Skip to main content

What about spikes? are they official in Scrum?

Last post 02:43 pm January 21, 2015 by Fernando Moyano
6 replies
01:53 pm January 8, 2015

I've read the guide but din't find any mention about spikes. They seem to be very useful, but I can't find any official mention about them.

What do you think? are they official?


02:21 pm January 8, 2015

Spikes are typically done in order to clarify scope, or to assess the technical feasibility of items on the Product Backlog. This means that they aren't so much a development & delivery activity as they are a tool for backlog refinement. Although spikes aren't mentioned in the Guide, backlog refinement is.


03:23 pm January 8, 2015


Posted By Ian Mitchell on 08 Jan 2015 02:21 PM
Although spikes aren't mentioned in the Guide, backlog refinement is.



You're right, it makes sense.


06:15 pm January 12, 2015

I cannot speak to OFFICIAL but in the teams I have been SM for they are in the backlog and sprint, and they are sized. I encourage sizing because they impact velocity/capacity of the team in the sprint. I also like to see the team as a whole know what is being worked.


03:34 am January 14, 2015

User Stories are not mentioned in the Scrum Guide as well.
What else do User Stories and Spikes have in common? They both inherit from Product Backlog Item.


02:19 am January 19, 2015

No they're not part of Scrum because not every Scrum team use story points and velocity. Some of the best teams I've work with do not estimate.


02:43 pm January 21, 2015

Thanks for your answers and comments. They are all appreciated.


By posting on our forums you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.

Please note that the first and last name from your Scrum.org member profile will be displayed next to any topic or comment you post on the forums. For privacy concerns, we cannot allow you to post email addresses. All user-submitted content on our Forums may be subject to deletion if it is found to be in violation of our Terms of Use. Scrum.org does not endorse user-submitted content or the content of links to any third-party websites.

Terms of Use

Scrum.org may, at its discretion, remove any post that it deems unsuitable for these forums. Unsuitable post content includes, but is not limited to, Scrum.org Professional-level assessment questions and answers, profanity, insults, racism or sexually explicit content. Using our forum as a platform for the marketing and solicitation of products or services is also prohibited. Forum members who post content deemed unsuitable by Scrum.org may have their access revoked at any time, without warning. Scrum.org may, but is not obliged to, monitor submissions.