Setting the Iteration Start Date

You can configure when your project’s iterations begin by adjusting the following settings in your Project Settings:

• Start Iterations On — The day of the week iterations begin (defaults to Monday).
• Project Start Date — The calendar date your project officially begins.
• Iteration Length — The duration of each iteration, in weeks.

These settings determine the start dates and ranges for all current and future iterations.

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Understanding How Start Dates Are Defined

Tracker calculates the iteration schedule using a combination of:

• Start Iterations On (e.g., Monday)
• Project Start Date (optional)
• Iteration Length (e.g., 1 or 2 weeks)

If Project Start Date is not set, Tracker uses the start date of the iteration that contains the first accepted story.

⚠️ The day of the week you choose for Project Start Date must match your Start Iterations On setting.

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Adjusting Iteration Start Dates

Sometimes the visible iteration schedule in Tracker may not align with your team’s actual iteration start date — especially after changing iteration length or editing previously completed iterations.

Example:

If your project currently starts iterations on February 1 with a 1-week cycle, but you switch to a 2-week cycle, Tracker may shift the start date to February 8 to maintain alignment.

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When Changing the Start Date Doesn’t Work

If a story was accepted prior to the new start date you set, Tracker will ignore the Project Start Date and use the date of that accepted story instead.

In this case, editing the Project Start Date won’t shift your iterations. Instead, manually override a previously completed iteration’s length.

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How to Shift Iteration Start Dates

You can shift the iteration schedule forward or backward by manually adjusting the length of a previously completed iteration:

Desired Outcome	What to Do
Shift future iterations forward by 1 week	Change a past iteration’s length from 1 week to 2 weeks
Shift future iterations backward by 1 week	Change a past iteration’s length from 2 weeks to 1 week

✅ This method allows precise control over the iteration timeline without disrupting current work.

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To Override Iteration Length:

1. Go to the Stories page.
2. Scroll to the Done panel.
3. Click the date link in the header of the iteration you want to modify.
4. Adjust the length (in weeks) as needed.
5. Save your changes.