Instructional Video

View a Loom video here to quickly see how to use Spades

Overview

Spades helps your team estimate story points through collaborative voting sessions. Here's what you'll accomplish:

1. Connect to Linear - Import your workspace issues

2. Select Issues - Choose team, view, or project to estimate

3. Navigate & Discuss - Review issues with your team

4. Vote & Estimate - Submit votes and set estimates in Linear

Step 1: Getting Connected

Login with Linear

1. Click "Get Started" or the play icon in the top right

2. Authorize Spades to access your Linear workspace

3. You're now connected and can access your teams, views, and projects

Step 2: Select Your Issues

Using the View Selector

Location: Top-right search icon

Quick Access: Press Cmd+G (Mac) or Ctrl+G (Windows/Linux)

Your Options:

Teams

• Select from your Linear teams

• Shows all unestimated issues for that team

• Good for team-focused estimation sessions

Views

• Use your saved Linear views

• Filter issues by custom criteria (labels, status, assignee, etc.)

• Most flexible option for targeted estimation

Projects

• Browse issues within specific Linear projects

• Useful for project-scoped estimation sessions

Selection Behavior:

• Only one active: Selecting a new option clears the previous selection

• Auto-load: Issues load automatically after selection

• Issue count: You'll see "No issues found" if the selection contains no unestimated issues

Share the Session

• Copy the URL from your browser or click the link icon in the top right of the screen

• Send to teammates so they can join the same estimation session

• Real-time sync ensures everyone sees the same content

Step 3: Navigate Through Issues

Issue Display

Once you've selected a team/view/project, issues appear one at a time:

• Issue Title: Clear title from Linear

• Description: Full issue description with formatting

• Comments: Any Linear comments for context

Navigation Methods:

Keyboard Navigation (Recommended)

• J - Previous issue

• K - Next issue

Navigation Controls

• Use on-screen navigation buttons if preferred

• Click previous/next arrows

Navigation Tips:

• Focus required: Make sure you're not typing in a text field

• Real-time sync: Your navigation is synced to all team members in the session

Step 4: Collaborative Voting

Understanding the Voting Process

1. Individual Voting: Each team member votes privately

2. Vote Collection: Votes are gathered in real-time

3. Results Display: Statistics shown when all votes are in

4. Estimate Setting: One click to set the final estimate in Linear

Fibonacci Values Available:

• 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 issue points

• Abstain option if you prefer not to vote

How to Vote:

Method 1: Click Buttons

• Click the estimate buttons in the interface

• Clear visual feedback for selected estimates

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcuts (Faster)

• Ctrl+1 - Vote 1 point

• Ctrl+2 - Vote 2 points

• Ctrl+3 - Vote 3 points

• Ctrl+5 - Vote 5 points

• Ctrl+8 - Vote 8 points

Voting States:

• Waiting for votes: Shows voting buttons

• Partial votes: Shows vote progress (e.g., "3 of 5 votes")

• All votes in: Shows calculated results

Step 5: Set Estimates in Linear

Review the Results

After all team members vote, Spades automatically calculates:

• Lowest: Minimum estimate from all votes

• Median: Middle value when votes are sorted

• Average: Mathematical average (rounded to whole number)

• Highest: Maximum estimate from all votes

Setting the Final Estimate

1. Team Discussion: Review any significant variance in votes

2. Choose Result: Click on one of the four calculated results

   • Most teams use Median for balanced estimates

   • Use Average for simplicity

   • Consider Highest for risk management

   • Use Lowest for optimistic scenarios

3. Automatic Processing:

   • Selected value is rounded to nearest Fibonacci number

   • Estimate is immediately set in Linear

4. Move to Next: Use K to navigate to the next issue