Curriculum
If you’ve ever tried to juggle multiple tasks, projects, or even Netflix shows, you already know how hard it can be to decide what to focus on first. In product management, this decision-making process is called prioritization—the art of figuring out which features or tasks should take center stage and which can wait.
Good prioritization ensures you’re not wasting time on things that don’t matter and helps your team stay focused on what’s most important. But how do you actually decide what comes first? Enter the MoSCoW method—your new best friend for prioritizing like a pro.
Prioritization is all about deciding the order in which tasks or features should be tackled. In product management, you’re often balancing competing requests from stakeholders, users, and the development team. Everyone wants their feature to be built yesterday, but as a PM, it’s your job to figure out what will deliver the most value first.
You might hear about other prioritization frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) or Kano, which focuses on customer satisfaction. But for now, let’s talk about the MoSCoW method, which is one of the most beginner-friendly and widely used frameworks out there.
The MoSCoW method is a simple framework that helps you categorize tasks or features based on how important they are. No, it has nothing to do with the capital of Russia—it’s actually an acronym:
Let’s break down what each of these means:
These are the absolute essentials. Without these features, your product simply won’t work, and it would be pointless to launch. For example, if you’re building a payment app, having a secure transaction system is a must-have. No payment processing? No app!
Think of the must-haves as your non-negotiables—the features or tasks that are absolutely critical for your product to function.
These are features that are important but not as critical as the must-haves. Your product can still function without them, but they add significant value and should be included if possible. For instance, a should-have for your payment app might be the ability to send receipts via email. It’s not a deal-breaker if it’s missing at launch, but it definitely enhances the user experience.
These are the nice-to-haves. They’re not essential, and your product will work just fine without them, but if you have extra time and resources, go ahead and include them. In the payment app example, a could-have might be a feature that allows users to split bills with friends. Cool feature? Yes. Essential at launch? Not really.
These are the features or tasks that are being pushed out of the current release or project timeline. They’re either not relevant right now, or there simply aren’t enough resources to tackle them. The key point here is “this time”—they’re not off the table forever, just not part of the current focus.
For example, you might have plans to integrate cryptocurrency payments in your app, but since it’s not a priority for most users right now, you can mark it as won’t-have this time.
The beauty of the MoSCoW method is its simplicity. It helps you quickly break down a long list of features into categories, making it easier to communicate priorities to your team. Plus, it gives you a clear sense of what’s absolutely necessary for launch and what can wait.
If you’re just starting out as a product manager, MoSCoW is a great tool because it forces you to think critically about what’s truly essential. It helps you avoid feature bloat (adding too many unnecessary features) and keeps the team focused on delivering value.
While MoSCoW is a great starting point, there are other frameworks you might hear about, like RICE, which uses numbers to score each feature, and Kano, which looks at how different features affect customer satisfaction. As you gain experience, you might explore these too, but MoSCoW will give you a solid foundation.
In the fast-paced world of product management, prioritization is key. The MoSCoW method gives you a simple, effective way to decide what’s most important, so you can build a product that delivers value without overwhelming your team. Remember: focus on the essentials, and don’t be afraid to say “not this time” to the rest!
