Burndown Chart Calculator
Track an agile sprint by comparing the ideal burndown line with your actual remaining work. Enter total sprint work, sprint length, the current day, and remaining work to see whether the team is ahead of or behind schedule.
Formula
Ideal Remaining = Total Work − (Total Work × Day ÷ Sprint Days)
- The ideal burndown assumes work is completed at a steady, linear rate across the sprint.
- Ideal remaining = total work × (1 − day ÷ sprint days), the straight line from full scope down to zero.
- Variance = actual remaining − ideal remaining.
- A positive variance means more work is left than ideal — the team is behind schedule.
- A negative variance means less work remains than ideal — the team is ahead.
80 points, day 6 of 10, 35 remaining
Inputs
- Total Sprint Work (points): 80
- Sprint Length (days): 10
- Current Day: 6
- Actual Remaining Work: 35
Ideal remaining = 80 − (80 × 6 ÷ 10) = 32. Actual is 35, a variance of +3 points — slightly behind the ideal pace.
Frequently asked questions
What is a burndown chart?
It's an agile tool that plots remaining work against time, showing whether a team is on pace to finish a sprint.
What is the ideal burndown line?
It's a straight line from the total scope at the start to zero at the end, assuming work is completed evenly each day.
How do I read the variance?
A positive variance means you have more work left than ideal (behind); a negative variance means less (ahead).
What work units should I use?
Use whatever your team tracks — story points or hours. Just keep the unit consistent across all inputs.
Why might actual differ from ideal?
Scope changes, blockers, uneven task sizes, and mid-sprint additions all cause the actual line to diverge from the ideal.