Product & metrics

MoSCoW

Must, Should, Could, Won't: a simple way to agree on scope.

⏱ 8 minBeginnerBy Dai CleggSince 1994

Use it when

Scoping an MVP or a release with a fixed deadline.

You'll walk away with

Requirements sorted into four buckets with a balanced effort.

Step 1 · The idea

Agree on what's in, what's out, and what can slip

MoSCoW was created by Dai Clegg at Oracle in 1994 and became part of the DSDM agile method. Every requirement goes into one of four buckets: Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have this time. (The lowercase “o”s just make it pronounceable.)

It's simple enough to use in a single meeting with stakeholders, and it makes trade-offs visible before a deadline forces them.

For designers, MoSCoW is useful when scoping an MVP: design the Musts fully, the Shoulds well, and keep Coulds as simple as possible.

The model

Four categories

Must have

Without it, the release fails, is unsafe or illegal.

Example: Pay for the whole order.

Should have

Important, but there's a workaround for now.

Example: Split the bill inside the app.

Could have

Nice to have. First to drop if time runs out.

Example: Chat inside the group cart.

Won't have (this time)

Agreed out of scope for this release.

Example: Scheduled group orders (next release).

Step 2 · Try it

Prioritisation board

An MVP for group ordering in a food delivery app. Move each item between buckets and watch the effort balance. Effort is in days.

M 17d · S 7d · C 7d · W 11d (out)Musts: 55% of in-scope effort ✓

Must have17d

Add items to a shared group cart

Invite friends with a link

Pay for the whole order

Should have7d

Split the bill inside the app

Edit the cart before checkout

Could have7d

Chat inside the group cart

Vote on the restaurant

Won't have (this time)11d

Schedule group orders for later

Multi-language interface

New item

Effort (days)

Step 3 · Worked example

Scoping a group-order MVP

A fictional team at food delivery app “Thali” has six weeks.

First list

Musts: 9 items · 42 days

Team capacity: 30 days

Step 1

Everything is a Must

The first draft marks everything as Must. That's a wish list, not a plan.

Over-scoped

If there's no chat in the group cart, would we delay launch?

No → Could

If there's no payment?

Yes → Must

Step 2

Ask the Must question

For each item: “would we cancel or delay the release without it?” Only a yes makes it a Must.

Must test

Must17d · 55%

Should7d

Could7d

Step 3

Balance the effort

Musts now fit within about 60% of capacity. Coulds are the safety buffer if something takes longer.

≤ 60% Musts

Won't have (this time)

Scheduled group orders

Multi-language

Revisit after launch

Step 4

Say what's out

Writing down the Won'ts prevents surprises and endless “can we just add…” requests.

Won't

Fictional example.

Watch out

Common mistakes

✓ Do

Use a strict test for Must
Keep Musts at or below about 60% of effort
Agree priorities with stakeholders in the room
Write down Won'ts and when you'll revisit them
Re-prioritise when things change

✗ Avoid

Marking everything as Must
No effort estimates, so no real trade-offs
Treating Won't as “never”
Using it alone for long-term roadmaps
Letting one person decide for everyone

Cheat sheet

MoSCoW in one screen

M  MUST HAVE     release fails / unsafe / illegal without it
S  SHOULD HAVE   important; a workaround exists for now
C  COULD HAVE    nice to have; first to drop
W  WON'T HAVE    out of scope THIS time — revisit later

MUST TEST  "If it's not delivered, would we cancel or delay the release?"
BALANCE    Musts ≤ ~60% of effort · Coulds ≈ 20% as buffer (DSDM guidance)

Use it at work

Figma template

A ready-made canvas for running this framework with your team. Free, editable, and it works in Figma and FigJam.

Figma & FigJam · free

MoSCoW scope board

Must / Should / Could / Won't columns
Effort totals
The Must test

1Download the SVG, or copy it to your clipboard.
2In Figma or FigJam, drag the file onto the canvas — or paste with ⌘V / Ctrl V.
3Everything arrives as editable layers: type in the boxes, add stickies, duplicate rows.

Download SVGOpen in Figma ↗

Check yourself