Needs, wants, and expectations in requirement prioritization
Key Takeaway
A need is essential and must be in the deliverable. A want can be negotiated out or deferred, even when a stakeholder insists on it. An expectation is the stakeholders' vision of how and when they will realize business value, so capture and explore it to find more needs and wants.
Stakeholders often can't say exactly what they need, so the project team sorts each requirement into one of three categories: needs, wants, or expectations. The categories set priority and decide what goes into project scope. Scope drives the schedule and cost estimates, so the same categories guide what to defer when scope, time, and budget pull against each other.
Sorting requirements
Stakeholders may not know exactly what they need, want, or expect. They may also struggle to put their requirements into words. The project team's role is to help clarify the requirements and then prioritize them by separating them into needs, wants, and expectations.