A “spike” is a method for exploring potential solutions. They are usually used when a team needs to get familiar with a new technology, or does not know how to solve an important problem. The spike is a dedicated period of time to research a solution, which can then inform the project planning.

Every week your project will begin with a spike. There will be some aspect of the project that you need to research and plan as a group before starting to work on your app. There is dedicated time in the schedule for this.

During the first 6 weeks, spikes will include some example questions to kickstart your research. During the longer In-house and Tech for Better projects, project teams will decide their own Technical Spikes. Please include your findings in your project presentations at the end of the week—it’s useful for each group to share their specific knowledge with the others.