spike

A technical spike is a disposable prototype experiment used to validate feasibility and architectural choices. It mitigates risk by testing high-uncertainty components in isolation before committing to full-scale implementation.

Test architectural choices by building isolated, disposable prototype experiments. You can run parallel experiments to evaluate different libraries or architectures side-by-side and compare performance benchmarks before production implementation.

Structure a feasibility test by systematically decomposing requirements into verifiable research tasks. Use Given/When/Then framing to break down complex ideas into testable questions and identify integration risks early.

Use disposable prototype experiments when facing high-uncertainty components or integrating new technologies like a vector database. Build minimal prototypes to validate streaming performance or connection stability, then discard them once the decision is made.

Yes, this approach supports comparative analysis by running parallel experiments. You can evaluate different libraries or architectures side-by-side using comparative performance benchmarks to determine the best technical approach for your system.