If your team does not use a dedicated project tool, a spreadsheet burndown chart is the fastest way to get sprint visibility. Here is how to build one that actually works.
What the template needs
A working burndown chart template needs four things: a list of sprint days, a remaining-work column, an ideal-progress column, and a line chart that plots both. Everything else is decoration.
Step 1: Set up the columns
Create a column for Day (0 through sprint length), Ideal Remaining (formula), and Actual Remaining (manual entry). Day 0 is the sprint start; Day N is the last day.
Step 2: Calculate the ideal line
The ideal remaining for day D = Total Points × (1 − D / Sprint Length). In Excel: =TotalPoints*(1-A2/SprintDays). Copy this formula down for each day. This produces the straight diagonal line from total to zero.
Step 3: Enter actual data daily
Each day, enter the remaining story points in the Actual column. Do not pre-fill future days — leave them blank and let the chart stop at today. This makes the gap between ideal and actual immediately visible.
Step 4: Create the chart
Select your three columns, insert a line chart. Set Day as the X axis. Format the Ideal line as dashed grey and the Actual line as solid blue. Add a title and axis labels. Done.
Common issues
Chart looks wrong: make sure Day is your category axis, not a data series.
Ideal line is not straight: check your formula — it should reference the fixed TotalPoints cell with an absolute reference.
Team forgets to update it: add a daily reminder or make updating part of the standup ritual.
Faster alternative
If you want a burndown chart without the spreadsheet setup, use our free burndown chart generator — enter your sprint data and get a chart instantly.
When to stop using the spreadsheet
When your team grows past five people or your sprints have more than 30 stories, spreadsheet maintenance becomes the bottleneck. At that point, a dedicated agile tool is worth the overhead.
Related reading: What is a burndown chart · Burndown vs burnup · Burndown best practices.