burndown

Burndown is a visual metric used in agile project management to track remaining work over time. It is most commonly presented as a burndown chart, which plots time on the horizontal axis and remaining work on the vertical axis. Remaining work can be expressed in units such as story points, hours, or tasks. Burndown charts are used to monitor progress during a sprint or release and to forecast whether the team is on track to complete planned scope by the deadline.

Two main forms exist: sprint burndown and backlog or release burndown. The sprint burndown tracks remaining scope for the current sprint; the backlog burndown tracks total work left in the product backlog or release plan. The chart typically includes a plan line (the amount of work planned to be completed by each day) and an actual line showing what remains after each day’s updates. A downward trend toward zero indicates progress.

How it is used: teams update daily, usually after stand-up; the chart helps reveal trends, blockers, and scope changes. If the actual line flattens or rises, it signals risk to complete on time. Teams can respond by re-negotiating scope, adjusting priorities, or reallocating capacity to try to meet the sprint goal.

Limitations and interpretation: the burndown reflects estimation accuracy and scope changes as much as actual velocity. It should be interpreted alongside other indicators and not used as the sole performance metric. Misinterpretation can occur if estimates are inconsistent or if scope changes are not tracked transparently.

Related concepts: a burnup chart tracks completed work over time and can complement a burndown by showing scope changes and overall progress toward a goal. Burndown is commonly associated with Scrum but is used in various agile environments.