Concepts
Understanding the concept of prioritization is vital for project managers aiming to earn the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification. Prioritization determines which user stories, features, or requirements are more important than others. Once a project team understands their priorities, they can plan and work on tasks that offer the highest value to the project.
For exam candidates, it’s essential to understand different tools and techniques for prioritizing work. These techniques include the MoSCoW method, the Kano model, the business value scoring method and more.
The MoSCoW Method
The MoSCoW method categorizes priorities into four categories: Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have.
- Must Have: These are the essential features or requirements without which the project would fail.
- Should Have: Important but not crucial for the project’s launch.
- Could Have: These are desirable features that can be postponed if needed.
- Won’t Have: These are the lowest priority tasks. These can be removed from the scope if needed.
This method helps teams identify their most essential work and ensure that they’re focusing on these tasks first.
The Kano Model
The Kano model is another technique that can help PMI-ACP candidates prioritize their project requirements. This model categorizes requirements into five categories: Attractive, Performance, Must-Be, Indifferent, and Reverse.
- Attractive: These features enhance the product’s appeal and increases customer satisfaction.
- Performance: These features increase satisfaction if fulfilled and decrease satisfaction if unfulfilled.
- Must-Be: These are the basic requirements. Customers expect these and taking them for granted can lead to dissatisfaction.
- Indifferent: These features neither increase the satisfaction level nor decrease it.
- Reverse: These are features that can cause dissatisfaction if implemented, as they are not desired by customers.
The Business Value Scoring Method
Business value scoring is a prioritization method where the team scores each item’s potential benefits. This method involves assigning numerical scores (from 1 to 10, for example) to requirements, with higher scores indicating higher value.
Using this method, a team may consider scores based on factors like financial benefits, strategic alignment, customer satisfaction, risk reduction, regulatory compliance, and workflow efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, for PMI-ACP aspirants, a robust understanding of prioritization is paramount to navigate agile projects successfully. Grasping the different prioritization methods and knowing when to use them can help a product owner or project manager drive their team towards the project’s success. Remember, prioritization is not a one-time activity. It’s a continuous task that requires revisiting and refining as circumstances and project conditions change.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: In Agile, prioritization must be performed with the active participation of stakeholders, product owner, and the development team.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Prioritization in agile requires the active participation of everyone involved including stakeholders, product owners, and the development team to ensure that the most valuable features are developed first.
Which of the following methods that Agile teams use to prioritize work?
- A) Business Value
- B) Cost of Delay
- C) Risk Reduction/Opportunity Enablement
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Agile teams utilize numerous techniques to prioritize work including Business Value, Cost of Delay, and Risk Reduction/Opportunity Enablement.
True or False: In Agile, each item on the Product Backlog must be assigned a unique priority.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While each item on the product backlog needs to be prioritized, they don’t necessarily need to have a unique priority. Some items may have the same priority level.
Which prioritization technique considers both cost and benefit aspects of a feature?
- A) MoSCoW method
- B) Cost Benefit Analysis
- C) Weighted Shortest Job First
- D) Kano Model
Answer: B) Cost Benefit Analysis
Explanation: Cost Benefit Analysis is a simple and widely used technique for prioritization in which both cost and benefit aspects of a feature are considered for prioritization.
True or False: In Agile, the Features with the highest priority should be delivered first.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: In agile methodology, the highest priority features get developed and delivered first as they provide the most value to the business.
Customer satisfaction is prioritized over:
- A) Profit
- B) Contract negotiation
- C) Product quality
- D) Management
Answer: B) Contract negotiation
Explanation: According to Agile principles, customer satisfaction is given more importance than contract negotiation as it is customer-centric.
In Agile, which group has the final say on the priority of the user stories?
- A) Development Team
- B) Scrum Master
- C) Product Owner
- D) Stakeholders
Answer: C) Product Owner
Explanation: Although all involved parties contribute to the discussion, the final authority on prioritization lies with the Product Owner in Agile methodology.
True or False: The Priority pyramid is a top-down approach of prioritizing tasks.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The Priority pyramid is a top-down method that divides items into categories based on their priority.
Which of the following is not a prioritization technique used in Agile?
- A) Timeboxing
- B) Weighted Shortest Job First
- C) MoSCoW method
- D) Cost of Delay
Answer: A) Timeboxing
Explanation: Timeboxing isn’t a prioritization technique. It’s a time management technique utilized in Agile.
True or False: All low priority user stories should be removed from the backlog.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Although they are lower priority, these user stories might still provide value. They should not be automatically removed from the backlog.
Who usually participates in the prioritization of the product backlog?
- A) Team members
- B) Stakeholders
- C) The Product Owner
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Prioritizing the product backlog is a collaborative effort, typically involving all these participants.
What does ‘W’ stand for in the MoSCoW method?
- A) Will
- B) Won’t
- C) Want
- D) Would
Answer: B) Won’t
Explanation: In the MoSCoW prioritization method, ‘W’ stands for ‘Won’t have this time,’ denoting the least priority items.
The blog on PMI-ACP prioritization techniques is spot on. Thanks for sharing!
Can anyone explain more about MoSCoW prioritization?
The blog did a good job of explaining Value-based Prioritization. Appreciate it.
Scrum prioritization techniques seem quite relevant for my project. Thanks for the insights!
What would be more effective in a large-scale project, MoSCoW or Kano model?
I appreciate the detailed comparison between different prioritization techniques. It’s very helpful!
Agreed! The user stories prioritization tips were exactly what I was looking for. Kudos to the writer.
Can someone better explain Cost of Delay in prioritization? I found the blog explanation a bit lacking.