 1. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] 2. [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] ... --- ## Validation & Sanity Checks ### Distribution Check - **Must Haves:** [%] (Target: ≤60%) - **Should Haves:** [%] (Target: ~20%) - **Could Haves:** [%] (Target: ~20%) - **Won't Haves:** [%] **Is distribution balanced?** [Yes / No] **If no, what needs adjustment?** [Notes] ### MVP Viability Check **Can we ship a viable product with just "Must Haves"?** [Yes / No] **Does it deliver core value?** [Yes / No] **Would users pay for / use it?** [Yes / No] **Are all critical user journeys covered?** [Yes / No] ### Dependency Check **Are all dependencies respected in sequencing?** [Yes / No] **Any items prioritized high that depend on low-priority items?** [List if any] ### Stakeholder Alignment **Have key stakeholders reviewed and approved?** [Yes / No] **Any major disagreements?** [Notes] **Consensus achieved?** [Yes / No] --- ## Decisions & Trade-offs Document key decisions and trade-offs made during prioritization: **Decision 1:** - **What:** [What was decided] - **Rationale:** [Why] - **Trade-off:** [What was sacrificed or deferred] **Decision 2:** - **What:** [What was decided] - **Rationale:** [Why] - **Trade-off:** [What was sacrificed or deferred] ... --- ## Action Items **Immediate Actions:** - [ ] Update GitHub Projects with priority labels - [ ] Update custom "Priority" field on all issues - [ ] Order backlog by priority - [ ] Communicate prioritization to team - [ ] Begin work on first "Must Have" item **Follow-up Actions:** - [ ] Schedule re-prioritization review [Date] - [ ] Gather user feedback on priorities [Date] - [ ] Re-assess "Won't Haves" for future releases [Date] --- ## Notes & Comments [Any additional notes, context, or discussion points from the prioritization session] --- ## Revision History | Date | Change | By | |------|--------|-----| | [YYYY-MM-DD] | Initial prioritization | [Name] | | [YYYY-MM-DD] | Re-prioritized based on user feedback | [Name] | | [YYYY-MM-DD] | Moved Item X from Should to Must | [Name] | --- ## Example: E-commerce MVP **Scope:** Prioritizing epics for e-commerce platform MVP **Target:** Launch in 3 months with core functionality **Constraints:** 2 developers, limited budget ### Must Have (5 epics) 1. **Product Catalog** - Cannot sell without products 2. **Shopping Cart** - Core functionality for purchases 3. **Checkout & Payment** - Must be able to complete purchases 4. **User Accounts** - Track orders, save preferences 5. **Order Management** - Sellers need to fulfill orders ### Should Have (3 epics) 6. **Product Search & Filtering** - Important for UX, but can browse categories initially 7. **Email Notifications** - Enhances experience, but can manually check orders 8. **Product Reviews** - Builds trust, but not critical for launch ### Could Have (3 epics) 9. **Wishlist** - Nice feature, low priority 10. **Product Recommendations** - Enhances discovery, not essential 11. **Social Sharing** - Marketing feature, not core ### Won't Have (4 epics) 12. **Mobile App** - Web-first strategy, mobile later 13. **Loyalty Program** - Phase 2 feature 14. **Multi-vendor Support** - Single vendor for MVP 15. **International Shipping** - Domestic only for MVP **Distribution:** 5 Must (45%), 3 Should (27%), 3 Could (27%) = Balanced ✓ **MVP Viable:** Yes - Can sell products, accept payment, fulfill orders ✓ **Sequence:** Product Catalog → Shopping Cart → Checkout → User Accounts → Order Management