Scrum Burn Down Chart

5 minutes 5 Questions

A Burn Down Chart represents the work left to do versus time. It is a graphic representation of the work left to do versus the time. It's a way for the team to manage its progress and respond accordingly. A typical burn down chart contains two axis; the vertical axis represents the amount of work left to do, while the horizontal axis represents time. The burn down chart tracks the progress of the Sprint and provides a simple view about the remaining work that can be used to predict when all the work will be completed.

A Complete Guide to Scrum Burn Down Chart

A Scrum Burn Down Chart is a visual tool used in Scrum, an Agile framework, to track the completion of work. It shows the amount of work remaining in the sprint backlog plotted against time.
The x-axis represents time in days and the y-axis represents the remaining work. Ideally, the chart should show a steady, downwards trend, indicating that work is being completed at a steady pace.

IMPORTANCE:
Scrum Burn Down Chart is an important tool because it:1. Provides transparency into the work left to be done2. Provides a quick overview of the progress3. Helps teams adjust their working speed4. Identifies if a project is off track

HOW IT WORKS:
- At the start of the sprint, the total amount of work to be done is displayed at the top left corner of the chart. - After each day, the total work left is recalculated and a new point is plotted on the chart. A line is then drawn, connecting this point to the previous one to create a continuous line- If the team is on track, the line should steadily decrease and reach the x-axis by the end of the sprint.

EXAM TIPS: Answering Questions on Scrum Burn Down Chart
1. Understanding the basics: Make sure you understand the chart's basic representation, i.e., what each axis represents2. Real-world application: Be ready to interpret or create a Scrum Burn Down Chart based on given data3. Accuracy: Ensure the total work left to be done matches with the data given on the burn down chart.
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CSM - Scrum Burn Down Chart Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Scrum Burn Down Chart

Question 1

Your Scrum team tells you that the work left on the Burn Down chart for the sprint is increasing. What could be the likely issue?

Correct Answer: New tasks have been added to the sprint

If the work left on the Burn Down chart for the sprint is increasing, it means more tasks have been added to the sprint. This is because the Burn Down chart is a graphical representation of work left to do versus time. The chart is supposed to burn down, not up - meaning it should decrease over time as tasks get completed and fewer tasks remain. If the chart is going up, it indicates that tasks are being added to the sprint backlog, making more work left to do.

The answer 'The team has completed all the tasks for the sprint' is wrong because if that were the case, the chart would be at zero, not going up. The answer 'There is an issue with how the chart is being updated' could be a possible scenario but not the most likely. If more tasks are added, it will naturally cause the curve to increase. Lastly, the answer 'The team is working faster than expected' would make the chart burn down faster, not increase. Therefore, the most likely issue is that new tasks have been added to the sprint.

Question 2

What does a steep decline in the Scrum Burn Down Chart typically indicate when scope remains unchanged?

Correct Answer: Increased team velocity

A steep decline in the Scrum Burn Down Chart, when the scope remains unchanged, typically indicates an 'Increased team velocity'. This means the team is completing tasks faster than anticipated. The other options do not correctly describe this situation: 'Additional tasks are being added' would likely cause the burn down chart to show less of a decline or even an increase in the remaining work, as new work is being added. 'Decreased team efficiency' would result in a slower decline or a plateau in the chart, not a steep decline. 'Uneven distribution of task complexity' could potentially affect the slope of the burn down chart but is more related to the variability in task completion times rather than the overall rate of progress represented by a steep decline.

Question 3

Your Scrum team's Burn Down chart shows a slow start, then a steep drop, followed by a leveling off at the end of the sprint. As a Scrum Master, what insight can you derive from this pattern?

Correct Answer: The team likely had some initial impediments or unclear requirements that slowed progress, then resolved them and accelerated, but didn't adapt and take on more work.

The described Burn Down pattern with a slow start, steep drop, and leveling off at the end suggests the team likely encountered some initial impediments or unclear requirements that hindered their progress at the beginning of the sprint. However, they managed to resolve these issues and accelerated their work, resulting in a steep drop in the remaining work. The leveling off at the end indicates they didn't adapt and take on more work, but rather completed the planned work at a sustainable pace. The other answers are incorrect because: The pattern is not ideal, as it shows an uneven progress; It doesn't necessarily imply lack of collaboration or working in silos, as the team did manage to complete the work; and It's not indicative of an unclear Definition of Done, as the work is getting completed by the end of the sprint, just at an uneven pace.

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