How to Maximize Agile Efficiency with the Release Burndown Chart Template

By: Hajime Estanislao, PMP, CSM; Editor: Geram Lompon; Reviewed by: Alvin Villanueva, PMP

Are you struggling to track progress in Agile projects? Without a tracking system, managing shifting timelines and unpredictable workloads can be challenging.

Without the right tools, teams risk losing visibility into deadlines, miscalculating velocity, and allowing scope creep to disrupt progress.

Imagine having a visual guide that reveals whether your team is on track, identifies necessary adjustments, and provides guidance on achieving a successful release. The Release Burndown Chart Template offers transparency, efficiency, and improved decision-making.

Do not rely on guesswork—streamline your Agile workflow with a structured approach. Download the Release Burndown Chart Template and streamline your release tracking process.

Definition and Purpose of a Burndown Chart

A burndown chart visualizes the work remaining in a project or sprint over time. Its primary purpose is to track team progress toward completing work and ensure they are on track to meet deadlines. Through a burndown chart, teams can identify potential delays early, adjust the project accordingly, and enhance delivery predictions and transparency. It is essential in Agile project management as it provides a snapshot of how much work remains and how the team is progressing towards its goals.

Types of Burndown Charts (Sprint, Release, Epic)

There are three usual burndown charts: sprint burndown charts, release burndown charts, and epic burndown charts.

A sprint burndown chart tracks the work completed within a sprint, typically lasting 1-4 weeks. This chart helps teams monitor their progress within a short, focused period.

A release burndown chart tracks the work completed towards a release, which usually consists of multiple sprints. This chart offers a broader view of progress over a longer timeframe, enabling teams and stakeholders to understand how many sprints are required to complete the release.

An epic burndown chart tracks the progress of an entire product backlog or a large body of work, offering insights into completing significant project milestones.

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Components of a Release Burndown Chart

A release burndown chart consists of several elements that provide a complete picture of a project’s trajectory:

Story point estimates measure the amount of work remaining in a project.

1. Vertical Axis (Y-Axis)

Represents the work remaining throughout the release cycle, typically measured in story points, tasks, or hours.

2. Horizontal Axis (X-Axis)

Represents time, typically divided into sprints or iterations, enabling teams to track progress across multiple cycles.

3. Ideal Work Remaining Line

A straight line represents the expected progress assuming work is delivered consistently. It serves as a benchmark to compare actual performance.

4. Actual Work Remaining Line

The actual work line fluctuates, reflecting the real progress of the team. Deviations from the ideal line may indicate scope creep, changing priorities, or delays.

5. Start Point

It is the total estimated workload at the beginning of the release cycle.

6. End Point

The completion target should reach zero work remaining by the final sprint.

7. Scope Change Adjustments

Sudden increases in the actual work remaining line indicate new requirements or changes in existing tasks. Monitoring these helps prevent uncontrolled scope creep.

8. Team’s Velocity Indicator

Tracks the average amount of work completed per sprint, helping predict whether the release is on time.

9. Trend Line

Visualizes the overall trajectory of progress, signaling whether the project is ahead, on track, or at risk of delays.

Why Use a Release Burndown Chart?

A well-maintained release burndown chart helps Agile teams:

• Track progress and align with release goals.
• Visualize work remaining against time.
• Identify and address scope creep.
• Improve communication between stakeholders, product owners, and development teams.
• Enhance sprint planning and release forecasting.
• Support data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Maintain transparency and accountability with real-time project status.

Interpreting a Release Burndown Chart

Understanding the Ideal Effort Line

The ideal effort line represents a project’s expected progress, serving as the starting point for the burndown chart. This line begins at the total estimated workload on the first day of the release cycle and slopes downward, reaching zero by the final sprint. It is a straight line connecting the starting and ending points, symbolizing the total effort required to complete all tasks within the project scope.

By understanding the ideal effort line, teams can quickly assess whether they are ahead of schedule, on track, or falling behind. The team is ahead if the work line consistently falls below the ideal effort line.

Conversely, the team is ahead if the work line is consistently below the ideal effort line. By tracking the work line and comparing it to the ‘ideal’ effort line, teams can make data-driven decisions and adjust their workflow to ensure they meet their deadlines. This comparison helps identify potential issues early and allows timely interventions to keep the project on track.

How to Create a Release Burndown Chart in Excel

Building a release burndown chart manually reinforces Agile fundamentals. Follow these steps to create your own using Excel:

Define Your Data Structure

• Identify the total estimated work (in story points, tasks, or hours).
• List sprint numbers or dates for tracking progress.
• Create columns for Ideal Work Remaining and Actual Work Remaining.

Enter Data in Excel

• Open Excel and create a new worksheet.
• Label columns as Sprint, Total Work, Ideal Work Remaining, and Actual Work Remaining.
• Input initial estimates and update actual progress after each sprint.

Calculate the Ideal Work Remaining

• Divide the total work evenly across sprints to establish an ideal trend.
• Subtract a consistent amount per sprint to create a steady decline.

4. Track Actual Work Remaining

• Update progress at the end of each sprint.
• Adjust for scope changes as needed.
• Compare actual progress with the ideal trajectory to identify issues.

5. Insert and Customize a Line Chart

• Select the Sprint, Ideal Work Remaining, and Actual Work Remaining columns.
• Insert a Line Chart (Line with Markers).
• Customize formatting:
  • Use a dashed line for Ideal Work Remaining.
  • Label axes.
  • Add a descriptive title such as “Release Burndown Chart.”

Beyond Excel: Using Software for Burndown Tracking

While Excel provides a hands-on learning experience, Agile teams often use Jira, Trello, Monday.com, or Azure DevOps for automated burndown tracking. These tools:

• Reduce manual updates.
• Provide real-time tracking.
• Offer integration with Agile workflows.

Combine manual burndown tracking with software tools to develop a deeper understanding and increased efficiency.

Taking It Further: Applying Burndown Insights

A burndown chart is most valuable when actively used to refine Agile practices. Here’s how to maximize its benefits:

• Use in Sprint Planning: Compare past burndown trends to forecast future sprints.
• Analyze Deviations: Identify why actual progress differs from the ideal line.
• Optimize Velocity: Adjust workload and resources based on burndown insights.
• Experiment with Variations: Try epic burndown charts for broader initiatives or burnup charts to visualize completed work.
• Encourage a Data-Driven Culture: Make burndown reviews a part of retrospectives.

Final Thoughts: Clarity Over Complexity

Whether created manually or automated through software, consistent application and analysis become powerful assets for Agile teams.

You can implement this by downloading the free Release Burndown Chart Template from ROSEMET and integrating it into your Agile projects.

Stay ahead in project management with ROSEMET LLC’s expert insights, templates, and practical resources.

References

Atlassian. (2025). Burndown charts in Jira Software. Retrieved February 2025, from https://www.atlassian.com/agile/tutorials/burndown-charts

Monday.com. (2025). How to use a burndown chart to track your team’s progress. Retrieved February 2025, from The Burndown Chart – Supphttps://support.monday.com/hc/en-us/articles/17003133339410-The-Burndown-Chart#:~:text=Keep%20reading%20to%20learn%20how%20to%20interpret%2C%20filter%2C,to%20track%20all%20aspects%20of%20your%20sprint%27s%20progression.ort

Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide: The definitive guide to Scrum: The rules of the game. Scrum.org & Scrum Inc. https://scrumguides.org