How to Set Up Capacity Planning in Linear (Step-by-Step)
Linear does not have a built-in capacity planning module, but its cycle velocity data, estimate fields, and team filters provide enough information to build a lightweight capacity planning process. The key is establishing a consistent estimation practice and tracking completed estimates across cycles to derive a reliable velocity baseline.
This guide covers building a capacity planning process in Linear from velocity baseline through cycle-by-cycle commitment calculation.
Step-by-step guide
Enable estimates in Linear
Go to Team Settings > Estimates. Choose your estimation scale: Points (Fibonacci: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 is most common) or Time (hours, days). Points are recommended because they measure complexity, not duration. Enable the "Estimates" column in the Issues list view so estimates are visible during cycle planning.
Establish your velocity baseline
Navigate to Cycles > select the last 5 completed cycles. For each cycle, sum the estimated points of issues with status "Done." Average these five numbers to get your velocity baseline. If cycles are inconsistent, weight the last 3 cycles more heavily. Record this baseline in a shared doc — you will refer to it every cycle planning session.
Calculate available capacity per cycle
Before each cycle, count the available engineering days: cycle length (days) × number of engineers, minus planned time off, holidays, and recurring ceremony time. Convert this to a capacity adjustment: if the team has 80% of a standard cycle available, plan for 80% of baseline velocity.
Create a cycle draft and add issues
In Linear, create the next cycle using Cycles > New Cycle. Set the start and end dates. Add issues from the backlog to the cycle draft by dragging them in from the Issues list. As you add issues, the cycle header shows the total estimated points. Stop adding issues when you reach your adjusted capacity target.
Filter the cycle view by team member
Use Linear's filter to show only issues assigned to each engineer within the cycle. This individual-level view reveals if one engineer is over-allocated relative to their specific availability. Redistribute issues during planning before committing the cycle.
Reserve capacity for unplanned work
Plan only 80% of your velocity in the cycle. Leave 20% of points as reserve for bug fixes, critical incidents, and ad-hoc requests. In practice, this means if your velocity is 30 points, add issues totaling 24 points to the cycle and stop. The remaining buffer absorbs unplanned work without breaking the cycle commitment.
Track planned vs. completed each cycle
After each cycle completes, record: cycle planned points and cycle completed points. Calculate completion rate: completed/planned. Track this in a simple spreadsheet across 10+ cycles. A completion rate above 85% indicates consistent, realistic planning. Below 70% suggests systematic overcommitment.
Common mistakes
Planning to 100% of velocity every cycle
Velocity is an average from past cycles. Some cycles will be lower due to unplanned work, blockers, or team changes. Planning to 80% creates the buffer needed to absorb variance without missing the cycle.
Not enabling estimates before the first cycle
Teams that start cycles without estimates have no basis for capacity planning. Enable estimates and require them for all backlog issues before the first capacity-aware cycle.
Using a single-cycle velocity as the baseline
One cycle is not enough data. Use at least 5 cycles to derive a reliable velocity baseline. Single cycles are distorted by exceptional circumstances (big launch, holiday week, onboarding a new engineer).
Tips
Build a simple Google Sheet with columns: Cycle, Planned Points, Completed Points, Completion Rate — fill it in after every cycle
Set a Linear Cycle template with default duration and auto-reminder to update estimates during grooming
Use Linear's "in progress" filter to see mid-cycle velocity projection — are you on track with 3 days remaining?
Share the capacity calculation in the cycle description so engineers understand why the cycle is sized the way it is
How Vantage helps
Vantage generates wave-based tickets with dependency-aware sequencing. Wave 1 tickets represent the minimum viable scope that can be committed without dependency risk. This structure makes cycle capacity planning more accurate because blocked and unblocked work are clearly separated.