PMP · Question #977
A company is going through a large cost-cutting initiative. Senior management requests a report on the work remaining for outstanding projects. Which tool should the project manager use for this purpo
The correct answer is D. Burndown chart. To report on the work remaining for outstanding projects, a project manager should use a burndown chart, which visually tracks the amount of work left against time.
Question
Options
- AForecast estimation
- BEarned value (EV)
- CCumulative flow diagram
- DBurndown chart
How the community answered
(58 responses)- A7% (4)
- B14% (8)
- C2% (1)
- D78% (45)
Why each option
To report on the work remaining for outstanding projects, a project manager should use a burndown chart, which visually tracks the amount of work left against time.
Forecast estimation is a broader concept of predicting future outcomes and is not a specific visual tool for reporting work remaining.
Earned Value (EV) is a metric used in Earned Value Management (EVM) to measure the value of work performed to date, which helps assess project performance against budget and schedule, but it doesn't directly visualize "work remaining" as clearly as a burndown chart.
A cumulative flow diagram shows the amount of work in different states over time (e.g., to do, in progress, done), providing insights into workflow and bottlenecks, but it doesn't primarily focus on showing the *remaining* work in a clear, single line like a burndown chart.
A burndown chart is a graphical representation of the work remaining versus time. It specifically shows the total amount of work to be completed and the rate at which that work is being completed, making it an excellent tool for communicating the current status of outstanding work and projecting completion.
Concept tested: Agile metrics; Burndown charts
Source: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-burndown-chart
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Samuel O.Apr 6, 2026D is the right call here. Burndown chart shows work remaining over time, which is exactly what senior management is asking for, and I have used these in status meetings when leadership wants a quick visual of what is left to finish.
Bao N.Apr 6, 2026D is correct and came up on my last practice set, but watch for a variant where they swap in burnup instead of burndown, since that chart shows completed work plus total scope and trips people who only memorized the burndown definition.
Luis F.Mar 23, 2026D is the answer here because a burndown chart shows exactly how much work is remaining over time, which is what senior management is asking for. I almost picked B because earned value sounds like a financial reporting tool that would impress execs during cost-cutting, but EV is more about measuring past performance against the baseline. The key phrase in the stem is "work remaining," and that is literally what a burndown chart visualizes. One thing I am still fuzzy on though, would a burnup chart also be an acceptable answer if it were an option, since it shows remaining work plus
Yuki V.Mar 15, 2026I first leaned toward B since earned value is my go-to for cost questions, but the key phrase is "work remaining" which is exactly what a burndown chart shows you. D is the right call here because senior management wants to see outstanding work decreasing over time, not a cost performance snapshot.
Ola B.Mar 19, 2026Going with C. The cumulative flow diagram shows you the remaining work band at a glance, which is exactly what senior management wants to see for outstanding work across the portfolio. If you want to see why it clicks, spin up a quick Kanban board in Jira or Azure DevOps and watch the bottom band of the CFD. That band is your remaining backlog, and the visual makes the cost-cutting conversation a lot easier.
Yuki V.Mar 20, 2026Actually it is D. A cumulative flow diagram shows work in progress by band, but outstanding work remaining across the portfolio is what a backlog or remaining work report gives you, so D is the cleaner fit for what senior management is asking for.
Bao N.Mar 31, 2026D is correct. Burndown shows remaining work, which is exactly what management asked for.