How to Create an Agile Burnup Chart in Google Slides (Using a Multi-Line Chart)

If you’ve ever managed an Agile sprint, you know the panic of a burndown chart that looks like a flatline.

Burndown charts are great, but they hide a massive project killer: scope creep. If your team finishes ten story points, but the client adds ten more, your burndown chart doesn't move. Your team looks lazy, even though they're working overtime.

That’s why I love the burnup chart.

A burnup chart uses two lines: one for the total project scope, and one for the work completed. It visually proves to stakeholders exactly how much work your team is crushing, while also highlighting when the goalposts are being moved.

The problem? Google Slides doesn't have a "Burnup Chart" button. And taking screenshots of Jira or pasting static charts from Excel usually results in blurry, uneditable messes right before your sprint review.

Here is exactly how you can build a clean, professional, and instantly updatable burnup chart right inside Google Slides.

The Secret: Repurposing a Multi-Line Chart

Since a burnup chart is just a comparison of two changing metrics over time, a Multi-Series Line Chart is the perfect tool for the job.

Instead of jumping between tabs and wrestling with Google Sheets formatting, we are going to use ExtraChart. It's an add-on that puts an advanced chart builder directly inside your slide deck.

Step 1: Launch ExtraChart

Open your sprint review presentation in Google Slides.

Go to the top menu and click Extensions -> ExtraChart -> Create & Edit Charts. The ExtraChart sidebar will slide open right next to your slide.

Step 2: Choose the Multi-Series Line Chart

Scroll through the chart types until you find the Multi-Series Line Chart.

Click the icon. A crisp, real-time editor popup will appear, meaning you won't have to guess what your chart looks like while you build it.

Step 3: Enter Your Sprint Data

Click over to the Data tab in the editor. You'll see a simple spreadsheet interface.

You need three columns for a proper burnup chart:

1. Time: (e.g., Sprint 1, Sprint 2, or specific dates)
2. Total Scope: The total number of story points (or hours) in the project.
3. Completed Work: The cumulative points your team has finished.

You can type this manually, or just copy-paste it directly from your sprint tracker. As you paste the data, the preview chart updates instantly.

Step 4: Style It For Stakeholders

A good presentation chart needs to be readable from the back of the room. Click on the Settings tab.

Here is how I usually style a burnup chart:

• Colors: Make the "Total Scope" line a neutral color (like dark gray or dashed) and the "Completed Work" line a bold, brand-aligned color (like bright blue or green).
• Legend: Move the legend to the top so stakeholders immediately know what they are looking at.
• Curves: If you want a smoother look, ExtraChart lets you adjust the line tension. Though for Agile, a rigid, straight-line progression often feels more authentic to sprint cycles.

Step 5: Insert and Update Later

Hit "Create" and your burnup chart drops right onto your slide as a high-resolution, professional image.

But here is the absolute best part about using ExtraChart for sprint tracking: it's updatable.

When your next sprint review rolls around, you don't need to build this chart from scratch. Just click the chart image on your slide, open ExtraChart, and it remembers all your data and settings. Add your new sprint numbers, hit update, and you're done in ten seconds.

Better Visuals, Better Meetings

Sprint reviews should be about celebrating shipped features and clearing roadblocks, not apologizing for ugly formatting.

By using a multi-line chart to build a burnup, you get a clear, undeniable visual of your team's hard work. And by building it directly in Google Slides, you save yourself a massive headache every single sprint.

Give ExtraChart a try before your next standup—you get 10 free charts a month, which is more than enough to handle your sprint reporting.