What is the difference between a burndown chart and a burnup chart?

A burndown chart tracks how much work remains over time — the line goes down as work is completed. A burnup chart tracks how much work has been completed — the line goes up. Burnup charts show more information because they include a separate line for total scope, making scope changes visible. Both are information radiators used in Agile.

What are the types of burndown charts in Agile?

The main types are: Release Burndown (work remaining across iterations in a release), Iteration Burndown (work remaining across days in a single iteration), Risk Burndown (risk exposure over iterations), Reserve Burndown (risk reserves remaining over time), and Feature Burndown/Burnup (features completed or remaining, which can show scope growth).

What causes a burn-up in a burndown chart?

A burn-up (upward spike) in a burndown chart can be caused by new work added to the backlog, a story being re-estimated with a higher estimate, or new risks discovered that require additional risk response stories. These events increase the remaining work, causing the burndown line to temporarily go up instead of down.

Agile Guide

Agile Artifacts

Burndown and Burnup Charts

Explanation of burndown and burnup charts in agile