Modify task dates in TFS 2015 so they show up on burndown chart?

Question

Can the entry and/or completion date of tasks in TFS 2015 be modified once entered?

I have completed tasks ON the day of planning (i.e. the same day stories and tasks were entered into TFS), and the effort burnt is not reflected in the burndown chart as detailed in this post...

Burndown chart shows no data in TFS

For future, I can make sure that all tasks are entered the evening before any work on them starts so this won't happen BUT what I want to know is... Can the entry and/or completion date of tasks in TFS 2015 be modified so that they contribute to the burndown chart?

I understand that the chart is only concerned with remaining/outstanding tasks at the end of the day, but to not show tasks completed on the day of entry seems to be a bit strange. If I do my planning in the morning, and work in the afternoon, then the effort expended is not shown. If I do my planning in the afternoon, and work the following morning, then it is shown?

Essentially, I guess what I want is a way to enter the tasks on TFS, then pretend I entered them yesterday (and put like that, it does sound a bit dodgy).

Answer 1

The most important question I'd need to ask first is why it's so important for you that the start of the first day correctly reflects the total amount of work on the backlog. For your ability to predict it doesn't change anything.

There are usually so many things one can spend time on that lead to direct improvement of the team and the product, I don't think a more beautiful burndown chart is usually oen of them.

Now to go back to your question, with the right permissions a lot is possible. accounts with the right level of permissions can use a special flag to by-pass validations and using it you can set almost every workitem field to a specific value.

Should you do it? In my mind you shouldn't. Just look at the burndown at the start of the second day and see whether you are in a position to progress towards your goal on the last day of the sprint. If you're not, deal with it, if you are, then you did the right thing yesterday. From a planning and projection perspective that's all you need, especially at an uncertain period such as the start of the sprint.