--- title: "What is a time-boxed discovery? · DeliverySheet" description: "A time-boxed discovery is a learning step taken instead of a decision, with a goal and a target date on which it must end in findings and a decision." canonical_url: "https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery" meta: author: "Tan Gravam" "og:description": "A time-boxed discovery is a learning step taken instead of a decision, with a goal and a target date on which it must end in findings and a decision." "og:image": "https://www.deliverysheet.com/_og/s/o_d32f48e761d9b9a8.png" "og:image:alt": "Time-boxed discovery — DeliverySheet glossary card" "og:image:height": "600" "og:image:type": image/png "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "What is a time-boxed discovery? — DeliverySheet glossary" "twitter:description": "A time-boxed discovery is a learning step taken instead of a decision, with a goal and a target date on which it must end in findings and a decision." "twitter:image": "https://www.deliverysheet.com/_og/s/o_d32f48e761d9b9a8.png" "twitter:image:alt": "Time-boxed discovery — DeliverySheet glossary card" "twitter:title": "What is a time-boxed discovery? — DeliverySheet glossary" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://www.deliverysheet.com/llms.txt) [← All terms](https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary) **Glossary ** # **What is a time-boxed discovery?** A time-boxed discovery is a deliberate learning step taken instead of a decision: a goal, optionally the questions to answer, a time-box, and a target date on which it must conclude with recorded findings and an explicit decision. The ending is what separates discovery from research. On the target date the demand is planned, re-decided with what was learned, parked, or declined — a reason is required to park or decline, and the findings stay on the record. A spike with no end date is not a smaller commitment; it is an unbounded one. ## **When to run a discovery instead of committing** When the uncertainty is about value or feasibility — nobody can say whether this is worth doing, or whether the approach works at all — a discovery is the correct next step, because committing would be a bet dressed as a plan. When the uncertainty is about delivery detail, it is not: unclear scope, an unowned dependency or a missing estimate are things a plan resolves, and sending them to discovery just delays the same conversation. The tell is what a good outcome would change. If the answer changes whether you do the work at all, discover. If it only changes how, plan. ## **What makes a discovery time-boxed rather than open-ended** Three things: a goal stated as the question being answered, a target date, and the requirement that findings are recorded and a decision is taken on that date. Without the third, the box is decorative — the spike quietly extends, and by week six it has consumed more capacity than the commitment it was avoiding. The decision at the end is allowed to be any of the four exits, including declining the demand outright. A discovery that concludes "not worth doing, here is why" has done its job better than one that concludes with a plan nobody believes. [The essay behind “Time-boxed discovery” →](https://www.deliverysheet.com/blog/discovery-is-a-decision-with-a-deadline) [Topic: Planning that stays honest →](https://www.deliverysheet.com/topics/planning) ## **Related terms ** - [RAID log](https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/raid-log) A RAID log is a register of the four places delivery surprises come from — risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies — kept so each has demonstrably been looked at, not merely listed. - [RACI matrix](https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/raci-matrix) A RACI matrix is a grid of tasks or decisions against people or roles, marking for each who is Responsible for doing the work, who is Accountable for the result, who must be Consulted before it happens, and who is Informed afterwards. - [Vertical work](https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/vertical-work) Vertical work is a delivery stream owned by a single team or discipline that produces end-to-end value within its own lane — frontend, backend, data, mobile, platform. This definition comes from building **DeliverySheet** — it takes a vague work request to a clear delivery decision, so the shape, owner, capacity, dependencies and open questions are on the table before anyone commits people or a date. $189/month per workspace, unlimited members. 7-day free trial — card required, cancel before it ends and you're not charged. I answer the support email myself. [**Start 7-day trial **](https://www.deliverysheet.com/login?next=/app) [**All terms **](https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary) [**See pricing **](https://www.deliverysheet.com/pricing) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery#term","name":"Time-boxed discovery","description":"A time-boxed discovery is a deliberate learning step taken instead of a decision: a goal, optionally the questions to answer, a time-box, and a target date on which it must conclude with recorded findings and an explicit decision.","url":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery","inDefinedTermSet":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary#termset"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"Turn raw work requests into structured, decision-ready demands before you commit people, budget, or a date. AI-assisted shaping, planning and commitment governance for engineering leaders.","name":"DeliverySheet","url":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#identity"}},{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery#webpage","description":"A time-boxed discovery is a learning step taken instead of a decision, with a goal and a target date on which it must end in findings and a decision.","name":"Time-boxed discovery — DeliverySheet glossary","url":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery","@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery#breadcrumb"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#website"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery#/schema/question/1"}],"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#identity","@type":"Organization","alternateName":"Delivery Sheet","description":"Turn raw work requests into structured, decision-ready demands before you commit people, budget, or a date.","name":"DeliverySheet","url":"https://www.deliverysheet.com","founder":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/about#person","name":"Tan Gravam"},"logo":{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery#breadcrumb","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Home","item":"https://www.deliverysheet.com","position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Glossary","item":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary","position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Time-boxed discovery","item":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery","position":3}]},{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/glossary/time-boxed-discovery#/schema/question/1","@type":"Question","inLanguage":"en","name":"What is a time-boxed discovery?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A time-boxed discovery is a deliberate learning step taken instead of a decision: a goal, optionally the questions to answer, a time-box, and a target date on which it must conclude with recorded findings and an explicit decision. The ending is what separates discovery from research. On the target date the demand is planned, re-decided with what was learned, parked, or declined — a reason is required to park or decline, and the findings stay on the record. A spike with no end date is not a smaller commitment; it is an unbounded one."}},{"@id":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"DeliverySheet","contentUrl":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/logo.png","inLanguage":"en","url":"https://www.deliverysheet.com/logo.png"}]} ``` ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://www.deliverysheet.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.