What Burndown Charts Miss About Real Software Delivery

Burndown charts misrepresent actual software delivery by focusing on linear progress metrics. The author argues that development is exploratory, nonlinear, and driven by discovery. Velocity tracking and percentage-complete estimates fail to capture the true nature of building software. Demos, narratives, and shipped outcomes better reflect real progress than process metrics. These metrics were designed for stakeholder reporting, not engineering reality. The author contends that visible outcomes matter more than behind-the-scenes process data.