MoSCoW is a prioritization technique used in project management and software development to prioritize a list of items. The acronym stands for Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have (or Want).
The MoSCoW method is used to help teams prioritize their work by assigning items to one of four categories:
- Must have: These are items that are essential for the project to be successful and must be completed.
- Should have: These are items that are important, but not essential, and should be completed if possible.
- Could have: These are items that would be nice to have, but are not necessary for the project to be successful.
- Won’t have (or Want): These are items that are not considered important and will not be included in the project.
The MoSCoW method is useful for helping teams focus on the most important items and allocate resources effectively. It can also be helpful in managing stakeholder expectations, as it allows the team to clearly communicate what will and will not be included in the project.