Hill charts

Hill charts and Ryan Singer

Hill charts were popularized by Ryan Singer as part of the Shape Up approach. Their point is to expose uncertainty that conventional progress reporting hides.

A Shape Up practice

Shape Up treats shaping and building as different kinds of work. The hill chart gives teams a language for the uncertain part of building.

Progress is not linear

Singer’s framing rejects the idea that every unit of effort means equal progress. Reaching a key insight can change the state of a scope more than many completed tasks.

Adapt the principle

Use the chart with or without the full Shape Up method. Hillchart supports the practice with scopes, updates, snapshots, and attention signals.