The Nonprofit Website Insider

A surefire method to tame your tasks, make clearer decisions, and align stakeholder priorities. Plus, a free webinar comparing SquareSpace and WordPress

Hi website champions,

A long list of potential features, tasks, or project ideas can feel overwhelming. Whether you're managing a list of website features, articles that need to be updated, or simply tackling your daily to-do list, prioritization is key to making sense of it all.

You don't need a complicated system—even a simple spreadsheet can help categorize your tasks or ideas and bring a group of decision-makers together to set priorities.

What priorities should you use? The MoSCoW method is useful—no passport required, just a sense of organization (and appreciation for a good mnemonic)!

• Must Have: These are your non-negotiables. The project can’t move forward without them. Ask yourself, “Will the project still function without this?” If the answer is no, it’s a "Must Have." Be selective here—if everything is a priority, nothing truly is.

• Should Have: These are important things that will greatly improve the project, but aren’t essential. Include these if they are low-effort, but don’t let them derail you.

• Could Have: These are your “nice to haves”. They add value but aren’t critical. If time or budget allows, include them. Otherwise, save them for later.

• Won't Have: These won’t be included in the current project at all, but it’s useful to document why. By keeping track of what you’ve ruled out, you avoid revisiting the same discussions later. Sometimes features end up here because they’re common but you know they’re not something you want, or you’ve already had a final decision.

This system works whether you’re prioritizing alone or in a meeting with a team. For big lists or a big group of decision makers, use a survey or a cardsorting tool to ask your stakeholders to rate. (See a case study of this in action.) This allows you to collect everyone’s thoughts, and then only talk about the items where opinions differ. 

By sorting your features (or tasks, if you're project managing) using MoSCoW, you’ll be able to focus your efforts, make clearer decisions, and manage more effectively. That’s helpful by itself, but you can also add ballpark estimates to each item for even more powerful decision-making. Stay tuned for an upcoming how-to for that!

So, next time you're drowning in possibilities, head to MoSCoW.

Prioritizing my best wishes to you,

Laura