Introduction: The Quest for Better Project Visibility

Burndown charts have long been the go-to visualization in Agile project management. They offer a simple way to track how much work remains over time. But as teams evolve, especially those practicing Shape Up or managing R&D-heavy projects, traditional burndowns often fall short.

Enter the hill chart: a tool created by Basecamp and now used by Shape Up teams to better visualize uncertainty and progress. In this article, we'll explore why burndown charts can be misleading, how hill charts work, and how modern teams can use them to track what truly matters.

What Is a Burndown Chart?

A burndown chart is a line chart showing the amount of work left in a sprint or project over time. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents remaining work (usually story points or task count).

Pros of Burndown Charts:

• Easy to generate in tools like Jira, Trello, or GitHub Projects
• Familiar to Agile/Scrum teams
• Helps forecast if work will be done on time

Cons of Burndown Charts:

• Doesn't reveal uncertainty or discovery work
• Can give a false sense of progress if new work is added
• Focuses on output, not outcomes

What Is a Hill Chart?

A hill chart is a visual metaphor used in Shape Up to track work as it transitions from unknowns to knowns. Picture a hill: on the way up, you're figuring things out. At the top, you have clarity. On the way down, you're executing.

The Hill Metaphor:

• Uphill: Problem-solving, discovery, clarifying scope
• Top: Full understanding, ready to execute
• Downhill: Executing known work, making predictable progress

Unlike burndowns, hill charts don’t care how many tasks are left. They care about what’s uncertain, blocked, or risky—and that’s often what matters most.

Hill Charts vs Burndown Charts: Side-by-Side

Aspect	Burndown Chart	Hill Chart
Focus	Remaining work over time	Progress from unknown to known
Tracks	Output (tasks completed)	Problem-solving state
Shows unknowns?	No	Yes
Useful for deadlines?	Yes	Indirectly
Helps unblock teams?	Not really	Yes

Real-World Example

Imagine you're building a new feature with unknown edge cases. On day 5 of a 10-day sprint:

• Burndown: You’ve completed 30% of tasks, but most of the critical logic is still murky.
• Hill Chart: You’re only 25% up the hill because you’re still exploring. The visual makes it obvious that the team hasn’t cracked the hard parts yet.

Why Hill Charts Work Better for Engineering Teams

Engineering teams often face ambiguity. Burndown charts assume tasks are fixed and known. But modern product development involves:

• Mid-cycle discoveries
• Shifting priorities
• Unclear specs

Hill charts expose that reality. They’re flexible, visual, and more honest about project health. This makes them ideal for engineering-led teams, R&D environments, and any team practicing Shape Up.

Can You Use Hill Charts Without Basecamp?

Yes. Originally built into Basecamp, hill charts are now available in standalone tools like Hillia. Hillia lets any team use hill charts without committing to a specific platform. Whether you track work in Jira, Notion, or GitHub, you can plug in Hillia to get real-time progress visibility.

Benefits of Using Hillia:

• Use hill charts outside Basecamp
• Visualize unknowns and unblock work faster
• Integrates with Slack, Jira, and other tools
• Lightweight, focused on Shape Up teams

Conclusion: Track What Matters Most

Burndown charts measure how much is done. Hill charts measure how close you are to done. For teams solving complex problems, that difference is everything.

If your current project tracking isn’t surfacing real risks or unknowns, it’s time to try a smarter approach. Hill charts give you honest, high-signal insight into what’s blocking progress—and tools like Hillia make them easy to adopt.

Start tracking what really matters. Try Hillia and get your team over the hill.