Linear Setup: Day-Zero Path to a Working Work Loop

What matters in your Linear setup

• What Linear actually is — Linear is a fast, opinionated issue tracker for software product teams (cycles, projects, roadmaps). Free covers limited issues/members; Basic/Standard ~list price–list price annual; Business/Plus ~list price–list price; Enterprise custom. Landscape peer to Ji…
• Configure these first — Research lists task boards, timeline / Gantt, workload and resources, and automations and workflows as supported — that is your day-zero surface. Core loop: task boards, timeline / Gantt, workload and resources, and automations and workflows.
• Do not treat it as every work-management job — Linear is fast engineering issue tracking. It is not a substitute for a cross-functional marketing work OS or a spreadsheet PMO.
• Start on the right package — Researched plans: Free, Basic, Business, Enterprise. Never invent list prices here — confirm seats, hubs, and quote terms on /pricing/linear/.
• Connect only what the loop needs — Research names Zapier on the Linear side — confirm the connectors your work loop depends on.
• AI comes after habits — Research lists AI assistant, AI summaries, AI automation, and AI recommendations for Linear. Research places AI assistance on Free, Basic, Business, and Enterprise. Leave it off until the manual loop is boring.

Linear day-zero path

Linear must vs nice

Linear day-zero connectors

Linear checklist

• When is setup actually done?

  When a non-admin can an engineer closes an issue in a cycle and a PM sees it without a Linear admin on the package you will buy, and you have a named owner with weekly hours. A decorated workspace is not done.

• Should we turn on every Linear hub on day one?

  No. Extra hubs hide whether the core fast engineering issue tracking loop works. Add views and automations after a week of real updates.

• How long should day-zero take?

  A focused team can finish in one working day if package, owner, and the first board are already decided. Multi-week “setup” usually means undecided packaging or missing ownership.

• Do we need Slack connected on day one?

  Only if the work loop depends on it. Research names Zapier on the Linear side — confirm the connectors your work loop depends on. Document gaps instead of wiring a marketplace zoo.

• Where do we confirm seats and hubs?

  Never invent list prices here — confirm seats, hubs, and quote terms on /pricing/linear/.

• Is Linear the same as monday sales CRM?

  Linear is evaluated here as fast engineering issue tracking. Do not assume a sibling product (CRM, ITSM, or docs) is the same workspace.

Related Linear resources

• Linear reviewProduct hub and verdict.
• Linear pricingResearched plans, seats/hubs, and sources.
• Linear Implementation guideContinue the Linear path.
• Linear Migration guideContinue the Linear path.
• Linear Plans / seats vs hubsContinue the Linear path.
• Linear Worth it?Continue the Linear path.
• How to choose project management softwareCategory selection framework by job cluster.
• Best project management softwareEditor’s picks by job cluster — not one ranking.
• Project management & productivityBrowse the category hub.

Linear implementation mistakes

• Mistake 1

  Not for company-wide marketing/ops Work OS

• Mistake 2

  Leaner automation than Jira Enterprise

• Mistake 3

  Limited non-eng collaboration surfaces

• Mistake 4

  Insights ≠ PMO portfolio reporting

• Big-bang invite

  Inviting every user before object design creates junk data that is expensive to unwind.

Linear plan gates that affect rollout

Linear implementation checklist