How to set up teams and projects on Linear
Quick Answer
Setting up teams and projects on Linear involves creating teams in workspace settings, adding members with appropriate roles, and then creating projects within those teams. You can organize work by configuring team workflows, labels, and project milestones.
Prerequisites
- Linear workspace admin access
- Team member email addresses
- Project requirements defined
- Team structure planned
Step-by-Step Instructions
1
Access workspace settings and create a new team
Click your workspace name in the top-left corner and select Settings. Navigate to the Teams section in the sidebar. Click Create team and enter your team name, description, and choose a unique team identifier. Select a team icon and color to help distinguish it from other teams.
Use descriptive team names that reflect the team's function, like 'Frontend', 'Marketing', or 'Product Design'.
2
Configure team settings and workflow
After creating the team, click on the team name to access team settings. Configure the Workflow states by customizing issue statuses like 'Todo', 'In Progress', and 'Done'. Set up Issue types (Bug, Feature, Task) and create Labels for categorizing work. Enable or disable features like Triage and Estimates based on your team's needs.
Start with Linear's default workflow and customize it gradually as your team's processes become clearer.
3
Add team members and assign roles
In the team settings, go to the Members tab. Click Add member and enter email addresses of team members you want to invite. Assign appropriate roles: Admin for team leads, Member for regular contributors, or Guest for external collaborators. Send invitations and wait for members to accept.
Team admins can manage team settings and members, while regular members can create and work on issues within the team.
4
Create your first project
Navigate to your team's workspace by clicking the team name in the sidebar. Click the + button next to Projects or go to the Projects view and click New project. Enter a project name, description, and set a target date if applicable. Choose project leads from your team members.
Projects help group related issues together and provide better visibility into progress toward specific goals.
5
Set up project milestones and organize work
Within your project, create Milestones by clicking Add milestone. Set milestone names, descriptions, and target dates. Create initial issues by clicking New issue and assign them to appropriate team members. Link issues to milestones and projects using the Project and Milestone fields in the issue sidebar.
Break down large features into smaller, manageable issues and group them under relevant milestones for better tracking.
6
Configure team notifications and integrations
Go back to team settings and navigate to Notifications. Set up notification preferences for issue updates, comments, and status changes. In the Integrations section, connect tools your team uses like GitHub, Slack, or Figma. Configure webhook URLs if you need custom integrations with external tools.
Start with moderate notification settings to avoid overwhelming team members, and adjust based on feedback.
7
Set up team templates and automation
Create Issue templates in team settings to standardize how different types of work are documented. Set up Automations to automatically assign issues, update statuses, or add labels based on specific triggers. Configure SLA settings if your team needs to track response times for different issue types.
Templates and automation save time and ensure consistency across your team's workflow.
Common Issues & Troubleshooting
Team members cannot see the team after being invited
Check that invitations were sent to correct email addresses and ask members to check spam folders. Ensure members have accepted workspace invitations first, then team invitations.
Cannot create projects or issues in the new team
Verify you have Admin or Member role in the team. Guest users have limited permissions. Check team settings to ensure issue creation is enabled.
Team workflow states are not appearing correctly
Refresh the page and check that workflow states were saved properly in team settings. Ensure you're viewing issues within the correct team context, not the workspace-wide view.
Integrations are not syncing properly
Verify integration credentials and permissions in team settings. Check that webhook URLs are correct and accessible. Re-authenticate integrations if sync issues persist.
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