Linear
Last updated: May 5, 2025
Linear is our nervous system. If work isn't here, it isn't real. Use this playbook to keep projects visible, momentum high, and clients delighted.
Shorthand Principles
Choose the practice on the left whenever you hesitate.
| Arrow | Why It Wins |
|---|---|
| Public > Private | Shared context lets cross‑functional teams swarm a problem and solve it faster. |
| Done > In Progress | Shipped value—not effort—earns trust and revenue. Close loops or slice scope until you can finish. |
| Single Source of Truth | Linear holds every committed task. Docs and Slack may link to tickets—never replace them. |
Operating Principles
Public > Private
Open issues and projects whenever legal and HR allow.
Done > In Progress
Solve problems, don't accumulate work‑in‑progress. Cancel or split anything that stalls.
Single Source of Truth
Store scope, owner, status, and estimate in Linear. Nowhere else.
One Issue → One Branch
Create a branch from the ticket name. Linear links the PR and sets "In Review" automatically.
Cycles = Shippable
Work in one‑week cycles (Mon–Sun). Include only deliverables that can hit production. Keep discovery, workshops, and hand‑off docs outside cycles.
Alephic Intelligence
Our AI triage partner:
- Auto‑file issues, slotting them into the right Team + Project.
- Suggest assignees and Fibonacci estimates (0–8). Edit freely—the model learns.
Initiative Updates
Every Friday, post two sentences: what changed and what you need.
Foundational Requirements
| Rule | Reason | Do / Don't |
|---|---|---|
| Projects | One per client SOW or major internal initiative; defines scope, timeline, and done. | Do mirror the SOW title. Don't mix multiple SOWs in one project. |
| Teams & Sub‑Teams | Mirror the consulting org (e.g., Client‑Acme › Data‑Science). Shared workflows reduce admin. | Do nest. Don't create misc teams, Alephic is for internal work. |
| Roadmap ≠ Linear | Shape work in the roadmap workspace, then execute in Linear. | Don't store "someday" ideas in Linear. |
Labels
Most labels are optional and only used for filtering, except the following:
- Bug — Fixes an error that breaks expected behaviour. This tag typically has SLA implications.
- Tech Debt — When tech debt is identified but can't be addressed right away (this helps filter out our backlogs)
Use optional secondary tags (e.g., api, ios) for filtering.
Cycles
Linear creates weekly cycles automatically. Load next week by Friday; plan up to two cycles ahead. Track Strategy, Fine‑Tune, and Transfer deliverables as non‑cycled issues in the same project.
Workflow
Triage → Backlog → Todo → In Progress → In Review → Done → Cancelled
- Triage — Every new issue lands here. Assess quickly, then move it.
- Backlog — Committed, sized, and prioritised work.
- Todo — Ready for a maker to pick up (assigned to a cycle).
- In Progress — Branch open; work underway.
- In Review — PR open or design ready for critique.
- Done — Code merged or design signed off.
- Cancelled — Superseded or obsolete; link to any successor.
Estimation
We map Fibonacci points to rough days to keep planning simple.
| Points | Effort |
|---|---|
| 0 | < ½ day |
| 1 | 1 day |
| 2 | 2 days |
| 3 | 3 days |
| 5 | 5 days |
| 8 | 8 days — split bigger work |
Dependency Management
Track interconnected workflows with structured dependencies to ensure nothing blocks delivery.
Setting Dependencies
Use Linear's relationship types for clarity:
- Blocks → This issue prevents progress on the dependent issue
- Relates to → Issues share context but don't block each other
- Duplicates → Issue captures the same work (close the duplicate)
Alephic Intelligence
Our AI system enhances Linear project management through intelligent categorization and research capabilities.
How the System Works
Confidence Scoring
- The system provides confidence scores (0-100) with each categorization and estimate:
- Above 80% confidence for project categorization: Automatically assigns issues
- Above 75% confidence for estimates: Automatically applies story points
- Below threshold: Provides reasoning but requires human review
- Project descriptions use 50% confidence threshold for automatic updates
Research Capability
- System identifies when additional research would benefit the assignee
- Automatically conducts research using multiple tools:
- Web search via Google and Perplexity
- PDF content extraction
- URL scraping
- Company information lookup
- Posts structured research findings as comments directly on issues
- Includes confidence rating and source citations for transparency
Project Context Generation
- Automatically detects new Linear projects lacking descriptions
- Generates comprehensive descriptions using internal data sources:
- Database queries for related information
- Vector search for semantic context
- Structured data from company warehouse
- Updates Linear projects directly when confidence exceeds threshold
Hygiene Checklist
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Monday | Check status of active tasks, update comments. Identify the most important work. |
| Friday | Update status, add notes to initiatives as necessary. |
Why This Playbook Matters
- We capture every committed task. Nothing slips through the cracks.
- Alephic Intelligence keeps boards tidy. Less admin, more progress.
- Projects & Teams enforce consultancy discipline. Clear scope and ownership from day one.
Live these rules and we'll ship remarkable client value—every single week.
Changelog
- May 5, 2025: Initial Linear playbook with workflows, estimation guidelines, and AI capabilities.