Burnup chart

What it means

A burnup chart plots two lines: total scope and completed work, both climbing over time until they meet. Unlike a burndown chart, it clearly shows when scope itself increases, rather than confusing scope changes with lack of progress.

It is not part of the Scrum Guide, but a common complement to Sprint or release tracking, particularly useful at the release or Product Goal level where scope evolves across multiple Sprints.

Common mistakes

Teams managing stakeholder expectations often prefer burnup charts because a rising scope line visibly explains schedule shifts, rather than looking like the team missed a deadline.

Example

A burnup chart shows the scope line jumped mid-release when a compliance requirement was added, explaining the later completion date.