What is the MoSCoW method of user stories?

Dagmar Stroman
2025-10-14 02:53:50
Count answers
: 17
The MoSCoW method is a tool that's used to help a team prioritize user stories.
It's a technique for helping to understand priorities and ensure a common understanding across the different team members.
The MoSCoW method is usually used by analysts and stakeholders when they're coming up with user stories or requirements for a project.
The first category in MoSCoW is must have, which is the minimum usable subset.
The next category is should have, which are the user stories that aren't critical, but are still deemed important for the project.
The third category is could have, which are the user stories that would be useful and would add additional value to the project.
And the final category is won't have, which are the user stories that are explicitly excluded from the scope of this project.
The four MoSCoW method categories include must have, should have, could have, and won't have.
Using the MoSCoW method is a way to start thinking about user stories in terms of must have, should have, could have, and won't have, and is a great way to identify the scope of a project, and then create a user story map.
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