Brutal Prioritisation: Deciding what matters
Why is it that when you ask your stakeholders to prioritise the backlog, suddenly everything becomes a “Must”?
It’s a familiar scene: sticky notes plastered on the wall, passionate debates about what’s essential and a creeping sense that you’re no closer to knowing what really matters. Prioritisation should bring clarity but instead it often feels like wrestling with competing values, hidden agendas and impossible trade-offs.
That’s where this RAFT comes in. We call it Brutal Prioritisation - a sharp, no-nonsense way of cutting through the noise and landing on what’s truly important.
What is Brutal Prioritisation?
Brutal Prioritisation is our twist on the classic MoSCoW technique. You likely know the categories - Must, Should, Could, Won’t - but our brutal twist redefines them to make the consequences crystal clear and prioritisation decisions easier:
Must = Failure
If this isn’t delivered, the product fails. There are no workarounds.Should = Operational Cost
There’s a workaround but it creates an ongoing cost that isn’t sustainable in the medium or long term.Could = Opportunity Cost
Skipping it significantly reduces benefits and puts the viability of the business case at risk.Won’t = Later
Consciously deferring these as they are not needed for this release.
With this framing, Brutal Prioritisation helps teams define their Minimum Loveable Product (MLP). Unlike the tarnished MVP, which gets a negative reaction, the MLP focuses on building the smallest product customers will genuinely value and love.
Why We Love It
Brutal Prioritisation strips away the fuzziness. By naming the real consequence of each decision (failure, cost, lost benefit, or deferment), it forces sharper thinking and makes prioritisation real.
It sharpens debate. People can no longer hide behind vague labels; they must explain the cost of leaving something out.
It drives clarity. Teams walk away with a clearer sense of what really matters for the next release.
It resets expectations. Moves the mindset from “just viable” to “genuinely loveable.”
It speeds things up. By cutting through circular arguments, teams can make progress faster.
It empowers Product Owners. Gives them a strong framework to justify final calls.
When We Use It
We reach for Brutal Prioritisation when:
A new product backlog is being created and there’s too much to take on at once.
A release planning session that needs a sharper definition of what will (and won’t) make the cut.
Teams are getting bogged down in endless prioritisation debates.
Stakeholders are insisting that “everything is critical.”
It’s especially powerful at the start of initiatives, when the temptation to overcommit is highest.
How We Do It
Identify backlog items for the release - any items that aren’t identified for the release are defined as Won’t and left in the backlog.
Categorise the identified backlog items as Must, Should or Could - using our Brutal Prioritisation definitions.
Stay quick and decisive - don’t get bogged down. The aim is to move at pace.
Handle dissent smartly - if a debate stalls, turn the backlog item sideways and keep moving. Come back later when the context will probably have been clarified.
Make the final call - if consensus can’t be reached on the sideways stickies, the Product Owner steps in. The responsibility for prioritisation sits with them.
It’s “brutal” because it pushes teams to make deliberate decisions about what is really important. Items either make the release for the MLP or they don’t.
Things to Look Out For
Everything labelled Must - if too many things end up at the top, you’re avoiding the hard conversations.
Hidden personal values and bias - people’s “musts” often say more about their own priorities than the product’s.
Short-term thinking - workarounds are fine in the short-term but need to be looked at again in the near future.
Underestimating the Coulds - these items often carry the real customer delight or business value. They’re what turn an MVP into an MLP!
Try It With Your Team
Run your next backlog refinement through Brutal Prioritisation.
Challenge yourselves to define a Minimum Loveable Product, not just a Minimum Viable Product.
Use the sideways-sticky trick when conversations stall.
Reflect afterwards: did you reach sharper, more defensible priorities?
Brutal Prioritisation won’t eliminate disagreement but it will help your team make the tough calls with a shared language and a clear focus on value.
Our RAFT Series
✦ The Brutal Prioritisation is one of our CoLab RAFTs - Rapid Agile Forecasting & Tracking techniques. Practical tools we use every day in our coaching and training to help teams make work visible and performance-focused.
Updated on 19 October 2025
