How do we estimate story points for all user stories in a RELEASE (to get release burndown chart)?

Question

In my experience, most times, not all user stories are identified upfront and estimated accurately at the start of a release. In any case, stories are given a final estimate only in sprint planning Many new user stories are identified during the release life time. In such case, how can we get a release burndown chart at the start of the release or early stages of the release?

Walter Buggenhout · Answer

Hi @Vijay Kumar,

The release burndown chart uses the information of past sprints in order to do forecasting towards the future. So that means you will have to be 3 sprints in before you will start to see forecasts appear.

This makes sense, since the burndown is related to your team's velocity. It is best to have data across at least a couple of sprints before starting to forecast.

To understand the release burndown chart in full, check the documentation

It does of course make sense to try and plot out the roadmap for you upcoming work, even if there is a level of uncertainty about your scope. Roadmapping tools are better suited for that purpose, as in those you get to take control over what you expect to happen when.