Niopd St Moscow

MoSCoW Prioritization Skill

This skill applies the MoSCoW method to systematically categorize requirements, helping teams focus on what's truly essential.

Theoretical Foundation

Origin

MoSCoW was developed by Dai Clegg at Oracle in 1994 as part of the Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM). The name is an acronym for the four priority categories.

The Four Categories

| Category | Meaning | Criteria | |----------|---------|----------| | Must Have | Critical–no viable product without | Non-negotiable | | Should Have | Important but not vital | High value, not critical | | Could Have | Desirable if time permits | Nice to have | | Won't Have | Explicitly excluded (this time) | Out of scope |

Key Principle

At most 60% of effort should go to Must Haves, ensuring buffer for the unexpected.

When to Use

• Release planning
• Scope negotiation
• Stakeholder alignment
• Resource allocation
• MVP definition

Instructions

Step 1: Gather All Requirements

List all features/requirements from:

• PRD
• Backlog
• Stakeholder requests
• User feedback

Step 2: Define "Must Have" Criteria

Clarify with stakeholders:

• What makes something absolutely critical?
• What cannot be compromised?
• What breaks the product if missing?

Step 3: Categorize Each Item

For each requirement:

• Must: Would the product fail without this?
• Should: Is it very important but survivable without?
• Could: Is it nice to have if time permits?
• Won't: Should we explicitly exclude this?

Step 4: Validate Must Haves

Challenge each "Must Have":

• Is this truly essential?
• What would happen without it?
• Could we ship and add later?

Step 5: Check 60% Rule

Calculate effort distribution:

• Must Haves: ≤60% of effort
• If over: Re-evaluate what's truly "Must"

Step 6: Document and Communicate

File path: 02-reports/[YYYYMMDD]-moscow-priorities-v0.md

Format:

## Must Have
- [Requirement]: [Rationale]

## Should Have
- [Requirement]: [Rationale]

## Could Have
- [Requirement]: [Rationale]

## Won't Have (This Release)
- [Requirement]: [Why excluded]

Output Specifications

• File Naming: [YYYYMMDD]-moscow-priorities-v0.md
• Location: 02-reports/
• Template: references/moscow-template.md

Related Skills

• niopd-st-rice: Quantitative prioritization
• niopd-ur-kano: Satisfaction-based categorization
• niopd-pd-roadmap: Roadmap planning
• niopd-pm-release: Release planning

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: 8421bit
• Source: 8421bit/NioPD-Skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.