Release Burndown

The current sprint is usually not counted when calculating the team's velocity. In the example above, the current sprint bar shows grey sections (like the bars for the predicted sprints) to represent this. The exception is when you have already completed more work in the current sprint than the work that was predicted to be completed. In this case, the current sprint (and the actual work completed) is used as one of the three sprints used to calculate the velocity. Also, the sprint bar will show green/blue sections, like the bars for completed sprints.

For example, in the chart above, if your team had already completed more than 4 story points in sprint 5, then the work completed in sprint 3, sprint 4, and sprint 5 would be used to calculate the velocity, rather than sprint 2, sprint 3 and sprint 4.

The Start date and Release date configured for the version are shown on the bottom of the report as the Planned start date and Planned end date. However, these are planned dates, and they do not determine the first and last sprints shown on the report.

• The first sprint shown is the one that contains the first issue (in the version) that transitions out of the 'To Do' status, i.e. work is started on the version.
• The last sprint shown is the one when all work is completed for the version; or if work remains, then the predicted sprint when work will be finished.

The mapping of statuses to your board determines when an issue is considered 'To Do' or 'Done'. See Configuring columns for more information.

The Release Burndown report can only make predictions based on the estimated issues in your version. If you have a high percentage of unestimated issues, then the predictions in the report will not be reliable (the % unestimated issues label is colored red when the percentage is above 30%, to help make you aware of this).

For example, if you have only estimated 10% of the issues in the version, then the report predicts the completion of work for the version based on the 10% of the total issues. In reality, your team probably has much more work left to complete.

The following changes affect the original estimate of a sprint:

• An issue in a version (before it started) is estimated (estimate is added)
• An issue in a version (before it started) is re-estimated (estimate changes)

The following changes affect the scope of a sprint:

• An issue is added to a version (after it was started) with an existing estimate
• An issue that was added to a version (after was it started) is estimated (estimate is added)
• An issue that was added to a version (after was it started) is re-estimated (estimate changes). Note, if the issue is re-estimated in a later sprint, the scope is retroactively adjusted in the sprint that the issue was originally added to.
   

Any change (burndown or scope) that occurs outside a sprint will be shown as part of the sprint with the latest start date before the change date.

Issue completed in a sprint, then reopened:

• The issue will not be shown in the earlier sprint.

Issue completed in a version, but removed from the version afterwards:

• The scope will remain unchanged and the work completed is still shown.

Issue completed in another version or without a version, but later included in the version (shown on the report):

• The scope will remain unchanged.

Issue completed in a sprint, but only added to the version afterwards:

• The issue will be shown on the report, as if it was always part of the version.

If your issue is in an unmapped status (i.e. status not mapped to a column), it will not be considered in the Release Burndown chart. That is, it won't be included in the sprint bars, the % unestimated issues, remaining story points, etc.