Requirements Priority Process Skill

Overview

This skill guides you through a systematic requirements prioritization process to determine the order of implementation based on business value, technical feasibility, and resource constraints.

When to Use

• Prioritizing requirements after refinement
• Creating MoSCoW classifications
• Assessing business value vs implementation cost
• Planning development iterations and sprints
• Creating priority matrices for project planning

Prioritization Process

Step 1: MoSCoW Classification

Objective: Categorize requirements into Must, Should, Could, Won't have.

Actions:

1. Review all refined requirements
2. Classify each requirement:
   • Must Have: Critical for system operation (40-50%)
   • Should Have: Important but not critical (25-30%)
   • Could Have: Nice to have (15-20%)
   • Won't Have: Deferred to future versions (remaining)
3. Document classification rationale
4. Validate with stakeholders

Output: 01-moscow-classification.md

Classification Criteria:

• Must: System cannot function without it
• Should: Significantly impacts user experience
• Could: Enhances functionality but not essential
• Won't: Not needed in current version

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Step 2: Value Assessment

Objective: Evaluate the business and user value of each requirement.

Actions:

1. Define evaluation dimensions:
   • Business Value (40%): Contribution to business goals
   • User Value (30%): Impact on user experience
   • Strategic Value (20%): Alignment with company strategy
   • Compliance Value (10%): Regulatory requirements
2. Score each requirement (1-5 scale)
3. Calculate weighted scores
4. Rank requirements by value

Output: 02-value-assessment.md

Scoring Scale:

• 5: Critical/Must have
• 4: Very important
• 3: Important
• 2: Nice to have
• 1: Minimal impact

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Step 3: Cost Assessment

Objective: Estimate the implementation effort and complexity.

Actions:

1. Evaluate cost dimensions:
   • Development Effort (50%): Person-days required
   • Technical Complexity (30%): Technical difficulty and risk
   • Dependencies (20%): Prerequisites and blockers
2. Score each requirement (1-5 scale)
3. Calculate weighted scores
4. Estimate person-days for each requirement

Output: 03-cost-assessment.md

Cost Levels:

• 5: >20 days, very complex, many dependencies
• 4: 11-20 days, complex, several dependencies
• 3: 6-10 days, moderate, some dependencies
• 2: 3-5 days, simple, few dependencies
• 1: 1-2 days, very simple, independent

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Step 4: Iteration Planning

Objective: Plan development iterations based on priority and dependencies.

Actions:

1. Define iteration strategy:
   • Sprint duration (typically 1-2 weeks)
   • Team capacity
   • Dependency sequencing
2. Assign requirements to sprints
3. Balance workload across iterations
4. Identify risks and mitigation strategies
5. Define iteration milestones

Output: 04-iteration-plan.md

Iteration Structure:

Sprint 0: Preparation (environment, architecture)
Sprint 1-N: Core functionality (Must have)
Sprint N+1: Important features (Should have)
Sprint Final: Testing, optimization, documentation

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Step 5: Priority Matrix

Objective: Create comprehensive priority matrix combining all assessments.

Actions:

1. Combine MoSCoW, value, and cost assessments
2. Calculate composite priority scores
3. Define priority levels:
   • P0 (Critical): Must have, high value, implement first
   • P1 (High): Should have or high value Must have
   • P2 (Medium): Could have or lower priority Should have
   • P3 (Low): Won't have or low value features
4. Create value-cost quadrant analysis
5. Document final priority rankings

Output: 05-requirements-priority-matrix.md

Priority Calculation:

Composite Score = (MoSCoW × 40%) + (Value × 30%) + (Cost Inverse × 20%) + (Iteration × 10%)

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Document Naming Convention

Step	Document	Code
1	MoSCoW分类	SYS-RA-RP-001
2	需求价值评估	SYS-RA-RP-002
3	实现成本评估	SYS-RA-RP-003
4	迭代计划	SYS-RA-RP-004
5	需求优先级矩阵	SYS-RA-RP-005

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Value-Cost Matrix

                    High Value
                         │
         ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
         │  Quick Wins   │  Major Projects│
         │  (P0/P1)      │   (P0/P1)     │
         │               │               │
Low Cost ├───────────────┼───────────────┤ High Cost
         │  Fill-ins     │  Thankless    │
         │   (P2)        │   Tasks       │
         │               │   (P3)        │
         └───────────────┼───────────────┘
                         │
                    Low Value

Quadrant Strategies:

• Quick Wins: High value, low cost - Do first
• Major Projects: High value, high cost - Plan carefully
• Fill-ins: Low value, low cost - Do if time permits
• Thankless Tasks: Low value, high cost - Avoid or defer

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Quality Checklist

• [ ] All requirements classified with MoSCoW
• [ ] Value assessment completed for all requirements
• [ ] Cost estimation documented with rationale
• [ ] Iteration plan balances workload
• [ ] Priority matrix shows clear ranking
• [ ] Stakeholders have reviewed and approved
• [ ] Risks identified with mitigation plans

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Best Practices

1. Involve stakeholders - Get input from business and technical teams
2. Use data - Base decisions on objective assessments
3. Consider dependencies - Sequence requirements logically
4. Balance the matrix - Don't overload any single iteration
5. Review regularly - Re-prioritize as conditions change
6. Document rationale - Explain why priorities were set
7. Be flexible - Adjust for changing business needs

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Common Pitfalls

• Everything is Must have - Push back and enforce classification
• Ignoring technical debt - Include refactoring in priorities
• No stakeholder buy-in - Ensure approval before starting
• Static priorities - Review and adjust regularly
• Over-optimism - Add buffer time for complex features
• Missing dependencies - Map requirements to each other