The Burndown Chart is a valuable tool that provides you and your team with a visual representation of the work completed against the time remaining in the Sprint.
The primary purpose of the Burndown Chart
Is to enable you and your team to track your progress during a Sprint. It illustrates the amount of work remaining in your Sprint (in story points) versus time. It provides a quick and valuable indication of whether you are on track to complete the planned work by the end of the Sprint.
Optimal Burndown Line
The chart includes an "Optimal Burndown Line," (illustrated in green) which represents the ideal rate at which the team should be completing work (burning down) to finish everything by the end of the Sprint; large deviations above or below this line can indicate potential issues or delays.
Identifying Trends
You can identify trends or a multitude of problems by observing the shape of the Burndown Chart. For example, a steep decline may indicate problems with the estimation of user stories during Sprint Planning or perhaps the team’s developer-to-tester ratio may require re-visiting whilst plateaus or upward trends might suggest challenges or impediments.
Adjustments
If you are a Scrum Master, you can use the Burndown Chart during the Daily Scrum to facilitate discussions about progress and potential obstacles. It provides a visual aid that enables the team to collaboratively address issues and adjust the plan if needed.
Informed Decision Making
As a team, you can make informed decisions based on the information presented in the Burndown Chart. If the remaining work is higher than expected, your team may need to reevaluate their capacity or identify impediments hindering progress.
The #Burndown Chart promotes transparency by making the team's progress visible to everyone with an interest in the product goal. It can also serve as a motivational tool, encouraging the team to #collaborate to achieve the Sprint Goal.