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Make Basecamp Hill Charts Easier to Read and Update

Learn how to track Basecamp to-do lists on a Hill Chart, position dots, add context, and interpret project progress without treating it as a percentage.
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To use a Hill Chart in Basecamp, open a to-do list’s options menu (•••) and select “Track this on the Hill Chart.” The list appears as a dot in the project’s To-dos chart. When the people doing the work have a meaningful update, choose Update, move the dot to reflect their current judgment, add context if needed, and save.

What a Hill Chart shows

A Hill Chart gives a visual status for each tracked scope of work. The left, uphill side represents figuring out an approach and resolving unknowns. The top marks the point where the important unknowns have been resolved; it does not mean the work is finished. On the downhill side, the approach is understood and the remaining work is mainly execution. A dot farther down that side indicates more execution has been completed.

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The dot’s position is a human judgment, not an automatically calculated completion percentage. Basecamp’s Hill Charts documentation says, “Note how that the status is human generated, not computer generated.” The chart is useful for discussing uncertainty, change over time, and remaining execution; it is not a precise numeric estimate or a delivery-date predictor.

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Set up the chart around independent scopes

Use one dot for a coherent part of the project that can be built, integrated, and finished independently. Basecamp’s implementation guidance recommends creating a to-do list for each such scope and tracking those lists on the chart. Keep task-level detail in the list; use the chart to see the larger picture.

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  1. Create a to-do list for each scope. Name each list so the team can recognize the work it represents.
  2. Enable Hill Chart tracking. Open the list’s options menu (•••) and select “Track this on the Hill Chart.” Repeat for every scope you want to show.
  3. Open the project’s To-dos section. Choose Update to edit the chart.
  4. Place each dot. Drag it to the position that best reflects the people doing the work’s current view of that scope.
  5. Add context and save. Include commentary or an annotation when a position change needs explanation, then save the update.

Update and discuss the chart

Update dots when the team has a meaningful change in understanding or progress, rather than treating every movement as a measured task-completion event. Saved updates create a history that lets the team compare snapshots and see which scopes moved or remained in place.

  • For a dot on the uphill side: Ask what remains unknown and what question, decision, or experiment could resolve it.
  • For a dot near the top: Check whether the important unknowns are resolved. Do not read the position as evidence that all tasks are complete.
  • For a dot on the downhill side: Discuss execution and what remains to finish.
  • For a dot that has not moved: Ask whether the work is stuck or whether the list combines solved and unsolved parts that should be tracked separately.

Fix a chart that is hard to interpret

If a list contains work at substantially different stages, its single dot may not tell a useful story. Split the list into independently trackable scopes. For example, delivery work with a clear approach can be separated from design work that still has open questions. Each resulting dot can then show a more coherent view of uncertainty and execution.

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Use annotations when a change needs context, and use the saved history to guide a specific conversation about an open question or sequencing decision. The chart supports a status discussion; it does not establish a precise percentage complete or guarantee when a scope will ship.

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