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MoSCoW: Priorities can help you win prizes

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Здравствуйте!

OK, I’ll admit I'm relying entirely on Google Translate to greet you, and check you are healthy and well in Russian today! But as I've been thinking about MoSCoW a lot recently on a project I've been managing, it seemed fitting.

MoSCoW is a project management technique for helping to understand, manage and communicate priorities. 

I think it’s really handy for getting a project started or to tackle an overwhelming to-do list. In fact, I also use it when I carry out audits on client systems, processes and operations. I split my recommendations into my own take on the MoSCoW groups. This means the client has a clear priority list to tackle straight away, rather than a lengthy report that soon gathers dust in a shelf.

MoSCoW stands for...

👉 Must have/do

These are mission-critical tasks. Without them, your project can’t be delivered. There are no workarounds. These things simply have to happen. 

👉 Should have/do

Then you can move onto what you need to keep on top of during this project. Should have requirements can be as important as Must have, but maybe they aren’t as time-critical or perhaps you think there might be another way to get the same result later down the line.

👉 Could have/do

Could do are your “nice to have” bits. They aren’t strictly necessary, but for little time or effort, they might improve your client or user experience. So if you have a little extra time or resources, you might want to give these tasks a try.

👉 Won't have/do

The “W” stands for won’t have or won't do. These are things everyone in the project has agreed aren’t required and aren’t planned for at this time. This helps manage expectations about what will not be included in a specific project or timeframe.

Give MoSCoW a try if you are kicking off a project soon, or maybe just to plan the week ahead. I’d love to hear how you get on. You can drop me an email, or book a free of charge 15-minute call whenever works for you.