Spike

August 26, 2025
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What is a Spike?

A spike is a short, time-boxed research or investigation task used in project management and agile development. It helps teams explore potential solutions, assess technical feasibility, or estimate work effort before committing to a full implementation. A spike does not aim to deliver a final product but rather to answer a specific question or reduce uncertainty. Teams usually schedule spikes to evaluate new technology or complex functionality or when requirements are unclear. The result of a spike can influence future planning and decision-making.

Key Points

  • A spike is typically time-boxed, often lasting a few hours to a few days.
  • It focuses on research, prototyping, or problem-solving rather than delivering production-ready features.
  • Teams use it to gain knowledge and reduce risk before moving forward with a user story or technical task.
  • It can be either functional (investigating business or user requirements) or technical (evaluating tools, frameworks, or implementation options).
  • The outcome of a spike is usually a recommendation, a rough prototype, or improved estimates for future work.

Related Terms

  • A user story may prompt a spike when more information is needed to complete it.
  • Sometimes, a team uncovers technical debt during a spike and addresses it in future work.
  • A sprint backlog may include spikes to help clarify items that are not yet well-defined.
  • Timeboxing is a core technique used to keep spikes focused and limit the time spent on exploration.
  • A proof of concept is similar to a spike but often involves more formal validation and stakeholder review.

Spike: Example

A development team is integrating a third-party payment service, but the service uses a new API that the team has never worked with. Instead of starting full development, the team schedules a two-day spike to study the API, attempt a basic connection, and assess whether the integration is feasible within the sprint. Based on their findings, they adjust their estimates and prepare a plan for full implementation in a future sprint.

Spike: Best Practices

  • Clearly define the goal or question it aims to answer before starting.
  • Limit the duration with a strict timebox to avoid scope creep.
  • Share findings with the team through notes, a demo, or a short presentation.
  • Use the results to inform estimates, design choices, or backlog prioritization.
  • Avoid using it as a substitute for long-term planning or proper documentation.

Additional Resources

Spike - Agile Practice Guide     Spike - Agile Estimating and Planning

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