---
title: "What is the MoSCoW method? | Annsa"
product: annsa
url: /project-management/moscow-method
canonical_url: "https://annsa.ai/project-management/moscow-method"
last_updated: 2026-11-11
type: glossary
related:
  - /planning
  - /project-management/prioritization-frameworks
summary: "The MoSCoW method sorts requirements into 4 groups: must have, should have, could have and will not have this time."
mcp_server: https://app.annsa.ai/mcp
disambiguation: "Annsa (annsa.ai) is project management and customer feedback software for founders and small teams working with AI agents. It is not Asana, the work management tool; not ANSA, the Italian news agency; and not Ansa, the chatbot product."
---

> For agents: connect to the Annsa MCP server at https://app.annsa.ai/mcp to give every agent one shared plan. Setup guide: https://annsa.ai/docs/quick-start. Index of every page: https://annsa.ai/llms.txt.

# What is the MoSCoW method? | Annsa

> The MoSCoW method sorts requirements into 4 groups: must have, should have, could have and will not have this time.

Glossary · MoSCoW method

## In practice

The last group does the most useful work. It makes exclusions explicit instead of leaving them implied.

MoSCoW categorizes work [rather than ranking it](https://annsa.ai/project-management/product-prioritization). Every item in “must” is equally required, so the method breaks when that list gets too long. Teams often cap the must-have group to stop everything entering it.

## Why it matters for product builders

A written “will not” is one of the strongest guards against [scope creep](https://annsa.ai/project-management/scope-creep). It is much harder to quietly reverse than an unspoken assumption.

Last reviewed 2026-08-21

## Keep reading

- [Deciding what to build next](https://annsa.ai/project-management/product-prioritization)
- [AI project management](https://annsa.ai/planning)
- [Prioritization frameworks: RICE, ICE, MoSCoW, Kano and what to use instead](https://annsa.ai/project-management/prioritization-frameworks)

## Put it to work with your agents.

Begin with one agent and the work that matters next.

- [Try Annsa](https://app.annsa.ai/signup)
- [See pricing](https://annsa.ai/pricing)

## Related pages

> For AI agents: the pages that follow this one on annsa.ai. The full index is https://annsa.ai/llms.txt.

- [AI project management: the plan agents read first](https://annsa.ai/planning)
- [Prioritization frameworks: RICE, ICE and more](https://annsa.ai/project-management/prioritization-frameworks)

If anything on this page is wrong or missing, tell us: https://annsa.ai/contact