Pitching Linear

Primary objection: New software? Our tracking software isn’t perfect, but “works fine”.⁠

Your team may think their current issue tracking software “works fine”, but the reality is that it’s slow and bloated for those who use it most. If you dig into things like your bug reporting process, team backlogs, or the process for reporting progress on feature development, you will likely uncover deep inefficiencies.

The problems with “works fine” tools

Most companies are using a combination of project management, issue tracking, and other disconnected tools with:

• No single source of truthTeams are using a hodgepodge of tools like a wiki, spreadsheets, and custom issue trackers, leading to data silos, inconsistencies, and ultimately — confusion.
• Low adoption and engagementClunky and complex tools are so painful to use that teams often work around them, further fragmenting data.

Business impact

These problems with “works fine” tools have very real business consequences:

• Inaccurate data for decision-makingWhen work is fragmented across tools, leaders make decisions based on incomplete or incorrect information. They build beautiful reports that nobody trusts because everyone knows the underlying data is incomplete.
• Significant administrative overheadEvery team has a different process, separately maintained, with customizations that are barely used or abandoned.
• Employee frustration and retentionOrganizations pay for top engineering talent, but provide them with tools that constantly frustrate them and keep them from being fully productive.

Linear was built from the ground up to solve these problems. It's a purpose-built project planning and issue tracking system loved by modern product teams.

The Linear difference

When customers switch to Linear, we see:

• 2xIncrease in reported issues
• 5.0xMore teammates creating issues
• 3.3xFaster issue resolution times

The question isn't about how much better Linear is – it's how much productivity is lost each week by sticking with “works fine” tools. Given that engineering time is commonly an organization’s most expensive resource, the productivity gains Linear offers would justify this switch many times over.

To build a business case for making the switch to Linear, we recommend running a pre- and post-evaluation survey to provide both the quantitative evidence and qualitative anecdotes to illustrate that moving to Linear will have an impact on engineering happiness and engagement.

Primary objection: Changing software now is too disruptive to the team.

Your engineering leaders may be hesitant to make the switch, but the move to Linear is also an opportunity to focus on what matters. Your most critical issues are what's in progress and what's next on your roadmap. Migration is your chance to move forward with intention, not historical baggage.

Leverage the migration guide

Linear's migration guide provides a clear framework to help you roll out Linear across your organization. By following this framework, you can ensure a thoughtful, well-planned migration that sets your teams up for success.

Phased rollout & training

We recommend a phased rollout, supported by ample training and support:

• Provision users and migrate data one team at a time

• Provide self-serve onboarding resources and dedicated training sessions

• Designate a communications channel (in Slack for instance) for questions and support

This gradual, hands-on approach ensures your teams feel prepared and empowered during the transition.

Preserve existing progress

You have two options for handling your existing issues:

Give your teams the flexibility to choose the approach that best suits their needs.

Objection 2: Reporting on top of our current system is already hard enough. Now I have to figure it out from scratch?

Reporting is only as good as the quality of the data that powers it. Switching to Linear will improve your team's engagement, and consequently, the quality and completeness of issue data.

How Linear transforms your data quality

Linear fundamentally improves your reporting by solving the data collection problem:

As a result, teams using Linear see a 2x increase in issues filed compared to their previous tools. This is work that was always happening but never tracked, making your reports inherently incomplete.

Linear transforms your reporting capabilities by combining frictionless issue creation with powerful analytics tools, including:

Primary objection: "Our tools are good enough, why bother switching?"

“Good enough” is slowing your team down

While it might seem on the surface that your current tools already fulfill your documentation and roadmapping needs, the reality is that you’re leaving a lot on the table in terms of how effectively your team can plan, execute, and communicate.

Stitching together a system using separate documents for specs, spreadsheets for roadmaps, and standalone issue tracking results in fragmentation that your team has to deal with. This shows up in the form of an ongoing maintenance burden, or as your product artifacts getting wildly out of sync.

The hidden cost of “good enough” tools

Does this sound familiar?

