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What about spikes? are they official in Scrum?

Last post 02:43 pm January 21, 2015 by Fernando Moyano
6 replies
Fernando Moyano
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?

Ian Mitchell
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.

Fernando Moyano
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.

Elswood Martin
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.

Ludwig Harsch
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.

Joshua Partogi
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.

Fernando Moyano
02:43 pm January 21, 2015

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

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