IPA FE Subject A 2026 Question 12
A question IPA Japan published in 令和８年度 基本情報技術者試験 科目A 公開問題 問12, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Which of the following is an appropriate way of using a burndown chart?
Explanation
Remaining work on the vertical axis, decreasing over time — a burndown chart shows how much work is left and how fast it is being burned down.
The chart plots the amount of remaining work (tasks, story points or hours) on the vertical axis against time on the horizontal axis. As work is completed the line falls, ideally reaching zero at the end of the sprint or project. Comparing the actual line with an ideal straight line from the starting amount down to zero shows at a glance whether the team is ahead of or behind schedule.
Answer (c)
Why not others:
- •(a) — the total of completed deliverables rising over time is a burn-up chart, the opposite view
- •(b) — a count of open issues going up and down is an issue (bug) trend chart; a burndown chart tracks remaining work, which is expected to decrease
- •(d) — total person-hours rising over time is an effort or cost curve, like the actual cost line in EVM, and says nothing about how much work is left
Key rule: Burndown = remaining work falling toward zero; burn-up = completed work rising toward the total.
Project Management · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.