To create a cycle in Linear, you don't make them one by one. Open Team Settings, go to Cycles and turn on Enable cycles, then set the duration (1 to 8 weeks), the start day, an optional cooldown and how many upcoming cycles to create. Linear then creates the cycles automatically on a repeating schedule.
If you've been looking for a New cycle button, you won't find one. Linear treats cycles as a schedule you switch on for a team, not individual items you make. Once you know that, setting them up takes a couple of minutes.
What a Linear cycle is
Cycles are time-boxed periods where a team works on a pre-defined set of work. Linear describes them as similar to agile sprints, but not tied to releases. They follow a repeating schedule rather than being configured one by one, which keeps the rhythm steady without anyone setting up the next one.
Turning cycles on, setting by setting
1. Open the team's settings
Open Team Settings and go to Cycles. Cycles are set per team.
2. Enable them
Turn on the Enable cycles toggle.
3. Choose the length
In Each cycle lasts, choose anywhere from 1 to 8 weeks.
4. Pick a start day and cooldown
Choose the starting day of the week. Cycles begin at 12:00 AM on that day, in the timezone set in Team Settings, General, so check the timezone if your team's spread out. Optionally add a cooldown after each cycle; issues can't be assigned to a cooldown, so it works as a real break between cycles.
5. Set how many to create ahead
Choose how many upcoming cycles to create. The maximum is 15 future cycles.
6. Decide on auto-add and rollover
Optionally turn on auto-add, which puts Started or Completed issues without a cycle into the current cycle, and set the rollover behaviour.
Choosing a length that fits your team
Linear gives you anywhere from 1 to 8 weeks, and there's no right answer for every team. Shorter cycles give you more frequent check-ins and make it obvious quickly when work is slipping. Longer ones suit bigger pieces of work that don't split neatly into small chunks. Whatever you choose, the schedule repeats, so pick a length you're happy to live with for a while. If you're unsure, two weeks is a sensible place to start, and you can change the settings later for future cycles.
What happens to unfinished issues
Open issues generally roll over to the next cycle automatically. The exceptions are issues moved to backlog, triage, canceled or completed during the cooldown; those aren't carried over. That means a cycle's open work never gets stranded, but it also means you can't keep an unfinished issue sitting in a closed cycle as a record.
Changing dates and starting early
- Future cycle start and end dates can be moved from the overflow menu.
- Past cycle dates can't be changed.
- Start cycle today, from the next cycle's overflow menu, completes the running cycle at once and moves open issues across.
- Cycle calendars can be subscribed to from a cycle's overflow menu, as a Google Calendar feed or an .ics file.
Start cycle today can't be undone
Linear Docs on cycles flag the two surprises. There's no new cycle button, because cycles come from a repeating schedule, and unfinished issues roll over automatically with no way to keep them in a closed cycle. And Start cycle today ends the running cycle immediately and can't be reverted. Use it only when you're sure the current cycle's done.
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Switching cycles off
Disabling cycles marks the current cycle completed and removes the upcoming ones. Completed cycle data is preserved, so you won't lose your history if you pause them and switch them back on later.
How Jira handles sprints
In Jira, sprints are planned from the Backlog tab, and only Scrum teams can use sprints. For a wider look at tracking tools, see my Jira alternatives, and if you're weighing up agile frameworks, my Scrum versus SAFe guide explains the difference.
My advice for your first cycles
Start with two-week cycles, a start day that suits your planning meeting, and a short cooldown if your team needs breathing room. Create a handful of cycles ahead rather than the full 15, and subscribe to the calendar feed so everyone sees the dates. Avoid Start cycle today unless you mean it, because there's no undo.
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Frequently asked questions
How long can a Linear cycle be?
1 to 8 weeks.
How many future cycles can I create?
Up to 15.
What happens to unfinished issues?
They generally roll over to the next cycle.
Can I change the dates of a past cycle?
No. Only future cycle dates can be moved.
What is a cooldown?
A break after each cycle; issues can't be assigned to it.
