Agile Metrics & Tools

Agile metrics help teams understand their performance, identify problems early, and improve continuously. Unlike traditional metrics focused on cost variance, Agile metrics emphasize flow, value delivery, and team health.

Burndown Charts

A burndown chart tracks remaining work over time, showing whether the team is on track to complete their Sprint commitment.

Anatomy of a Burndown Chart

Story
Points    |*
Remaining | *
          |  *
  30      |   * <- Ideal Line (straight)
          |    *  *
  20      |     *   *
          |      *    * <- Actual (varies)
  10      |       *     *
          |        *      *
   0      +---+---+---+---+---+---
          D1  D2  D3  D4  D5  D6
                 Days

Reading a Burndown Chart

Sprint Burndown Example

Day 1:  Start with 50 points
Day 2:  45 points remaining (5 completed)
Day 3:  42 points remaining (3 completed)
Day 4:  35 points remaining (7 completed)
Day 5:  30 points remaining (5 completed)
...continuing to Day 10: 0 points remaining

Updated daily during the Daily Scrum.

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Burnup Charts

A burnup chart shows both total scope and completed work, making scope changes clearly visible.

Burnup Chart Structure

Story                            /------ Total Scope
Points   |              ------/
         |       ------/
  100    |------/
         |                    * * * * <- Completed Work
  75     |              * * *
         |        * * *
  50     |    * *
         |  *
  25     |*
         +---+---+---+---+---+---+---
           S1  S2  S3  S4  S5  S6  S7
                    Sprints

Burnup vs. Burndown

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Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)

A Cumulative Flow Diagram displays the quantity of work items in each state over time, revealing bottlenecks and flow issues.

CFD Structure

Work
Items    |==================================== Done
         |=================================
  60     |==============================
         |=========================
  45     |==================== In Progress
         |==================
  30     |============
         |========
  15     |===== To Do
         |===
         +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---
           W1  W2  W3  W4  W5  W6  W7  W8
                      Weeks

Reading a CFD

Key CFD Metrics

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Velocity Tracking

Velocity is tracked over multiple sprints to establish a reliable forecasting baseline.

Velocity Trend Chart

Average Velocity: 25 points/sprint

Velocity Guidelines

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Sprint Retrospective Tools

The Sprint Retrospective is where continuous improvement happens. Several techniques help structure the discussion:

Common Retrospective Formats

Retrospective Best Practices

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Other Agile Metrics

Cycle Time and Lead Time

Quality Metrics

Team Health Metrics

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Using Metrics Effectively

Do's and Don'ts

Metrics for Different Audiences

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PMP Exam Tips

For PMP exam questions on Agile metrics:

• Burndown charts show remaining work trending toward zero
• Burnup charts reveal scope changes that burndowns hide
• CFDs identify bottlenecks by showing widening bands
• Velocity is for forecasting, not performance evaluation
• Retrospectives drive continuous improvement

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Key Takeaways

• Burndown charts track remaining work toward Sprint completion
• Burnup charts show scope changes and cumulative progress
• Cumulative Flow Diagrams reveal bottlenecks and flow issues
• Velocity should be tracked over 3+ sprints for reliability
• Retrospectives turn insights into actionable improvements
• Metrics should enable improvement, not punish teams