• Your roadmap lives in spreadsheets while execution happens in an issue tracker, with lots of manual duplication between the two
• Plans become outdated as soon as execution begins
• Changes in direction aren't reflected across all your planning documents, and everyone is constantly asking “is this up to date?”
• Your team spends valuable time and energy manually syncing information between tools
• No matter how much effort you put in, things are changing so quickly that you still always feel behind

This disconnect between planning and execution isn't just an inconvenience—it's actively holding your team back.

How Linear transforms product development

Unified planning and execution

• Take concepts from ideation through to delivery in one place
• Maintain a single source of truth that updates in real-time, with complete change history
• Rather than update manually, roadmaps automatically report on actual progress

Structured project updates

• Project leads are automatically reminded to provide regular project updates
• Monitor updates from a single control panel, clearly see when updates are missing or when a project needs your attention
• Save hours previously spent wrangling emails, chats, and decks

Collaboration from start to finish

Linear isn't just another task tracker—it's a unified system that enables end-to-end planning, clear communication, and rapid execution. When your tools align with how modern product teams actually work, you remove hidden friction and costs, enabling your team to focus on what matters: building great products.

Objection 2: "Spreadsheets (or 'all-in-one tools') give us the freedom and flexibility to instantly modify our workflows and views"

Linear is purpose-built for product development.

While spreadsheets and “all-in-one” tools offer familiar flexibility, and the ability to customize to product development workflows, they also create as much work as they solve. Your team needs to continuously maintain, customize, educate your internal users and spend valuable effort working on something that’s not your core business.

Linear provides the exact workflows you need without consuming your team’s bandwidth. The result is a tool that helps you achieve your goals while having the flexibility to adapt to your workflow.

Spreadsheets and “all-in-one” tools come with significant drawbacks:

• Manual data entry and updates
• No automated notifications or reminders
• Multiple versions and duplicates floating around everywhere
• Time spent formatting and maintaining formulas, which never quite do the right thing
• No integration with the actual work being done

How Linear transforms project management

Linear provides strategic flexibility where it matters most:

Automated project updates

• Set customized reminder schedules for project updates
• Eliminate manual email follow-ups and status meetings
• Free your team from administrative overhead

Integrated views and realtime visibility

• Get an instant overview of all project statuses in Initiatives
• Connect projects directly to Slack for internal updates to stakeholders
• Access real-time data without manual refreshes or updates

The flexibility of spreadsheets and “all-in-one” tools is an illusion that comes at the cost of your team's time and effort. Linear provides meaningful flexibility while automating routine tasks, enabling real-time visibility, and freeing your team to focus on real work. When your tools work for you—and not the other way around—you enable your team to focus on what matters: building great products.

Primary objection: "My highly customized workflows don't get enough engagement as it is, why would I switch now?"

While your current customized workflows might seem ideal, they're only valuable if your team actually uses them. Linear takes a different approach: optimizing for high engagement first, then providing the automation and reporting tools you need to effectively manage workflows. The result? Better data quality and more meaningful insights into your team's work.

Even the most perfectly customized workflow faces a fundamental challenge:

• Low team engagement means incomplete data
• Incomplete data leads to unreliable reporting
• Unreliable reporting makes it harder to improve processes
• The cycle continues, regardless of how well-customized your workflow is

How Linear transforms team engagement

Optimized for individual contributors

• Fast, intuitive interface that teams actually want to use
• Seamless integration with developers' existing tools
• Natural workflows that match how teams actually work
• Higher adoption leads to better data quality

Powerful process control

• Build standardized templates across your workspace
• Customize workflows to match team processes
• Enable triage, auto-close and auto-archive features
• Reduce manual maintenance and clutter

Realtime project monitoring

• Keep a pulse on projects through Initiatives
• Use health scores and milestones to identify and control risk
• Make data-driven decisions based on complete information

The most sophisticated workflow is worthless without engagement. Linear solves the engagement problem first, then gives you the tools to build and maintain effective processes. When your team actually wants to use the tool, you get better data, more reliable insights, and ultimately, better results.

These conversations plant the seed of change. A pilot is what makes those seeds grow. Read how to start a successful pilot here.