Exercise "Scrum Charts"
Summary¶
Here you will find the definitions of the most important terms from this chapter.
Sprint burn-down chart¶
A Sprint burn-down chart is a tool that displays the progress of a Sprint in real-time. It sets the remaining work in relation to the remaining time.
Sprint burn-up chart¶
A sprint burn-up chart ist a tool for tracking the Sprint, based on the representation of already completed Sprints in working hours.
Velocity chart¶
A velocity chart is a chart that visually compares estimated and actual development velocity.
Ideal line¶
A line that runs linearly from day one to the last day of the Sprint. It starts at day one and intersects the ordinate where the estimated work time of all tasks is. It runs linearly downwards until it intersects the abscissa after the last Sprint day.
Calculation velocity¶
Sum of Story Points to date divided by the number of Sprints to date.
Release burn-down chart¶
A release burn-down chart is a graphical representation predicting the progress of a project release. It shows the remaining work compared to the remaining time.
Trend line¶
The trend line is a line representing the estimated progress based on past Sprints.
Test yourself¶
Try to answer the following questions on your own. Take your time and think carefully before checking the solutions.
What charts can be used during the current Sprint?
- Sprint burn-down chart
- Sprint burn-up chart
- velocity chart
Why is the Sprint burn-down chart more motivating than the Sprint burn-up chart?
The Sprint burn-down chart starts with the sum of all working hours, and the remaining hours decrease steadily over the course of the Sprint. This allows the Developers to see, day by day, what they have already achieved and that the number of tasks is continuously decreasing.
What difficulties can arise when using the velocity chart?
If the velocity chart is used to compare teams of Developers with each other, this is problematic. However, the insights from the velocity chart are not set in stone, and difficulties can arise if this is not taken into account.
What must be given for the release burn-down chart to be created?
The Developers’ velocity must be known or well estimated, and the total number of entries in the Product Backlog required for the release must be stable.
What is the difference between the ideal line and the trend line?
The ideal line shows the ideal course of the Sprint or Release, and it is based on predictions. The trend line shows the estimated course, based on past Sprints. This means that if the velocity was slower than estimated and fewer Story Points were implemented in each Sprint than expected, the trend line will intersect the x-axis later than the ideal line. In this case, more Sprints than planned are likely to be needed before releasing. However, this line should also be used with caution: it only reflects the current trend. If the Developers have a different velocity in subsequent Sprints than in the first Sprints, the release date can shift again. Therefore, the trend line should be reviewed after each Sprint and adjusted if necessary.