review · Planning, Meeting Management · 10–20 min · 2-10 people · low energy
Hill Chart
Each piece of work is a dot on a hill. The uphill side is figuring out what to do, with unknowns still open; the top is the moment the team can see all the remaining work; the downhill side is execution. Teams drag their dots once a week, and anyone can see where the work stands, and which dots have not moved, without asking for a status meeting.
When to use Hill Chart
Use when you want to see project status without status meetings, and especially to spot work that is stuck in the uncertain phase.
What it solves
Task lists and percentages say "80% done" while the hardest unknowns have not even been looked at.
How to run Hill Chart, step by step
- Break the project into a handful of named scopes, parts of the work that can be finished independently (15 min, once).
- Draw a hill curve on a shared board and place one dot per scope at the far left.
- Each week at a set time, the team moves each dot to where it honestly is: still figuring it out, at the top, or executing (5 min).
- Add one line per moved dot: what changed (5 min).
- Anyone reviewing scans for dots that have not moved uphill for two updates and asks about those only (5-10 min).
- If a scope sits on the hill too long, split it or redefine it so the unknown part becomes visible.
Materials needed
- Digital whiteboard or project tool with a hill drawing
- List of scopes
- Fixed weekly update moment
Facilitator tips
- Push teams to work on the riskiest unknowns first, so the most important dots go over the top early.
- A dot that sits still is information, not failure. Ask what is unknown, not why it is late.
- Compare snapshots from week to week; the movement tells you more than any single position.
Common pitfalls
- Teams move dots to look good. Make it safe to move a dot backwards.
- Scopes are too big, so every dot stays in the middle and the chart says nothing.
Variations
- Use it in a live review: each scope owner moves their own dot and explains only the dots that moved backwards or stood still.
Running it online or hybrid
Works as an async status update: each team moves its dots on a shared hill drawing at a fixed moment each week and leaves a short note. A digital whiteboard with a drawn hill curve is enough.
What it produces
A hill chart with dated positions for each scope, showing which work is still being figured out and which is being executed.
Origin
Created by Ryan Singer and the Basecamp product team and described in Shape Up (2019), chapter 13, Show Progress. — source
Build a session around Hill Chart
METODIC places Hill Chart inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.