Sprint Burndown Chart

5 minutes 5 Questions

Sprint Burndown Charts show the amount of work remaining in a sprint. These charts are updated daily and they visually depict the work left to be done versus the remaining time in the sprint. Sprint Burndown Charts help in early identification of any potential risks or roadblocks, allowing Scrum Masters to address these issues promptly. By comparing actual progress to ideal progress, you can make accurate predictions and manage your team's workload to ensure timely completion of the sprint objectives.

Full Guide: Sprint Burndown Chart

What it is:
A Sprint Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of work left to be done versus time. The horizontal axis of the Sprint Burndown Chart shows the days in the Sprint, while the vertical axis shows the amount of work remaining at the start of each day.

Why it is important:
The Sprint Burndown Chart is vital as it provides a quick overview of whether a Sprint is on track. It can help identify problems and inefficiencies early in the process, which can then be addressed to ensure that the team meets its goals. It also promotes transparency and enhances team communication.

How it works:
The chart is updated at the end of each day as work is completed. This results in a downward trend, showing work being burnt down, as the Sprint progresses. If the work remaining is above the ideal line, then it signifies that there might be risk in achieving Sprint goals.

Exam Tips - Answering Questions on Sprint Burndown Chart:
When answering questions on Sprint Burndown Chart, always mention its importance in tracking the team's progress and ensuring they meet the Sprint goals. Describe how it works and its key elements i.e., work remaining and time. Also, illustrate its use in identifying potential risks and issues early in the process.
Test mode:
Start practice test

CSM - Sprint Burndown Chart Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Sprint Burndown Chart

Question 1

What should the ScrumMaster do if the Sprint Burndown Chart shows a consistent pattern of tasks being completed later than planned?

Correct Answer: Facilitate a discussion with the team to identify the root causes and develop a plan to address the issues.

The best course of action for the ScrumMaster is to facilitate a discussion with the team to identify the root causes of the consistent delays and develop a plan to address the issues. This approach aligns with the Scrum principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation. By involving the team in the process, the ScrumMaster encourages collaboration and helps the team take ownership of their work and continuously improve their processes.

Encouraging the team to work overtime is not a sustainable solution and may lead to burnout and decreased productivity in the long run. Extending the sprint duration or modifying the sprint backlog without addressing the underlying issues goes against the principles of Scrum and may not result in meaningful improvements. The focus should be on identifying and resolving the root causes of the delays rather than simply adjusting the scope or timeline of the sprint.

Question 2

Your team finished all of the planned items for the sprint midway through the sprint and the burndown chart is already at zero. What should the ScrumMaster do?

Correct Answer: Facilitate a discussion with the team and the Product Owner to pull more work into the sprint if it makes sense.

In Scrum, when the team completes the planned sprint backlog items before the sprint ends, the ScrumMaster should facilitate a discussion with the team and the Product Owner to pull more work into the sprint if it makes sense. This approach is about using the remaining time efficiently, while staying within the scope of the project and the capacities of the team. Relaxing as they have exceeded sprint commitments would not be the best use of time and resources. Starting to plan for the next sprint right away could be feasible, but the focus should firstly be on utilizing the current sprint to its full potential. Adding more User Stories to the sprint without consultation from the Product Owner is not advisable, as the Scrum process involves collaboration and the Product Owner is responsible for the backlog from which the team pulls the work.

Question 3

At the end of the sprint, your Burndown Chart shows that some tasks were not completed, but the Product Owner is satisfied with the increment produced. What should you do as a ScrumMaster?

Correct Answer: Conduct a retrospective to identify improvements, but accept the increment.

The ScrumMaster's role includes facilitating the Scrum process and helping the team to continuously improve. Even though some tasks were not completed according to the Burndown Chart, the Product Owner is satisfied with the product increment. Hence, the best action as a ScrumMaster is to: 'Conduct a retrospective to identify improvements, but accept the increment.' This is because Scrum encourages teams to learn from experiences and improve continuously. A retrospective meeting provides a platform for this learning and can provide insights into why certain tasks were not completed.

The option 'Reject the increment because not all tasks were completed.' is incorrect because Scrum values a working product over comprehensive documentation. If the Product Owner finds the product increment satisfactory, then it is not necessary to complete all tasks.

The option 'Start a new sprint immediately to finish the remaining tasks.' is not the best approach, as it doesn't allow for a time of reflection and learning which is essential in Scrum.

Lastly, the option 'Ask the team to work overtime to complete the remaining tasks.' goes against the principle of sustainable development that Scrum promotes. It's important to maintain a constant pace of work for indefinite periods, thus avoiding issues caused by overwork.

More Sprint Burndown Chart questions
8 questions (total)
Start 8 question test

Other Scrum Performance Metrics concepts

Blocked TimeBurnup ChartsControl ChartCumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)Cycle TimeDefect DensityEscaped Defects MetricLead TimeProduct Burndown ChartTeam SatisfactionThroughputVelocity ChartWork in Progress Limit
All Scrum Performance Metrics questions · CSM practice test