Release Burn-up Chart

5 minutes 5 Questions

The release burn-up chart helps track real progress over time in relation to a fixed scope. It is especially useful for larger projects over long periods. Scrum teams use the release burn-up chart to visualize how much work has been completed and how much work remains in the release backlog. It pro…

Guide to Release Burn-up Chart - PSM I / Scrum Metrics

What is a Release Burn-up Chart?

The Release Burn-up Chart is a visual representation of the amount of work completed in comparison to the total scope of a project. It showcases a bird's eye view of the product's progress over time.

Why is it important?

Through tracking completed work against total scope, we can predict when all work will be completed. It allows a proactive approach to potential delays and helps manage stakeholders' expectations. It's essential for the transparency and predictability in any Scrum Project.

How does it work?

The X-axis represents time (sprint number), and the Y-axis represents features or story points. There are two main lines, one for the total work scope, and the other represents work completed. As the project evolves, the two lines increasingly align showing project progress.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Release Burn-up Chart

1. Understand the basic concepts and functioning of the chart. Be sure to understand the interpretation of the two lines.
2. Remember that the gap between the two lines represents the remaining work.
3. Questions may present the chart and ask you to interpret or predict based on the information provided. Study different possible states of the project through the chart to be mentally prepared.
4. The progress in 'Release Burn-up Chart' is usually even, don't let a turbulent Burn-Down Chart confuse you.
5. Always remember, in Scrum Metrics, it's used to foresee release dates, revisions and not as an employee performance metrics.

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PSM I - Release Burn-up Chart Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Release Burn-up Chart

Question 1

In a project review meeting, you observe that the scope line in the Release Burn-Up chart is consistently below the work completed line. As a new Scrum Master, how should you react?

Suggest that the Product Owner should increase the scope to match the work completed line, ensuring that all effort is accounted for and justified. Analyze whether there have been changes in the project scope or priorities that may have led to the work completed exceeding the planned scope. Conduct a comprehensive audit of the team's working processes to identify and correct any inefficiencies or misunderstandings in estimating and completing work, taking into account both the nature of the discrepancies and how they might reflect on broader project management or teamwork issues. This could involve revisiting the team's definition of done, refining story point estimation, or reevaluating sprint goals. Direct the team to reduce the velocity to match the scope line in future sprints to ensure no additional work is completed that isn't requested.

Correct Answer: Analyze whether there have been changes in the project scope or priorities that may have led to the work completed exceeding the planned scope.

When the scope line in the Release Burn-Up chart is consistently below the work completed line, it may indicate that the team is working on items that were not originally planned or scoped. The correct approach is to analyze the reasons behind this discrepancy, which may involve changes in priorities, scope creep, or miscommunication about project requirements. Directing the team to adjust velocity or match scope without understanding the root cause, suggesting scope inflation to justify work, or conducting a broad audit without targeted goals would not address the underlying issues effectively and could lead to further misalignments or inefficiencies.

Question 2

As a scrum master, if you notice that 'work completed' line in the Release Burn-up chart is not increasing despite of work forecasted increasing constantly, what could that probable indicate?

The team is facing a lot of external dependencies that delay the completion of work items. There is a high degree of technical debt that is not accounted for in the Sprint planning, leading to reduced velocity. The Scrum team is frequently changing the definition of done, causing confusion about the completion criteria for work items. The team is not able to complete the planned work or the scope of work is continuously increasing.

Correct Answer: The team is not able to complete the planned work or the scope of work is continuously increasing.

When the 'work completed' line in the Release Burn-up chart is not increasing as expected, it directly points to the fact that the team is facing challenges in completing the planned work, or it might also indicate that the scope of the work is continuously getting larger, making it difficult for the team to catch up. The wrong answers, while plausible, do not directly address the core issue of work not being completed as reflected in the burn-up chart. Technical debt, external dependencies, and changes in the definition of done can all indirectly contribute to the issue but are not as directly related to the indications of a Release Burn-up chart as the correct answer.

Question 3

As a Scrum Master, during a project retrospective, you notice that the total work forecasted line on the Release Burn-Up chart is mostly flat, while the work added line has a downward trend. What could be the possible reason?

Misinterpretation of the chart due to a lack of understanding of the Release Burn-Up chart, potentially mistaking the 'work added' trend as a negative indicator instead of evaluating overall progress. The Scrum Team is neglecting the importance of backlog grooming sessions, causing a misunderstanding of the scope and value of work items queued for upcoming sprints. This scenario results in the addition of less work to the backlog because the team prioritizes current sprint work over long-term planning, sometimes leading to a depletion of well-defined tasks ready for future sprints. The development team is becoming more efficient, completing tasks quicker than anticipated, leading to a decrease in the projected work required. The product backlog is being refined, with less valuable items removed or re-prioritized, resulting in a downward trend for added work.

Correct Answer: The product backlog is being refined, with less valuable items removed or re-prioritized, resulting in a downward trend for added work.

The Release Burn-Up chart tracks the total work against the work completed over time, providing insight into the progress towards a release. A flat 'total work forecasted' line combined with a downward trend in the 'work added' line suggests that either the scope is being deliberately reduced by removing or de-prioritizing less valuable items, or it's being refined to reflect more accurate estimations of the remaining work, rather than issues with team efficiency or chart interpretation errors.

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