10. Triage Prioritization
The classic problem with MoSCoW prioritization is that you end up with too many Must Have items, and the PM gets stuck, unable to prioritize them.
Sometimes PMs get overwhelmed with feature requests and shut down. "It's all must-have," they say. A novel approach to traditional MoSCoW prioritization can help get them unblocked.
Context
PMs are struggling to prioritize their backlog, feeling everything is a must-do. Priorities are needed urgently for a planning session or a presentation and we don't have time for more rigorous methods.
Often external pressure is so high that PMs feel they have no options.
They're wrong about this.
There are always options; some are just unpleasant and politically difficult. But if PMs are scared of saying 'no' to anything, they need a different lens to prioritize.
This play is especially helpful in a chaotic, low-safety, low resource, emotionally led, or low-data environment, because it relies only on intuitive judgment of a small group.
Play
Guide them through a triage prioritization using 'Must Have, Should Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have' (MoSCoW for short). You probably know this approach already, but what's unique in this play is the framing.