niopd-st-moscow - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: niopd-st-moscow description: Applies MoSCoW prioritization method to categorize requirements by importance. Use for scope negotiations, release planning, or stakeholder alignment on priorities.

MoSCoW Prioritization Skill

This skill applies the MoSCoW method to systematically categorize requirements, helping teams focus on what's truly essential.

Theoretical Foundation

Origin

MoSCoW was developed by Dai Clegg at Oracle in 1994 as part of the Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM). The name is an acronym for the four priority categories.

The Four Categories

Category	Meaning	Criteria
Must Have	Critical–no viable product without	Non-negotiable
Should Have	Important but not vital	High value, not critical
Could Have	Desirable if time permits	Nice to have
Won't Have	Explicitly excluded (this time)	Out of scope

Key Principle

At most 60% of effort should go to Must Haves, ensuring buffer for the unexpected.

When to Use

Release planning
Scope negotiation
Stakeholder alignment
Resource allocation
MVP definition

Instructions

Step 1: Gather All Requirements

List all features/requirements from:

PRD
Backlog
Stakeholder requests
User feedback

Step 2: Define "Must Have" Criteria

Clarify with stakeholders:

What makes something absolutely critical?
What cannot be compromised?
What breaks the product if missing?

Step 3: Categorize Each Item

For each requirement:

Must: Would the product fail without this?
Should: Is it very important but survivable without?
Could: Is it nice to have if time permits?
Won't: Should we explicitly exclude this?

Step 4: Validate Must Haves

Challenge each "Must Have":

Is this truly essential?
What would happen without it?
Could we ship and add later?

Step 5: Check 60% Rule

Calculate effort distribution:

Must Haves: ≤60% of effort
If over: Re-evaluate what's truly "Must"

Step 6: Document and Communicate

File path: 02-reports/[YYYYMMDD]-moscow-priorities-v0.md

Format:

## Must Have
- [Requirement]: [Rationale]

## Should Have
- [Requirement]: [Rationale]

## Could Have
- [Requirement]: [Rationale]

## Won't Have (This Release)
- [Requirement]: [Why excluded]

Output Specifications

File Naming: [YYYYMMDD]-moscow-priorities-v0.md
Location: 02-reports/
Template: references/moscow-template.md

Related Skills

niopd-st-rice: Quantitative prioritization
niopd-ur-kano: Satisfaction-based categorization
niopd-pd-roadmap: Roadmap planning
niopd-pm-release: Release planning