from Hacker News

Ask HN: Why are software project management tools little more than todo lists?

by fogzen on 5/18/23, 7:17 AM with 2 comments

I work with companies that use Linear. Fundamentally it’s a todo list. Why can’t we do better?

User stories/features don’t have a binary finished state. Equating them with tasks makes no sense.

Tools should build on user stories and requirements instead of tasks.

Stories should be organized into phases of planning, working, review.

Stories should be organized into releases, and be part of multiple releases.

User stories and releases should be separate things. A feature isn’t “done” when it’s shipped. The context around a feature should be kept across iterations.

Anybody else feel the same way? Thoughts?

  • by ale_jacques on 5/18/23, 1:17 PM

    The question is: what is "better". Better for your workflow is not necessarily true in another context.

    I agree with some of your points. But, IMHO, user stories are not the best tool to describe a feature. Even Linear don't advocate on User Stories: https://linear.app/method/write-issues-not-user-stories

    Either way, I see this as a build-your-own-workflow. Each company should try to find the best way to work. It's an iterative and empiric process.