It can feel daunting to try a new issue tracker but it doesn't have to be. We recommend picking a small project or short sprint during which to try Linear and timeboxing it to 1-2 weeks. In our experience, that's enough time to know whether Linear is a good fit.
Step 1: Commit to trying Linear [0 minutes]Step 1: Choose something to work on [10-20 minutes]Step 3: Add it to the calendar and invite teammates [5 minutes]Step 4: Set up your Linear workspace [10-30 minutes]Step 5: Use it! Step 6: Decide and move on
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Step 1: Commit to trying Linear [0 minutes]
Remember: It's just one week. If you follow the tips in this guide, it won't require much more than an hour to set up and learn Linear. If Linear helps your team work more effectively, it'll feel well worth it. If it doesn't, then you can easily go back to your old issue tracker.
Step 1: Choose something to work on [10-20 minutes]
Option 1: Run a small project
- Pick a piece of work that's relatively small or isolated.
- Invite at least two teammates.
- Pro: You don't have to migrate existing issues over to Linear. Con: You might not have a project ready.
Option 2: Migrate a single week's sprint
- Invite a small team that usually works together to use Linear for their sprint.
- Save time by asking members of your team to move issues over themselves.
- We don't recommend using the importer for just a few issues–you'll learn more by creating them new.
Examples:
- Work on a small feature or request from a customer.
- Try Linear with a new or returning hire and their direct teammates and manager.
- Use Linear for the first week of a new project.
- Invite a small team to try Linear on their next sprint and ask them to share their thoughts at the next company meeting.
Step 3: Add it to the calendar and invite teammates [5 minutes]
- Add it in your calendar just like you would any other trial or project.
- Make sure at least 1-2 people try Linear with you. Our most powerful features come alive when you use it with your team. Go to Settings > Workspace > Members to invite them (we don't have a user limit on the free plan).
Step 4: Set up your Linear workspace [10-30 minutes]
We recommend setting a time to do this together with your teammates, since it'll be more fun and help surface questions you have about the product and how it fits into your current workflow.
At minimum, you should:
Create issues for the trial week.
Set up the Github or GitLab integration so you experience our automated workflow.
Set up the Slack integration so you see updates and how Linear integrates with your current tools.
You can use our defaults for the rest of the features but we also recommend:
Add issues to a projects.
Read about cycles and estimates even if you don't enable the features.
Add custom workflow states and labels, if just to see how they work.
Try the Figma and Sentry integrations. Paste Loom or Youtube videos to see them embed.
Play with filters, view options, and sorting on both board and list views.
Step 5: Use it!
Have a question about how something works? Are you blocked by a missing feature? Want to try a premium feature during your trial week?
- Reach out to us at hello@ or via the in-app help & feedback modal.
- Join our customer Slack to ask questions and meet others using Linear.
- See our or full Linear Guide to learn more about specific features.
Step 6: Decide and move on
One of our principles at Linear is Decide and move on, so we encourage you follow it. You can always come back to Linear in the future.
See tips for transferring issues from other trackers to Linear.
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