Configure Issue Estimates in Linear
Enable estimates for a team, choose a shared scale and calibrate it with real examples. Estimates express relative size; they do not establish a universal conversion into hours.
Step-by-step guide
Check access and scope
A team settings editor must configure the scale. Agree on whether unknown work should remain unestimated until investigated.
Open estimate settings
Open team settings and locate the estimate configuration. The documented control is Team Settings > General > Estimates; verify the correct team before changing the scale.
Choose the scale
Choose a scale that the team can explain consistently.
- Worked example: Use a copy-only invite-message change as a small reference and a permissions migration as a larger one. Split investigation from implementation when the migration risk is unknown.
Pick reference issues
Select two completed reference issues representing small and larger changes.
Calibrate sample work
Estimate a short sample backlog together and discuss disagreements.
Maintain estimate examples
Record reference examples and revisit them when issue scope changes. An explicit zero estimate differs from leaving an issue unestimated; inspect this setting before using totals in a report.
Verify the result
New issues display the chosen scale and team members can explain why sample estimates differ.
Common mistakes
Avoid the main failure mode
Comparing point totals across teams with different scales turns a planning aid into an unreliable performance score.
Check the handoff edge case
Estimating work whose acceptance criteria are still unknown makes the number appear more reliable than it is. Identify the investigation first.
Sources and verification
Based on product documentation checked on 2026-10-24. This is a documentation-based guide, not a hands-on benchmark. Features and availability can change.