This document provides guidance on reading and interpreting burndown charts. It explains that when the red line, representing work completed, meets the gray line, which shows the ideal pace of work needed to meet commitments, it means the team is on track with no work carried over to the next sprint. It notes that when the red line does not follow the gray line, it indicates work is not being done on committed tasks. The document also advises that added work during a sprint should not be the norm and may signal a need to clean up the product backlog in Jira.

1. Reading a
Burndown Chart
Presented by Jacqueline Sanders-Blackman
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2. Reading a Burndown Chart
Insights and Conversation Starters
Jacqueline Sanders-Blackman
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3. Disclaimer
Burndown charts are NOT definitive, they just provide indicators which require further conversation with the
people involved and research. Many times there are multiple contributing factors and circumstances. It’s best
to give the people involved the benefit of the doubt and first assume they made the best decisions under the
circumstances.
The burndown / burn-up is a tool meant to be used by the squad for the squad to collect information and insight
to factor into their continuous improvement efforts. There are many lessons learned that can be gleaned from
the burndown chart.
copyright 2021 @ techexpressoconsulting.com

4. When to Reference
A Burndown Chart
● The squad can look at it during daily sync to track
their progress and to proactively recognize when
they are getting off track.
● The squad can look at it on day 5 (or half point of
their sprint) of a 2-week sprint to see if they are
likely to end on target or if a conversation is needed
to de-prioritize or re-prioritize or to ask for help.
● The squad can look at it on day 8 or the last 2 days
of the sprint based on the sprint cycle the team is
on. This is an opportunity for everyone to look at
how they can make sure the final points remaining
to meet the sprint velocity will be met and the
appropriate work items will be closed.
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5. Points on How to Read a
Burndown Chart
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6. When the Gray and Red Line Meet = Zero Carryover
When the
Gray line and
Red line Meet
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7. When the Gray and Red Line Meet = Zero Carryover
The Red line
represents work
items completed.
The Gray shows
ideally the average
number of points
that need to be
closed to meet the
work committed to.
copyright 2021 @ techexpressoconsulting.com

8. It’s not necessary to follow the gray line but it’s a
helpful reminder so you aren’t too far off track.
When the Red and
Gray line meet that
means you’re on
track. It doesn’t
happen often but it’s
a good indicator!
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9. This means we committed to one thing but are
working on another. Make sure this was intentional.
When the Red line is not
following the Gray line it’s an
indicator that work is not
being done on what the
squad committed to do.
Prod, Design and
Engineering should make
sure they are aligned.
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10. Adding Work During the Sprint Should Not Be the
Norm.
The difference/gap
between where the Red
line continues and the
Gray line stops is the
carryover amount (i.e
10 Story Points)
When a Red line goes up
it means work was added
after planning. This should
not be common.
copyright 2021 @ techexpressoconsulting.com

11. When the work being done doesn’t align with the items
in the backlog, it may be time to do some clean up in
Jira.
When a Red line goes up
it means work was added
after planning. This should
not be common.
In some cases this
means Jira is not being
updated to the current
events and activities.
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