Risk Burn Down Chart

Revision as of 22:10, 19 February 2023

Summary/Motivation:

This tool was on the wishlist and has not been written about before on this Wiki. In our project it might be relevant to look at risk management, and here the Risk Burn Down (RBD) Chart might come in handy. A lot more work will have to be put into the specifics of the article, but I believe the description for what the article should include, matches very well with writing about a tool like RBD Chart. I have never used the tool before, so it will be very interesting to dig into. Below I have tried to specify the structure of the article a bit more in relation to RBD chart, but I will need to do some more research into the tool to write an abstract/summary of the article at this point in time.

According to the scientific literature, the RBD chart is heavily used in AGILE/SCRUM based projects. Why this is the case is something I have to dig into, but I believe it is because the tasks of what needs to be done are more clear up front in these type of projects. Since it is often used in AGILE/SCRUM based project it has to be explored how it relates to project management in general. In most literature it is apparent that there is agreement that the RBD chart is a very useful tool.

Wiki article structure:

Abstract:

- This will probably be the last section that will be written, since it needs to contain a full overview of the article.

Big idea:

- What is the Risk Burn Down Chart (with an example)? What is the purpose of the chart and motivation for using it?

The Risk Burn Down Chart is a graphical tool that can be used to monitor the progress of a project that is being carried out. It assists in detecting delays, according to the schedule, early on in projects. This enables managers to make suitable measures ongoing when the delays has transpired. The Risk Burn Down Chart pictures the remaining work to be executed in relation to the remaining time of the project until the planned completion of the project. By using the chart and thereby continuously tracking workload progress throughout a project, it provides a clear picture of how far the team is and whether they can meet the agreed upon completion date. ^[1] If delays occur, that cannot be corrected or caught up with, the chart is able to provide a new delayed completion date. The Risk Burn Down Chart might be an effective tool for project managers when communicating project progress to e.g. upper management, program or portfolio managers, since it makes the work progress explicit and quantifiable.

- How does the Risk Burn Down Chart relate to Risk Management? ^[1].

Application:

- How to use the tool in a project, how to read it and how to use it as a manager.

- How to make a Risk Burn Down Chart.

- When does (and doesn't) it make sense to apply the Risk Burn Down Chart (in which context).

In projects where tasks and workload is known up-front in makes sense to implement the RBD chart. When the tasks and workload is unknown, it will be very challenging to make the chart.

- In what type of projects is it most effective to use?

In agile projects such as SCRUM projects, the tool is an important part of the management. However, it can be applied to all types of projects.

Limitations:

- Strengths and weaknesses of the tool.

- How it relates to the standards of project management.

- Other similar tool that can be used instead of or in addition to the RBD Chart

References:

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} [Tools for the Optimisation of Workflows. A Holistic Approach To Process Optimisation] https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34097-1_4

Annotated bibliography:

Lai, S. T., Susanto, H., & Leu, F. Y. (2022). Project Management Mechanism Based on Burndown Chart to Reduce the Risk of Software Project Failure. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 346, 197–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90072-4_21 - Article about the use of RBD Charts in software development and how it is effective at identifying problems in relation to risk.

Chaudhuri, D. J., & Chaudhuri, A. (2011). AGILE burndown chart deviation - predictive analysis to improve iteration planning. Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on Software Engineering Research and Practice (Serp 2011), 443–449. - Article about the usefulness of the RBD chart and how it can be used in AGILE environments.

Collins, M. J. (2010). Burndown Charts. Pro Project Management With Sharepoint 2010, 143–171. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4302-2830-1_9 - Book chapter on the basics of RBD charts and how to make one.

Woodward, C. J., Cain, A., Pace, S., Jones, A., & Kupper, J. F. (2013). Helping students track learning progress using burn down charts. Proceedings of 2013 Ieee International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering, Tale 2013, 104–109. https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE.2013.6654409 - Article on how useful the RBD Chart is in a university setting in programming units.

Miranda, E., & Bourque, P. (2010). Agile monitoring using the line of balance. Journal of Systems and Software, 83(7), 1205–1215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2010.01.043 - Article talks about the usefulness of RBD chart in SCRUM/Agile projects, but also questions the tool and talks about some of the limitations.

Hofmann, M. (2021). Tools for the Optimisation of Workflows. A Holistic Approach To Process Optimisation, 61–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34097-1_4 ^[1] - Book with some basics about RBD charts and some benefits/strengths about the tool.

Sutton, S. M. (2018). Informed projection: Using what you know to make simple estimates of work better. Acm International Conference Proceeding Series, 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1145/3202710.3203147 - Article might propose better alternative tools to the RBD chart tool.