Burndown Chart Lie

Definitions

1. A joking phrase for a burndown chart that gives the impression of smooth progress even though the underlying work is blocked, redefined, or being gamed. It criticizes metric theater in agile reporting.

   In plain English: A misleading progress chart that looks better than the real state of the work.

   Example: "The sprint looked on track only if you believed the burndown chart lie and ignored the fact that half the stories were still untestable."

Related Terms

• Standup
• Retro
• Velocity
• Sprint Velocity
• Christmas Tree Code
• Code Cemetery
• Code Dungeon
• Code Janitor
• Code Laundry
• Code Safari
• Velocity Obsession
• Sprint Burndown Anxiety
• Compiled It In My Head
• Debug by Prayer
• Delta
• Deploy and Pray