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Use MoSCoW Approach for Task Management

An important aspect of project management is prioritizing the work. When the time is fixed, it’s important to understand the relative importance of tasks. There are many techniques that project managers can utilize to prioritize the work requirements. One such technique that we will discuss in this article is the MoSCoW approach.

What is the MoSCoW Approach?

The MoSCoW approach to work management has no relation with the capital city of Russia. Instead, the capital letters stand for five requirements: Must Have Requirements | Should Have Requirements | Could Have Requirements | Won’t Have Requirements. The following is a brief overview of each of the acronym.

M-ust Have Requirements

Must have requirements are important for the success of the projects. The ‘must have’ tasks should be completed for successful project delivery. If these requirements are not completed, the project is deemed to be a failure. Keep in mind that the requirements can be downgraded if all the stakeholders agree. So, the ‘must have’ requirements are not a set-in-stone. They can be changed with the mutual agreement of the important stakeholders.

S-hould Have Requirements

Should have requirements are not critical for the success of the project. But they are important nevertheless. These requirements are not time-critical similar to the ‘must have’ requirements. The requirements can be held back until near the final delivery date.

C-ould Have Requirements

Could have requirements are less important than ‘should have’ requirements. They are nice features that are not important. A few ‘could have’ requirements can improve the customer satisfaction. However, not fulfilling the requirements won’t lead to project failure.

W-on’t Have Requirements

Lastly, the final W in the MoSCoW stands for requirements that are the least critical. These requirements either have low payback or are not appropriate for the project. The project manager should avoid working towards fulfilling these requirements. Identifying the requirements will help save time, cost, and effort that can be better utilized in fulfilling important requirements of the project.

Once the requirements have been classified according to the above requirements, you should rank them in each category. The goal should be to maximize the quality of project delivery. The benefit of prioritizing the requirements in this way is that it is easy and quick to complete. Moreover, the technique entails getting feedback from the stakeholders. This brings them on the same page regarding project outcomes.

Conclusion

Prioritization of requirements is important to ensure that the project gets completed on time and within the budget. MoSCoW technique is a simple and effective method of prorating the tasks. The technique is effective in defining project priorities that are in progress.

And don’t forget that it’s easy to prioritize and organize the tasks using an online collaboration software. You can use the online work management software to set targets, schedule tasks, send feedback, and monitor results.