Burndown Calculator
A sprint burndown chart is one of the most widely used agile tracking tools, showing how much work remains in the sprint compared to the ideal rate of progress. This calculator computes the ideal daily burndown rate and, given the current sprint day and remaining story points, tells you whether you are ahead, behind, or on track with your ideal burndown. It also forecasts whether you will complete all committed work by the end of the sprint at your current rate, giving the Scrum Master actionable early warning of sprint risk.
Burndown calculation formula
ideal_rate = total_SP / sprint_days
ideal_remaining = total_SP - (ideal_rate * current_day)
variance = actual_remaining - ideal_remaining
projected_days = actual_remaining / (SP_completed / days_elapsed)
A positive variance means you are behind ideal; a negative variance means you are ahead.
Reading your burndown chart
- Actual line above ideal: behind schedule - investigate blockers and consider descoping.
- Actual line below ideal: ahead of schedule - consider pulling in additional backlog items.
- Flat actual line: no progress - identify and remove blockers immediately.
- Rising actual line: scope was added - review with Product Owner and adjust sprint commitment.
- Steep drop then flat: batch completion pattern - work is being done but not being marked done daily.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sprint burndown chart?
A sprint burndown chart tracks remaining work (in story points or hours) over the days of a sprint. The ideal burndown line shows what the remaining work should be each day if the team works at a perfectly steady pace. The actual line plots the real remaining work each day. Teams use this to spot when they are ahead or behind their ideal pace.
What does it mean if the burndown is flat or rising?
A flat burndown means no work was completed on those days (potentially a weekend, holiday, or blocked work). A rising burndown means new work was added to the sprint (scope creep). Both require action: flat burndowns need unblocking conversations; rising burndowns need a scope discussion with the Product Owner.
Should the burndown reach zero on the last day?
Yes. A healthy burndown reaches zero on or before the last day of the sprint, indicating all committed work was completed. Reaching zero early is good; it indicates the team completed all sprint work and had capacity for additional items. Failing to reach zero means the sprint commitment was not met.
What is a burnup chart and how is it different from a burndown chart?
A burnup chart shows completed work increasing toward the total scope line, rather than remaining work decreasing toward zero. Burnup charts make scope changes visible: when new work is added, the total scope line rises rather than the remaining work rising. Burnup charts are better for release-level tracking over multiple sprints.
How do I calculate the ideal burndown rate per day?
Ideal daily reduction = total sprint story points / total sprint working days. For example, 40 SP over 10 days = 4 SP/day ideal reduction. On day 1, ideal remaining = 40 - 4 = 36. On day 5, ideal remaining = 40 - 20 = 20. This gives you the ideal line to plot on your burndown chart.
Official sources
- PMI: PMBOK Guide - Project Management Body of Knowledge.
- IEEE: IEEE 12207 - Software Life Cycle Processes.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 14 June 2026. See our methodology.