Project Updates
"Communicate early. If a project will be delivered late or an unforeseen blocker is uncovered, we are in the best position the quicker we know about it."
Keeping projects updated in Linear gives everyone visibility into what's happening across the team. Linear is the durable record; Slack is how most people notice that record changed.
Why Updates Matter
When projects aren't updated:
- Teammates can't help
- Leads feel isolated
- Work happens in silos
When projects are updated:
- Everyone knows what's happening
- People with capacity can jump in
- Problems surface early
Weekly Updates
Every active project needs a status update at least once per week.
An active project is any project that is in Feature Scoping, Backlog, Planned, In Progress, Blocked, or External Partner Building and still represents work we expect to finish or revisit. If a project is no longer worth tracking, move it to Completed or Canceled instead of leaving it stale.
Project updates are not optional ceremony. They are how we avoid status meetings that are just archaeology.
How to Post an Update
- Go to your project in Linear
- Click "Add update" or use the project pulse
- Include:
- What was accomplished this week
- What's planned for next week
- Any blockers or risks
- Overall status (on track / at risk / off track)
Good updates are short, specific, and easy to scan. Prefer concrete links over vague references:
- Link relevant PRs, issues, docs, demos, recordings, or deployment previews
- Name the next decision or person needed when blocked
- Call out material scope changes, timeline risk, or dependency risk
- Mark whether the project is still worth active tracking
Project Statuses
Use Linear's project statuses to reflect current state:
| Status | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Feature Scoping | Defining requirements, owner, success criteria, or approach |
| Backlog / Planned | Scoped or scheduled, but not actively moving yet |
| In Progress | Actively being worked on |
| Blocked | Cannot proceed—post an update explaining why |
| External Partner Building | Waiting on external party |
| Completed | Shipped, closed out, and summarized |
| Canceled | No longer worth doing or tracking |
Don't be afraid to mark something Blocked. This is how we get help to where it's needed. See Using Linear for all statuses.
Where Updates Show Up
- In Slack (automatic notification)
- In Linear's project pulse view
- In the general project overview
Active projects should be linked to the relevant Slack channel when one exists. The goal is one visible stream where people can see project movement without asking around.
Reminders
You should receive a Slack reminder if you're assigned to a project. If you're not getting reminders, check your Linear notification settings.
Stale Project Hygiene
Project leads should periodically clean up their project list:
- Close completed work - Mark the project Completed and add a final summary with links to shipped artifacts.
- Cancel work we are not doing - Mark the project Canceled and explain why. A canceled project is better than a misleading active project.
- Block paused work intentionally - Use Blocked when the work may resume, and include what would unblock it.
- Archive vague ideas - If the project is just a nice idea with no owner, success criteria, or expected next action, move it out of the active project view.
Stale projects are worse than no projects because they make the system untrustworthy.
Agents and Updates
AI agents may help draft updates, summarize meeting context, or find related PRs and issues. That is encouraged.
The project lead still owns the update. Before posting, verify that the update is accurate, links the right artifacts, and clearly states whether the project is on track, blocked, completed, or no longer active.
TL;DR
Update active projects in Linear weekly. Link the work. Mark status honestly. Close, cancel, or block stale work instead of letting it drift. Agents can help write the update, but the project lead owns its accuracy.