A Jira burndown chart shows how much work is left in a sprint against time, so you can see early whether the team is on course for the sprint goal. Open it from your space's Reports tab, then compare the red line of remaining work with the grey guideline: the closer the red line stays to the grey one, the better.
The thing that catches people out is subtasks. Story points on subtasks aren't included in the chart, only points on parent work items, and the team-managed report ignores subtask data even when subtasks carry their own estimates. If your team estimates at subtask level, the chart won't reflect that work.
Where to find the burndown chart
The chart only applies to Scrum boards. In a team-managed space you also need the Sprints feature turned on before the report appears.
- Select the space from the sidebar.
- Select the Reports tab, then open the Burndown Chart.
- Use the sprint drop-down to switch to a different sprint.
- Use the estimation statistic drop-down to change what the chart measures. Jira remembers this for your next visit.
- Select How to read this chart at the top if you want a short description of the report.
Reading the axes and lines
| Part of the chart | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Horizontal axis | Time across the sprint |
| Vertical axis | The estimation statistic your board uses. In a team-managed space that's story points if estimation is on, or the number of work items if it isn't |
| Grey guideline | The ideal rate of progress, falling in a straight line because work should ideally be completed at a steady pace |
| Red line | How much work is left in the sprint |
When estimation isn't enabled in a team-managed space, the report counts work items and treats every one as having equal weight. A one-hour fix and a week-long feature pull the line down by the same amount, which is worth knowing before you read too much into its shape.
What decides what's on the chart
Three rules from Atlassian's company-managed guide explain most odd-looking charts:
- It's board-specific. Only work items that match your board's saved filter are included.
- It follows your column mapping. A work item counts as To Do when its status is mapped to the left-most column of your board, and as Done when its status is mapped to the right-most column.
- If the grey guideline is missing, the sprint may have been started before any work items were assigned to it.
So if work is finished but the red line hasn't dropped, check whether its status sits in your right-most column. If an item you expected is missing altogether, check the board filter. And if the red line jumps up partway through, open the scope changes log in the report to see what was added.
The tables under the sprint burndown report
The team-managed report adds tables that give the chart context. You can sort each one by selecting a column header.
| Table | What it lists |
|---|---|
| Scope changes log | Work items added to or removed from the sprint, or whose estimates changed, while the sprint was in progress |
| Incomplete work items | Items never moved to a Done status, including items that were never started |
| Completed work items | Items moved to a Done status while the sprint was running |
| Work items completed outside of sprint | Items completed and then added to the sprint, or added to the sprint but completed before it started |
| Work items removed from sprint | Items taken out while the sprint was in progress |
The scope changes log is the one I'd read first. Atlassian notes that burndown charts are useful for keeping the team aware of scope creep, and this table names every item that moved after the sprint began.
How subtasks and scope change behave
In a company-managed space, subtask behaviour depends on whether your board tracks progress with remaining estimate and time spent.
| Remaining estimate and time spent on | Remaining estimate and time spent off | |
|---|---|---|
| Adding a subtask to a work item already in an active sprint | Treated as scope change | Treated as scope change |
| Shown on the burndown chart | Yes, the scope change is indicated | No, it isn't indicated for the subtask |
| Subtask time estimates | Rolled up to the parent, which holds the total of all remaining subtask estimates | Tracked individually across the subtasks and the parent |
If you rely on the chart to spot new work arriving mid-sprint, the first column is the setup you want.
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My verdict on the Jira burndown chart
I'd use the burndown as an early warning, not a scorecard. If the red line drifts above the grey one partway through, that's your cue to talk about scope while there's still time to act. Before you trust it, make sure your board's columns and filter match how the team works, and estimate on parent items rather than subtasks. If the chart looks wrong, the cause is usually in your Jira workflow and column mapping, and the work itself lives in the Jira backlog before each sprint begins.
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Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't my Jira burndown chart show a guideline?
If the grey guideline doesn't show, the sprint may have been started before any work items were assigned to it.
Are subtask story points included in the Jira burndown chart?
No. Story points on subtasks aren't included. Only story points on parent work items are counted.
Can I use the burndown chart on a Kanban board?
No. The burndown chart only applies to Scrum boards.
What does the red line on the Jira burndown chart mean?
The red line shows how much work remains in the sprint. The closer it stays to the grey guideline, the better.
When does Jira count a work item as done on the burndown chart?
When its status is mapped to the right-most column of your board.
