Burndown Chart
A visual graph showing remaining work over time to track sprint or project progress.
Also known as: Sprint Burndown, Release Burndown, Burn Down Chart
Category: Techniques
Tags: agile, scrum, metrics, visualization, project-management, tracking
Explanation
A burndown chart is a graphical representation of work remaining versus time. It provides a quick visual indicator of progress and helps teams identify whether they're on track to complete their commitments.
Types of burndown charts:
1. Sprint Burndown
- Shows work remaining in current sprint
- X-axis: Days in the sprint
- Y-axis: Story points (or hours) remaining
- Updated daily during standup
2. Release Burndown
- Shows work remaining for a release
- X-axis: Sprints until release
- Y-axis: Story points in release backlog
- Updated each sprint
Reading a burndown chart:
- Ideal line: Diagonal from total work to zero
- Actual line: Team's real progress
- Above ideal line: Behind schedule
- Below ideal line: Ahead of schedule
- Flat sections: No progress (blockage, scope added)
- Upward jumps: Work added mid-sprint
Common patterns and what they indicate:
- Cliff at end: Work completed in big batch (testing phase?)
- Staircase: Items not broken into small tasks
- Flat start, rapid end: Sprint planning issues
- Never reaches zero: Over-commitment
- Jumps up: Scope creep or discovered work
Burndown charts complement other metrics:
- Burnup charts (show scope changes more clearly)
- Cumulative flow diagrams (show bottlenecks)
- Velocity trends (show capacity over time)
The value of burndown charts is in the conversations they trigger. When the chart shows concerning patterns, teams should discuss root causes and adaptations.
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