What is the moscow prioritization?

The Moscow Prioritization is a technique for constructing a hierarchy of priorities during a project. The Moscow prioritization method is based on the agile method of project management, which attempts to identify as many aspects as possible as early as possible, such as the cost of a product, the quality of the product, and the needs. “Moscow” is an acronym that stands for must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have, with each letter signifying a category of prioritization in the hierarchy of priorities.

The Moscow prioritization method focuses on prioritizing your tasks in order of significance or relevance. For example, if you’re constructing a house, you’re not likely to start on the roof or walls until the foundation is complete. Things are considerably more complicated in the web development sector, and this example cannot fully convey the importance of prioritization.

Advanced prioritizing approaches are used in complex projects and several businesses. Typically, they are renowned frameworks for specific standards or norms that help decision-making. Prioritization success commonly affects the company’s overall performance. Getting bogged down with unfinished and outstanding chores is a surefire way to fail. As a result, organizations pay close attention to the techniques of priority they use.

When should you utilize MoSCoW prioritization, and when shouldn’t you?

Prioritization using the MoSCoW method should be employed early in the project management cycle, albeit it should not be the first action taken. Before you can begin categorizing project needs by priority, you must first define the requirements for the project in question. Consequently, the sooner your team can establish these priorities, the better.

Although there is an initial phase of Moscow in which your team will prioritize all of the project’s requirements, this does not represent the conclusion of the Moscow process. Instead, it is just the beginning. After each milestone has been completed, it is recommended that the remaining milestones be (briefly) reevaluated.

For example, you may have a requirement X at your initial Moscow meeting under the could-have category. You may, however, change your mind about requirement X after completing a few must-haves, determining that you do need to implement it more urgently or that it does not provide any value at all.

Having some wiggle room is beneficial during the development process, while you should avoid changing your Moscow model so that it becomes unusable. Identifying a sweet spot between iterative assessment and an organized manner of working is the key to achieving success.

Importance of the Moscow Prioritization

One of the most significant shortcomings of less robust prioritization tools is that they do not provide precise definitions for each priority level. Moscow prioritization addresses this issue by giving detailed explanations for each priority level. In Moscow, when anything is classified as a “must-have,” it is immediately apparent to everyone on the team that you cannot disregard this feature during the project’s development.

Collaboratively complete the Moscow model levels with input from the product team and other stakeholders. Not only should features and concepts be assigned to each group of the Moscow model, but your company should reach an agreement on the number of resources you will allocate to each level.

Prioritization using the MoSCoW method should be employed early in the project management cycle, albeit it should not be the first action taken. Before you can begin categorizing project needs by priority, you must first define the requirements for the project in question. Consequently, the sooner your team can establish these priorities, the better.

Although there is an initial phase of Moscow in which your team will prioritize all of the project’s requirements, this does not represent the conclusion of the Moscow process. Instead, it is just the beginning. After each milestone has been completed, it is recommended that the remaining milestones be (briefly) reevaluated.

For example, you may have a requirement X at your initial Moscow meeting under the could-have category. You may, however, change your mind about requirement X after completing a few must-haves, determining that you do need to implement it more urgently or that it does not provide any value at all.

Having some wiggle room is beneficial during the development process, while you should avoid changing your Moscow model so that it becomes unusable. Identifying a sweet spot between iterative assessment and an organized manner of working is the key to achieving success.

Benefits of the Moscow Prioritization

There are various reasons why the Moscow approach is practical for producing high-quality output. First and foremost, it aids in the creation of a project timeline by identifying the tasks that you must accomplish first. Everyone is aware of the most crucial aspects of the project, which lends a feeling of order to the entire endeavor.

Second, the Moscow strategy effectively sets project expectations for both the project team and the various stakeholders for the second time. It provides investors with a comprehensive understanding of what they can expect from the project and a clear understanding of how much each feature will cost.

Third, incorporating Moscow into your workflow will assist you in maintaining the project’s overall vision. The natural tendency for your team to deviate from the project’s criteria or constraints occurs while you’re brainstorming with colleagues, igniting your imagination, and attempting to push the boundaries.

While this is advantageous when working on a drawing board, it is not helpful when actively producing a product. Moscow presents everyone with a clear checklist of the tasks they need to complete to be successful. instead of having an ambiguous and multi-faceted vision

How to take advantage of the Moscow prioritization system

A model of Moscow, as previously said, has four components: must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and won’t-haves. Even though the titles of each category make their purpose abundantly clear, we’ll go into more detail about each so that you can make greater use of them in the future.

Must-have

These product characteristics should be the most straightforward to determine. If you were creating a bike, the tires, engine, and gasoline would be the components to consider. If you’re developing a budgeting service, you might consider the ability to interface with a user’s bank account as a must-have feature to include in your product.

For want of a better expression, these are the absolute minimum criteria for your project; they are not negotiable. For those struggling to decide which features to include in this category, please ask yourself, “Will the project fail if this feature/milestone/component isn’t implemented?” If you answered “yes,” this is a must-have component.

Should-have

The should-haves for your project are the elements that are not necessary for the project’s success but which will still provide significant value. These characteristics are more concerned with meeting the wishes and expectations of customers than they are with meeting their essential requirements.

For example, returning to our bike, the air conditioning system would be a must-have feature. Although it is not essential for the automobile to function, a vehicle without an air conditioner would be challenging to sell. You want to make every effort to complete all of your should-have milestones by the end of the project, just as you did with the must-haves.

Could-have

The neat, intriguing, or entertaining feature that may not necessarily serve a broader purpose is grouped in this category. These are the extras — the comfort things — that come with your product. You may have noticed that this is the region where the most change occurs throughout the project, with features migrating from this category into won’t-haves and should-haves as the project progresses.

Consider how a feature will affect the value of your product for your product manager to customers when determining whether it is a could-have or a should-have. In most parts of the world, it will be practically impossible to sell a bike that does not have air conditioning as a “good” vehicle. However, even if a parking camera is a beneficial feature, a bike without one is unlikely to impact the perceived worth of the cycle significantly. As a result, you’ll include features in this area that would enhance the customer experience but would not be critical to the success of your product.

Won’t-have

Finally, we have the must-haves but can’t have them. As you progress through the project development cycle, this area will likely get increasingly crowded with ideas. In other words, this is where you place the features that you would like to have in your product but are unable to for whatever reason.

You either lack the necessary technical expertise, skill, money, or confidence to attempt to incorporate a specific component into your product. Instead of putting this thought in a notebook and forgetting about it, you can put it somewhere to come back to it later. Because of unexpected limits, you may discover that some of your could-haves, and perhaps even some should-haves, are won’t-haves in your final product.