Hill charts

What is a hill chart?

A hill chart makes the work before and after a breakthrough visible. It gives teams a useful progress conversation without pretending estimates are precise.

The two sides of work

Uphill work is still being figured out; downhill work is understood and being executed. A scope moves over the crest when the team has found its approach.

Why a percentage is not enough

Two tasks at 50% can be in very different states. A hill chart separates discovery from delivery, so a status update can describe what is genuinely known.

  • How hill charts work
  • Uphill versus downhill
  • Examples and templates
  • Hill charts compared with Gantt and burndown charts

Use the chart as a conversation

Move scopes by dragging them, then add a short update about the evidence behind the move. Hillchart also provides snapshots and share links when people need a record or a view outside the team.