How to solve Scrum Burndown issues?

Even with the use of a burndown chart, teams can still encounter issues that can hinder their ability to deliver on time and within budget.

Tips to solve problems relating to Burndown

1) Split items into smaller tasks. This is achieved by looking at the technical task as a whole, and breaking it into more detailed individual tasks. If you can, it’s recommended to consult with the Product Owner to see if you can refine the story instead. This is usually more advantageous because it avoids the team having to juggle priorities and estimation without the Product Owner understanding what’s being brought up.

2) Work with shorter iterations. If you currently work in monthly iterations, bring it down to 2 weeks. If you work with fortnightly iterations then bring it down to 1 week iterations.

The benefits of moving to shorter iterations are:

• It limits story size which motivates the Product Owner to work on smaller stories which means it’s more likely to be estimated accurately.
• The feedback loop between iterations takes less time, which means you now get more feedback in the same time. It will also be clearer to see if there are any links between your predictions for the Sprint and what really unfolded.
• It gives you more practice for starting Sprints, meaning you learn and improve more with shorter iterations

3) Utilize Daily stand-ups and other Scrum meetings. You should always take the opportunities to look for connections between performance, success and failure. Are team members not understanding the Product Owner? Did you get surprised with unplanned work? Working with shorter iterations allows you to more easily spot these casualties because you’ll take part in Daily’s and Retrospectives more often.

4) Look at the past. Understand that if you’ve had delays in some aspects in the past, you’ll probably still struggle for the same amount in the future. Don’t think it will take less time, even if you believe that it will. It will avoid the chance of you estimating inaccurately and throwing the whole Sprint off.

5) Lack of clear goals and objectives. One of the main reasons for Scrum burndown issues is the lack of clear goals and objectives. If the team is not clear on what they are working towards, it can be difficult to measure progress and identify potential roadblocks. To solve this issue, it is important to have well-defined and measurable goals for each sprint, and to ensure that the team is aware of and aligned with these goals.

6) Inaccurate estimations. Another common issue that can lead to Scrum burndown issues is inaccurate estimations. If the team is not accurately estimating the amount of work that can be completed in a given sprint, it can be difficult to track progress and identify potential issues. To solve this issue, it is important to ensure that the team has a clear understanding of the work that needs to be done and to use proven estimation techniques such as planning poker to arrive at more accurate estimates.

7) Scope creep. Scope creep, or the tendency for the scope of a project to expand beyond its original boundaries, is another common issue that can lead to Scrum burndown issues. If the team is constantly taking on new work or adding new features to the project, it can be difficult to accurately track progress and identify potential issues. To solve this issue, it is important to have a clear definition of what is in scope and out of scope for the project, and to ensure that the team sticks to this definition.

8) Poor communication. Poor communication is another common issue that can lead to Scrum burndown issues. If team members are not communicating effectively with one another, it can be difficult to identify and resolve issues in a timely manner. To solve this issue, it is important to encourage open and honest communication within the team and to ensure that there are clear channels for sharing information and addressing concerns.

9) Lack of transparency. Lack of transparency is another common issue that can lead to Scrum burndown issues. If team members are not sharing information about their progress and any issues they may be facing, it can be difficult to track progress and identify potential issues. To solve this issue, it is important to encourage transparency within the team and to ensure that all team members are sharing information about their work and any issues they may be facing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Scrum burndown issues can arise for a variety of reasons, including lack of clear goals and objectives, inaccurate estimations, scope creep, poor communication, and lack of transparency. By addressing these issues and implementing strategies to prevent them from occurring, teams can improve their ability to deliver high-quality products on time and within budget.