Exercises "Scrum Charts"
Summary¶
Here you will find the definitions of the most important terms from this chapter.
Sprint burn-down chart¶
Tool for tracking the Sprint, based on the representation of outstanding tasks in working hours.
Sprint burn-up chart¶
Tool for tracking the Sprint, based on the representation of already completed Sprints in working hours.
Velocity chart¶
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¶
Tool for tracking the overall project. It describes the current project progress or the remaining scope of work compared to the linear ideal line.
Trend line¶
Line representing the estimated progress based on past Sprints.
Test yourself¶
Please answer the following questions independently. Take your time and think carefully about what you want to answer before having a look at 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 working hours become fewer and fewer during the course of the Sprint, so the Developers can see day by day what they have already achieved and that the tasks become steadily fewer.
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 findings of 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 Velocity of the Developers 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 further back than the ideal line. In this case, more Sprints than planned are likely to be needed before releasing. But this line should also be used with caution: it only reflects the current trend - but if the Developers have a different Velocity in the subsequent Sprints than during the first Sprints, then the release date can shift again. Therefore, the trend line should be checked after each Sprint and adjusted if necessary.