# Pre-provision matched users before tracker import

> Before importing work from another tracker, provision users in the new system with the same email addresses and linked accounts so ownership and comments survive the move cleanly.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/pre-provision-matched-users-before-tracker-import/
- Source: [linear.app](https://linear.app/switch/migration-guide)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Linear](/sources/linear-linear-app/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-25
- Rarity: uncommon
- Budget: free
- Channels: Onboarding, Product, Sales
- Stages: migration, switcher intent, activation, data integrity
- Key metric: Creators, assignees, mentions, and comments import properly when users are pre-matched

## Why this can grow

Migrations feel unsafe when the imported work loses authorship, mentions, or assignee context. Pre-provisioning users is not glamorous, but it removes one of the fastest ways for a switch to look broken. The buyer sees the old work land with recognizable owners, which makes the new system feel like continuity instead of a partial copy.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where pre-provision matched users before tracker import can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Onboarding and Product channel.
3. Use the evidence from linear.app to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Linear's migration guide recommends provisioning users ahead of time and matching them with the same email address plus linked accounts so creators, assignees, mentions, and comments import properly.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Trial sync before full project-tracker cutover](/growth-ideas/trial-sync-before-full-project-tracker-cutover/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 3 shared stages
- [Internal transition guide with pilot findings and team quotes](/growth-ideas/internal-transition-guide-with-pilot-findings-and-team-quotes/) - same source, 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Go-live date tied to the old tool's renewal window](/growth-ideas/go-live-date-tied-to-the-old-tools-renewal-window/) - same source, 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Fewer teams first before workspace sprawl](/growth-ideas/fewer-teams-first-before-workspace-sprawl/) - same source, 2 shared channels

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The side page usually answers the real objection](/blog/the-side-page-usually-answers-the-real-objection/) - brand trust, seo, operator-led growth

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.