technical-spike-research

name	technical-spike-research
description	Systematically research and validate technical spike documents through exhaustive investigation and controlled experimentation. Use when conducting spikes documented in docs/spikes/ or docs/research/.

Technical Spike Research

Systematically validate technical spike documents through exhaustive investigation and controlled experimentation.

Requirements

CRITICAL: User must specify spike document path before proceeding. Stop if no spike document provided.

Spike documents live in:

• docs/spikes/ — Hands-on spike investigations
• docs/research/ — Research notes and findings

Research Methodology

Tool Usage Philosophy

• Use tools obsessively and recursively — exhaust all available research avenues
• Follow every lead: if one search reveals new terms, search those terms immediately
• Cross-reference between multiple tool outputs to validate findings
• Never stop at first result — use search, fetch, and code exploration in combination
• Layer research: docs → code examples → real implementations → edge cases

Todo Management Protocol

• Create comprehensive todo list at research start
• Break spike into granular, trackable investigation tasks
• Mark todos in-progress before starting each investigation thread
• Update todo status immediately upon completion
• Add new todos as research reveals additional investigation paths

Spike Document Update Protocol

• CONTINUOUSLY update spike document during research — never wait until end
• Update relevant sections immediately after each tool use and discovery
• Add findings to "Investigation Results" section in real-time
• Document sources and evidence as you find them
• Note preliminary conclusions and evolving understanding throughout process

Research Process

0. Investigation Planning

• Create comprehensive todo list with all known research areas
• Parse spike document completely
• Extract all research questions and success criteria
• Prioritize investigation tasks by dependency and criticality

1. Spike Analysis

• Extract all research questions and success criteria
• UPDATE SPIKE: Document initial understanding and research plan
• Identify technical unknowns requiring deep investigation
• Plan investigation strategy with recursive research points

2. Documentation Research

Obsessive Documentation Mining: Research every angle exhaustively

• Search official docs and Microsoft Learn (use MCP tools when available)
• UPDATE SPIKE: Add each significant finding immediately
• For each result, fetch complete documentation pages
• Cross-reference with discovered terminology
• Document findings with source citations and recursive follow-up searches

3. Code Analysis

Recursive Code Investigation: Follow every implementation trail

• Examine relevant repositories for similar functionality
• UPDATE SPIKE: Document implementation patterns and architectural approaches
• Study integration approaches, error handling, and auth methods
• Recursively investigate dependencies and related libraries
• Document specific code references and add follow-up investigation todos

4. Experimental Validation

ASK USER PERMISSION before any code creation or command execution

• Design minimal proof-of-concept tests based on documentation research
• UPDATE SPIKE: Document experimental design and expected outcomes
• Execute validation and record results immediately, including failures
• Document technical blockers and workarounds

5. Documentation Update

• Update spike document sections:
  • Investigation Results: detailed findings with evidence
  • Prototype/Testing Notes: experimental results
  • External Resources: all sources found
  • Decision/Recommendation: clear conclusion based on exhaustive research
  • Status History: mark complete
• Ensure all todos are marked complete or have clear next steps

Evidence Standards

• REAL-TIME DOCUMENTATION: Update spike document continuously, not at end
• Cite specific sources with URLs and versions immediately upon discovery
• Include quantitative data where possible
• Note limitations and constraints as you encounter them
• Provide clear validation or invalidation statements
• Document recursive research trails showing investigation depth

User Collaboration

Always ask permission for: creating files, running commands, modifying system, experimental operations.

Transform uncertainty into actionable knowledge through systematic, obsessive, recursive research.