Linear Projects
A project in Linear groups related issues under one shared goal. Where a team owns all the day-to-day work, a project focuses on a specific outcome — like launching a new feature, fixing a set of related bugs, or completing a quarter's product release.
Projects vs Teams vs Issues
These three concepts are easy to confuse at first. A simple analogy clears it up fast.
Team = A restaurant kitchen (ongoing, always running)
│
├── Project = "Summer Menu Launch" (a specific goal with a deadline)
│ │
│ ├── Issue: Create three new appetizers
│ ├── Issue: Update menu design
│ └── Issue: Train staff on new dishes
│
└── Project = "Kitchen Renovation" (another goal, different scope)
├── Issue: Get renovation permits
└── Issue: Order new equipment
Teams keep working after a project ends. Projects have a start date, a target date, and a clear finish line. Issues are the individual tasks that make a project happen.
Create a Project
Click the Projects link in the left sidebar under your team. Then click New Project in the top-right corner.
Project Creation Fields
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Project Name | A short, clear name for the goal | Mobile App v2 Launch |
| Description | What this project aims to achieve | Deliver the redesigned mobile app by Q3 |
| Lead | The person responsible for the project | Alice (Product Manager) |
| Members | Everyone contributing to the project | Alice, Bob, Carlos |
| Start Date | When work begins | July 1 |
| Target Date | When the project should be complete | September 30 |
| Status | The current state of the project | In Progress |
Project Status Options
Linear provides five built-in project statuses. The project lead updates this status as work moves forward.
| Status | Meaning | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Backlog | Planned but not yet started | Future projects waiting for capacity |
| Planned | Scheduled with a confirmed start date | Projects starting in the next cycle |
| In Progress | Actively being worked on | Current active projects |
| Paused | Temporarily stopped | Projects blocked or deprioritized |
| Completed | All goals met and work is done | Finished projects |
| Cancelled | No longer being pursued | Projects that will not move forward |
Project Overview Page
Each project has a dedicated overview page. This page shows the project description, progress bar, health status, linked issues, and any project updates posted by the lead.
Project Overview Layout
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Project: Mobile App v2 Launch │ │ Lead: Alice | Target: Sep 30 | Status: ● In Progress │ │ │ │ Progress: ████████░░░░░░░░ 52% complete │ │ │ │ Description: │ │ Deliver redesigned app by end of Q3 │ │ │ │ Recent Update (Alice, Jun 10): │ │ "Login and dashboard screens are done." │ │ │ │ Issues: 24 total | 13 closed | 11 open │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Project Health
Project leads report health status to help teammates and stakeholders understand how a project is tracking against its deadline.
| Health Status | What It Signals | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|
| On Track | Project is progressing as planned | No immediate action required |
| At Risk | There are issues that could cause delay | Identify blockers and resolve fast |
| Off Track | The project is behind schedule | Escalate, reduce scope, or extend deadline |
Linking Issues to a Project
Issues connect to a project through the project field on each issue. When you open any issue, you see a Project field in the right-hand panel. Select the relevant project from the dropdown to link them.
You can also link issues in bulk. Select multiple issues from the issue list, right-click, and choose Set Project to assign them all at once.
Projects Across Multiple Teams
A single project can include issues from different teams. This is useful for cross-functional work where engineering, design, and QA all contribute to one shared goal.
Project: Website Redesign
│
├── ENG-45: Build new homepage (Engineering Team)
├── DES-12: Create new visual mockups (Design Team)
└── QA-8: Test cross-browser compatibility (QA Team)
All issues appear together inside the project view, even though they belong to different teams. Each team still owns its own issues and workflows.
Project Milestones
Milestones divide a project into smaller checkpoints. Each milestone represents a significant point in the project timeline — like completing a first draft, finishing a beta release, or getting stakeholder approval.
Add milestones inside the project settings. Each milestone has a name, a target date, and the issues attached to it. The project overview shows milestone progress as a separate progress bar per checkpoint.