Shipped the MVP of my local‑first project manager
I’m Jan, a solo developer building iJustFocus PM, a local‑first project manager for solo developers.
I recently shipped the MVP and I am now refining the core workflow: Projects → Epics → Sections → Blocks.
My goal is to create a calm, offline‑first alternative to noisy, cloud‑dependent PM tools. No subscriptions, no tracking, no distractions.
Looking forward to sharing progress and learning from others here.
One thing I'd be careful with:
The interesting question may not be whether developers want a calmer project manager.
It may be what they're actually replacing when they switch.
Those sound similar, but they can lead to very different product decisions.
That's a great point. I've noticed the same tension as some people are drawn to the calm workflow, whereas others to the offline-first/privacy. For iJustFocus PM, I'm intentionally building at the intersection of both. A structured system that stays out of the way and lives entirely on the user's machine. As more people use the MVP and provide feedback, I’ll see which side resonates more strongly, and that will guide how I refine the experience, while keeping the core principles in place.
Possibly.
The reason I'd still be careful is that feedback can make multiple directions feel validated at the same time.
That's one of those decisions I'd want confidence in before letting it shape the product.
I wouldn't try to unpack that properly in a thread.
If you'd like the tighter version, drop your email and I'll put it together properly.
I get what you mean, feedback can point in several directions at once. I’m clear on the core direction, but I’m always open to better framing. If you don’t mind sharing the tighter version here so others can benefit too, that would be great.
That's fair.
The reason I stopped short is that I don't think it would be useful without unpacking the decision properly, and that's difficult to do in a thread.
Good luck with the MVP.