Term
Correct Definition
Must Have
Non-negotiable.
Should Have
Important but are not necessary to success.
Could Have
Desirable but not necessary for success.
Won ' t Have
Will not be delivered as part of this scope of work.
The MoSCoW prioritization method classifies requirements according to how critical they are to the success and scope of a solution.
A Must Have requirement is non-negotiable . Failure to satisfy it means the solution does not meet an essential business or technical requirement.
A Should Have requirement is important and normally expected, but the project can still succeed without it if necessary. Such requirements may be deferred when schedule, cost, or resource constraints demand prioritization.
A Could Have requirement is desirable but has lower business impact. These capabilities are implemented when time and resources permit and can be removed from the current delivery with comparatively little effect on overall success.
A Won ' t Have requirement is explicitly excluded from the current scope. It is not necessarily permanently rejected; it may be reconsidered in a later phase or release.
For VCF architecture work, MoSCoW helps convert workshop findings into prioritized requirements and prevents optional functionality from competing with mandatory architectural objectives.
Study Guide References/Topics: Requirements Gathering; MoSCoW Prioritization; Conceptual Design; Business and Technical Requirements; Scope Management.
