Sprint Planning

You've learned to plan individual features in Level 3. Now you'll plan a full sprint for multiple features or a complex feature like authentication. We'll use Linear as your main sprint planning tool and connect it to GitHub for seamless workflow.

1. Understanding sprints and setting up Linear

A sprint is a focused time period (usually 1 week) where you work on a defined set of tasks. Think of it as a mini-project with a clear start, end, and goal.

Why sprints work:

• Forces you to scope realistically
• Provides clear checkpoints
• Makes progress visible and trackable
• Helps prioritize what matters most

Linear is a modern project management tool built for developers. It connects directly to GitHub and makes planning feel lightweight rather than bureaucratic.

Key Linear concepts

Before you start, understand these three core concepts:

Issues: Individual tasks or work items (like "Create sign-up page" or "Test data isolation")

Projects: Collections of related issues grouped around a feature or initiative (like "Authentication & Onboarding")

Cycles: Time-boxed periods for getting work done, usually 1 week. Think of it as your sprint container.

Create your Linear account

1. Sign up at linear.app – it's free for individuals and small teams
2. When prompted, create a workspace name (you can use your project name or company name)

Set up your authentication project

Once you're in Linear:

1. Create a new Project:

   • Click "Projects" in the sidebar
   • Click "New Project"
   • Name it: "Authentication & Onboarding"
   • Add a brief description: "Implement login, signup, and onboarding flow with Clerk, storing user data in Neon"

2. Create a Cycle (Sprint):

   • Click "Cycles" in the sidebar
   • Click "New Cycle"
   • Set duration to 1 week
   • Set start date to today or next Monday
   • Link it to your Authentication & Onboarding project

Outcome: You have a Linear workspace with a project and 1-week cycle ready for planning.

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2. Breaking down the auth feature into sprint tasks

Break the auth feature into six concrete tasks that you'll work through systematically. Copy each task below into Linear as a new issue in your Authentication & Onboarding project.

The 6 sprint tasks

Task 1: Design the auth user flow

• Description: Map out the complete journey for signup, login, and onboarding, and shape the approach with Claude in plan mode.
• Size: Medium

Task 2: Install the Clerk skill and set up Clerk

• Description: Install the Clerk skill (with a fresh chat so it loads), create a Clerk account, install the SDK, and store keys in Vercel.
• Size: Small

Task 3: Implement signup and login pages

• Description: Add /sign-in and /sign-up pages with Clerk components, protect routes, and test the auth flow.
• Size: Large

Task 4: Build the onboarding flow

• Description: Create a 3-screen skippable onboarding shown after signup, with progress indicators and a skip option.
• Size: Medium

Task 5: Scope user data in Neon

• Description: Store user records in Neon keyed to the Clerk user, and enforce per-user access server-side so each user only sees their own data.
• Size: Medium

Task 6: Test on a preview, then merge to main

• Description: Build auth on a branch, test the full flow on the Vercel preview, then merge to main to go live.
• Size: Small

How to add these issues

Add these issues in Linear yourself, or – once you connect Linear to Claude in the next lesson – just ask Claude to create them for you. To add one by hand:

1. Click "New Issue" in Linear (or press C)
2. Copy the task title as the issue title
3. Paste the description
4. Assign it to your "Authentication & Onboarding" project
5. Add it to your current cycle (sprint)

Don't overthink sizing. Small is a couple of hours, Medium is roughly half a day, Large is a day or more. The goal is a rough sense of the week, not precise accounting.

Outcome: Your sprint has 6 concrete tasks lined up for the week.

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3. Connect Linear to GitHub

This integration lets your commits automatically update Linear issues – no manual status updates needed.

Why this connection helps non-technical builders

• Automatic updates: When a commit mentions a Linear issue, it shows up in Linear automatically
• Track progress: See which code changes relate to which tasks
• Less manual work: No need to update Linear every time you make progress
• Full history: Everything is connected – your planning, your code, and your deployments

Enable the GitHub integration

1. In Linear, click your workspace icon (bottom left)
2. Go to Settings → Integrations
3. Find GitHub in the list
4. Click Add or Connect
5. Select your repository

How commits link to Linear issues

Claude writes your commits for you – you just tell it what you worked on and which issue it relates to. When the commit message mentions a Linear issue ID, Linear connects them automatically.

Finding your issue ID:

• In Linear, each issue has an ID like AUTH-1, AUTH-2, etc.
• It's shown at the top of the issue
• Your project key (AUTH) + a number

How it works in practice

1. Pick a Linear issue to work on (e.g. "AUTH-3: Implement signup and login pages")
2. Build it with Claude, then ask Claude to commit and reference the issue – it writes a message like feat: add signup page (AUTH-3)
3. Because the auth feature lives on a branch (you set that up in the Git Workflow lesson), your commits land there; you'll merge to main in the Preview & Production lesson
4. Linear automatically links the commit to AUTH-3 and tracks its progress

No manual status updates, and no typing git commands yourself – Claude handles the git, Linear handles the tracking.

Outcome: Linear and GitHub are connected, and you know how to link your work to sprint tasks.

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What's next

You have a complete sprint plan in Linear with:

• 6 concrete tasks covering the entire auth feature
• Tasks estimated and added to your 1-week cycle
• Linear connected to GitHub for automatic progress tracking
• A clear workflow for linking commits to issues

In the next lesson, you'll set up MCP servers that give your AI powerful tools to help you execute this sprint effectively.

References

• Linear Documentation: Linear Docs
• Linear GitHub Integration: GitHub Integration Guide