6.9 KiB
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:
- [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position]
- [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position]
- [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] ...
Should Haves - Execution Order
- [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position]
- [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position] ...
Could Haves - Execution Order
- [Item name] - [Reason for sequence position]
- [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)
- Product Catalog - Cannot sell without products
- Shopping Cart - Core functionality for purchases
- Checkout & Payment - Must be able to complete purchases
- User Accounts - Track orders, save preferences
- Order Management - Sellers need to fulfill orders
Should Have (3 epics)
- Product Search & Filtering - Important for UX, but can browse categories initially
- Email Notifications - Enhances experience, but can manually check orders
- Product Reviews - Builds trust, but not critical for launch
Could Have (3 epics)
- Wishlist - Nice feature, low priority
- Product Recommendations - Enhances discovery, not essential
- Social Sharing - Marketing feature, not core
Won't Have (4 epics)
- Mobile App - Web-first strategy, mobile later
- Loyalty Program - Phase 2 feature
- Multi-vendor Support - Single vendor for MVP
- 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