CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)Tools and DocumentationMedium
A project manager is reviewing a burndown chart for an agile sprint. The 'actual remaining work' line is consistently above the 'ideal burndown' line, and the slope of the actual line is flatter than the ideal line. What does this MOST likely indicate?
- AThe team has encountered unexpected technical debt.
- BThe project scope has been significantly reduced during the sprint.
- CThe team is behind schedule and may not complete the sprint goals.
- DThe team is ahead of schedule and will complete the sprint early.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. The team is behind schedule and may not complete the sprint goals.
If the 'actual remaining work' line is consistently above the 'ideal burndown' line, it means more work remains than originally planned for that point in time. A flatter slope indicates that the rate of work completion is slower than expected, both pointing to the team being behind schedule and at risk of not completing the sprint goals.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. While encountering technical debt could contribute to being behind, the burndown chart itself directly indicates the 'behind schedule' status, not the specific cause like technical debt.
- B. Scope reduction would cause the actual line to drop sharply, potentially going below the ideal line, not stay consistently above it.
- D. Being ahead of schedule would show the actual line below the ideal line.
Burndown Chart Interpretation
Analyzing the 'actual remaining work' line against the 'ideal burndown' line on a burndown chart to assess sprint progress and identify potential deviations from the plan.
- Actual line above ideal = behind schedule.
- Actual line below ideal = ahead of schedule.
- Flat actual line = little to no work completed.
- Steep actual line = rapid work completion.
Memory trick: Above the ideal, behind the goal.