Quick Guide to Agile Prioritization | iCert Global

Choosing what to accomplish first is a big part of agile and is very vital when it comes to passing the PMI-ACP certification exam. In short, prioritization refers to how one decides what things are most important and do them first. In agile, it helps the team know what to accomplish first within a project.

Agile projects have time and resource constraints, and hence teams must make smart decisions on activities to keep time and budget in check. Prioritization helps the team focus on the most important parts that give the most benefit to the customer. In doing this, a product owner must consider a few important things before deciding on what to work on first.

Popular Agile Prioritization Techniques:

• MoSCoW Method
• Kano Model
• Relative Importance
• Scoring Opportunities
• Stack Ranking
• Priority Poker
• Cost of Delay
• 100 Dollar Test

Key Things to Watch out for While Prioritizing:

1. Money Value – The amount of money the work would pay or save.

2. Cost to Build – How much it will cost to build the task or feature.

3. Team Learning – What new skills or knowledge the team will gain by doing the task.

4. Risks – How risky it is to implement the new feature or modification.

Common Agile Prioritization Methods

Agile teams use different ways to choose the most important tasks. Here are 8 common methods they use to decide which tasks come first:

1. MoSCoW Method – Splits tasks into must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have.
2. Kano Model – Focuses on what makes customers happy.
3. Relative Weighting – Compares how helpful and how hard each task is.
4. Opportunity Scoring – Looks at which ideas bring the most value.
5. Stack Ranking – Lists tasks from most to least important.
6. Priority Poker – A fun team game to choose top tasks.
7. Cost of Delay – Shows what it costs if a task is late.
8. 100 Dollar Test – Team members "spend" fake money to vote on tasks.

MoSCoW Agile Prioritization Technique

The MoSCoW Method assists teams in categorizing tasks into four groups:

• Must – Extremely important tasks that have to be performed.
• Should – Valuable tasks but not pressing.
• Could – Nice-to-have tasks that are not urgent.
• Won't – Actions that are not currently necessary.
• This approach assists teams in focusing on what matters the most.

Learner Story: Miguel D Jimenez

Miguel D Jimenez is a working father who wanted to progress professionally and learn new things. He required a course that could be completed with his hectic schedule. He enrolled in the Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) course of iCert Global and had a satisfactory experience. He also finished the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification course from iCert Global. His experience attests how flexible learning can become successful.

Kano Model of Prioritization in Agile

It has been developed by Professor Noriaki Kano. It aids Agile teams identify features that would satisfy customers. The activity shows three ways to measure how happy a customer is.

1. Disappointed – If a feature does not exist or is bad.

2. Okay/Neutral – When it works but isn't that exciting.

3. Delighted – When a feature makes people extremely happy.

The model checks whether the feature exists and how well it functions. Some features are only up to the minimum standard, while others make the customer happier. The more well-made the feature is, the happier the customer will be.

Relative Weighting Prioritization technique

This method helps Agile teams to rank different features so that they can choose what is most important. Product owners and team members provide ratings from 9 to 1 for each feature:

• Benefit – What is the benefit of having this feature

• Penalty – What if the feature isn't present

• Cost – The price to construct it

•  Risk – How risky it is to construct it

Chance Rating

This method is based on what people say to identify what is most important. It helps teams:

• Discover what people really need

• Spend money and time on valuable features.

• Avoid making things customers don't need.

In this way, businesses are able to modify their strategies so that they are making the right products for the right individuals.

Stack Ranking

Stack Ranking is a straightforward method of determining what is most critical. It is similar to making a list from most critical to least critical. Each user story or task is prioritized from highest (most critical) to lowest (least critical). This informs teams what to work on first.

Priority Poker

Priority Poker is similar to a card game. The project manager invites everyone who is important—such as team members and sometimes customers—to assign a score to every task. Everyone gives their scores, and the manager creates a final list based on everyone's suggestions. It's a just and fun way to decide which tasks are most important.

Cost of Delay

This approach begs the question: How much will we miss out on if we delay the inclusion of this feature?

It aids groups:

• Understand what tasks are urgent
• Don't waste money on fixing delays.
• Build important features first

This approach is all about cost savings but nothing at all about customer experience or satisfaction.

Here's how it goes:

• Each participant who is involved in the decision receives 100 dollars or points.
• They allocate these points between the activities or features.
• After everyone is done, the points are counted.
• The most significant feature is the one with the highest points, then the second most significant, and so on.
• This method is simple and helps ensure that everyone agrees on what is most important.

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Why Prioritization is Important in Agile ?

Applying these techniques—Priority Poker, Cost of Delay, and the 100 Dollar Test—allows the product owner and the team to concentrate on the most important features to the customer.

The primary purpose of prioritization in Agile is to deliver value to customers. This is done by:

• Being innovative
• Working with concentration
• Delivering in a lean and smart way

Want to know more? iCert Global offers a full Post Graduate Program in Project Management to help you become an expert in these skills.

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