# Source: https://linear.app/docs/sub-initiatives.md

# Sub-initiatives

Sub-initiatives allow Initiatives to be nested inside one another, enabling deeper planning and visibility across large programs of work. Use sub-initiatives to organize your company goals, workstreams, or OKRs into a structured hierarchy.

> [!NOTE]
> **Available to workspaces on our Enterprise plan.**
> Available to workspaces on our [Enterprise](https://linear.app/pricing) plan.

![Sub-initiatives](https://webassets.linear.app/images/ornj730p/production/751d06e6c76d6b75b21fcd71da3cf91770d27a8b-2368x1780.png?q=95&auto=format&dpr=2)

## Basics

Sub-initiatives let you nest Initiatives up to five levels deep in a tree-like structure. A parent Initiative automatically includes all the projects it owns directly, as well as all the projects from its sub-initiatives. This makes it easy to roll up work from multiple departments, teams, or quarters into one overarching goal.  


You can use sub-initiatives to:

* Structure company-wide objectives across multiple departments
* Break down a large strategic goal into phased delivery Initiatives
* Group Initiatives by quarter, theme, or ownership

Each Initiative can only have one parent. Projects added to any sub-initiative will automatically be included in the parent’s view of progress.

### Creating and managing sub-initiatives

You can create and organize sub-initiatives from two places in Linear:

**From the workspace Initiative views (Active, Planned, Completed)**

* Create a new Initiative using the `+ New` Initiative button or the keyboard shortcut `N` then `I`. You can also choose a parent Initiative during creation.
* Nest Initiatives by holding `Option` (`Alt` on Windows) while dragging one beneath another.
* To remove a parent, drag the Initiative out of the nested section and drop it elsewhere in the list to return it to the top level.
* These pages are best for managing structure across multiple teams or quarters.

**From an Initiative Overview page**

* Use the `+ Add` button in the top right, or the ... menu beside the Initiative title, to create or attach sub-initiatives.
* Use the `+` icon above the sub-initiative list (if shown) to add more.
* Use the command menu (`Cmd` + `K`) or shortcut `Cmd` + `Shift` + `P` to set or change the parent.

Sub-initiatives created from an Overview page are nested under that Initiative automatically.

### Viewing sub-initiatives

Sub-initiatives appear nested beneath their parent Initiative both on the full workspace Initiative views (_Active_, _Planned_, or _Completed_) and on the parent’s Initiative Overview page. If you’d like to temporarily collapse or expand a nested list, press `T` — this affects only your own view.  


By default, a parent Initiative’s project list includes all projects from its sub-initiatives. You can adjust this using the display settings in the top right of the project list to show only directly owned projects. Each sub-initiative displays a project count, which includes all projects from any further sub-initiatives nested within it.



When Initiatives are grouped by owner or other properties, parent Initiatives will still appear above their sub-initiatives to provide context — but they’ll be shown grayed out if they don’t directly match the grouping property.

Visibility and filtering

Sub-initiatives follow the same visibility rules as standard Initiatives: they’re visible to all workspace members except guests. If a project belongs to a private team, its details remain restricted — but the Initiative itself will still be listed.

  
When viewing a parent Initiative, filters (such as by team, status, or project health) will include projects from all of its sub-initiatives. This gives you a complete picture of progress at every level of the hierarchy.