Shaping And Shipping Software

---
name: shaping-and-shipping-software
description: Guides software teams from product direction through scoped projects, clear issues, user feedback, and frequent launches. Use when setting goals, prioritizing work, shaping projects, writing issues, or planning execution and delivery.
---

# Shaping and Shipping Software

Build software through clear direction, small scopes, explicit ownership, user feedback, and frequent shipping. The bundled Linear Method documents provide the source guidance for these practices.

## Workflow

1. Identify the user's decision or artifact: product direction, goal, project scope, issue, design plan, execution cadence, launch, or changelog.
2. Read only the relevant source documents listed below.
3. Apply the principles to the user's actual context rather than repeating the source verbatim.
4. Keep recommendations concrete, brief, and biased toward clear ownership, small scope, momentum, and frequent shipping.
5. Distinguish source guidance from any additional judgment or adaptation.

## Source Guide

- For an overview and source index, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 0.0 Linear Method – Practices for building -- source__clipper.md`.
- For the current principles and operating practices from Linear's site, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 1.1 Principles & Practices - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For principles and operating practices, read `reference/Principles & Practices - Linear Method.md`.
- For initiatives and product direction, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 2.1 Set the product direction - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For measurable startup goals, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 2.2 Set useful goals - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For prioritizing additive enablers and critical blockers, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 2.3 Prioritize enablers and blockers - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For small projects and staged delivery, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 2.4 Scope projects down - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For swift action and feedback-driven momentum, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 3.1 Generate momentum - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For concise, outcome-oriented issues, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 3.2 Write issues not user stories - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For design exploration, feedback, task breakdown, and engineering collaboration, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 3.3 Manage design projects - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For balancing product vision with feedback from target users, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 3.4 Build with users - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For repeated launches, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 3.5 Launch and keep launching - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.
- For public progress and changelogs, read `reference/2026-01-31 @linear - 3.6 Build in public - Linear Method -- source__clipper.md`.