What is a burn down chart?
In scrum, a burn down chart functions as a graphical representation to indicate how much development activity is still left to complete the project, versus the time consumed to complete the remaining work. The work related aspect is represented along the horizontal or the “X” axis, while the days or the time factor being consumed is plotted along the vertical or the “Y” axis. A burn down chart is very useful to find out, and predict, when all the work or development activities associated with the particular project will be completed over time. In scrum, burn down charts are very important, and extensively used by scrum masters and the team members to track the status of the ongoing project. In fact, the concept of burn down charts can also be applied in a successful manner to non-Agile or non-scrum based projects.
The burn down chart is generally updated by the end of each sprint. It is updated by the scrum master. In scrum, the X-axis indicates the sprints carried out and planned, while the Y-axis indicates the number of days. The duration of the work carried out and planned, along the Y-axis, can be shown using any unit of measurement such as story points, team days, ideal days, etc as decided by the product owner, scrum master, and the team members.
Reading the burn down chart
The burn down chart offers a convenient method to monitor the team progress on a daily basis. The horizontal axis on the bottom, the X-axis, indicates the sprint carried out as well as planned sprints, and reflects the total work required to be completed to finish the ongoing project. The vertical or the Y-axis shows the duration of the sprint, usually in days, taken by the development team to design the functionalities of the user stories available in the sprint backlog. On day zero, the first day of the sprint, the total amount of development to be carried out is maximum, since the first sprint is just beginning. As the sprint progresses, the amount of work remaining starts reducing, till it reaches the last sprint when it should ideally become zero. Alternately, a “blue” line can be drawn to represent the “ideal” working conditions with respect to the time taken and the work completed. The red line indicates the actual progress being made, and it should be compared with the blue line to find out how much the team is lacking or advancing with respect to the desired progress. Efforts should be made so that both the lines coincide with each other. This would mean that the project is progressing in the desired and expected manner.
What is the need of using a burn down chart?
Burn down charts are popular because they provide a graphical representation of how the scrum project is planned, and how it is actually progressing. A visual representation is much easier to read and understand, even for people who are not familiar with scrum methodology. The chart is frequently used to extrapolate how the work is likely to proceed over the days, and proves to be useful for estimation purposes, based upon the current level of progress. Many scrum masters consider burn down charts as motivational tools which can be used to prompt the team members to perform as per the sprint plan. Usually the chart is pinned on a whiteboard kept in the same area where the team members carry out development, and it acts as a constant reminder as to how much work is completed and how much of it is still pending. The chart not only acts as a motivational tool, but also helps the scrum master to supervise scrum in a much better manner.
Find out more, and download our free QuickScrum tool which can help you in implementing scrum in an effective and profitable way!
In scrum, a burn down chart functions as a graphical representation to indicate how much development activity is still left to complete the project, versus the time consumed to complete the remaining work. The work related aspect is represented along the horizontal or the “X” axis, while the days or the time factor being consumed is plotted along the vertical or the “Y” axis. A burn down chart is very useful to find out, and predict, when all the work or development activities associated with the particular project will be completed over time. In scrum, burn down charts are very important, and extensively used by scrum masters and the team members to track the status of the ongoing project. In fact, the concept of burn down charts can also be applied in a successful manner to non-Agile or non-scrum based projects.
The burn down chart is generally updated by the end of each sprint. It is updated by the scrum master. In scrum, the X-axis indicates the sprints carried out and planned, while the Y-axis indicates the number of days. The duration of the work carried out and planned, along the Y-axis, can be shown using any unit of measurement such as story points, team days, ideal days, etc as decided by the product owner, scrum master, and the team members.
Reading the burn down chart
The burn down chart offers a convenient method to monitor the team progress on a daily basis. The horizontal axis on the bottom, the X-axis, indicates the sprint carried out as well as planned sprints, and reflects the total work required to be completed to finish the ongoing project. The vertical or the Y-axis shows the duration of the sprint, usually in days, taken by the development team to design the functionalities of the user stories available in the sprint backlog. On day zero, the first day of the sprint, the total amount of development to be carried out is maximum, since the first sprint is just beginning. As the sprint progresses, the amount of work remaining starts reducing, till it reaches the last sprint when it should ideally become zero. Alternately, a “blue” line can be drawn to represent the “ideal” working conditions with respect to the time taken and the work completed. The red line indicates the actual progress being made, and it should be compared with the blue line to find out how much the team is lacking or advancing with respect to the desired progress. Efforts should be made so that both the lines coincide with each other. This would mean that the project is progressing in the desired and expected manner.
What is the need of using a burn down chart?
Burn down charts are popular because they provide a graphical representation of how the scrum project is planned, and how it is actually progressing. A visual representation is much easier to read and understand, even for people who are not familiar with scrum methodology. The chart is frequently used to extrapolate how the work is likely to proceed over the days, and proves to be useful for estimation purposes, based upon the current level of progress. Many scrum masters consider burn down charts as motivational tools which can be used to prompt the team members to perform as per the sprint plan. Usually the chart is pinned on a whiteboard kept in the same area where the team members carry out development, and it acts as a constant reminder as to how much work is completed and how much of it is still pending. The chart not only acts as a motivational tool, but also helps the scrum master to supervise scrum in a much better manner.
Find out more, and download our free QuickScrum tool which can help you in implementing scrum in an effective and profitable way!
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