neededand

Neededand is a term used in product management and systems design to denote a prioritization criterion that requires both necessity and feasibility. In practice, each proposed feature or change is evaluated against two questions: Is it needed by users or stakeholders? Can it be implemented within current resources and constraints? Features that answer yes to both are candidates for inclusion; those that fail either criterion are deferred or dropped. The concept emphasizes delivering value with minimal waste and aligning development with available capabilities.

Origins and usage: The term emerged in informal design discourse in the 2010s and is commonly encountered in blogs, design sprints, and lean startup communities. It is not standardized in peer-reviewed literature, and different teams may paraphrase it as a rule-of-two questions or as a synthesis of need and feasibility.

Etymology: A compound derived from 'needed' and the conjunction 'and,' sometimes styled as 'needed-and.'

Applications: Used in roadmapping, backlog grooming, and requirement prioritization. By applying the neededand filter, teams prune features that are trendy but not necessary, or that are desirable but impractical, clarifying scope and reducing risk.

Relation to other concepts: It intersects with frameworks such as the MoSCoW method's Must have category and the Kano model's basic and performance needs, though neededand is primarily a decision criterion rather than a multi-tier taxonomy.

Criticism: Critics say the criterion can be subjective and may undervalue strategic investments that require upfront effort with longer-term payoff. Proponents argue it helps maintain focus on deliverable value in iterative cycles.