Akashic — linear.app

3/4 Product Identity +

+Jtbdaligned

Specification

Minimize the time required to track and coordinate software development work for engineering teams

Reality

Minimize the time it takes to track and manage software development issues across teams ^[▣1]^[2]

Same core goal; spec says 'coordinate,' product says 'manage.'

+Descriptionaligned

Specification

Linear is a project management and issue tracking platform built specifically for software product teams ^[1]

Reality

Linear is a project management tool designed for software development teams to manage issues, projects, and workflows ^[3]^[4]

Identical meaning; spec says 'platform,' product says 'tool.'

+Anti Goalsaligned

Specification

NOT infinitely configurable like Jira
NOT for operations, HR, or marketing teams
NOT designed for large enterprise complex multi-team environments

Reality

NOT a general business project manager — every issue has developer-specific fields like GitHub integration ^[5]
NOT a simple task app — requires understanding of software development terminology like 'backlog', 'active issues' ^[6]
NOT focused on documentation — core UI is entirely about issue tracking and project status ^[7]
NOT a communication tool — no chat, comments, or messaging features visible in main interface ^[8]

Different examples but same intent: software-dev-only positioning.

3/4 Target User +

+Roleminor drift

Specification

Engineering teams at software companies — from startups to mid-size tech organizations. Built with developers and PMs in mind ^[2]

Reality

Software developer or engineering team lead

Spec targets teams; product targets individual developers.

+Work Contextminor drift

Specification

Software product development teams that need speed, clarity, and reduced process overhead ^[3]

Reality

Software development team using GitHub integration

Spec emphasizes speed/clarity; product emphasizes GitHub integration.

+Tech Levelaligned

Specification

Technical

Reality

Technical

+Domainaligned

Specification

Software development, project management, agile workflows

Reality

Software development and project management

Product omits 'agile workflows' but covers core domain.

+Reading Levelaligned

Specification

College

Reality

College

1/4 Value Hierarchy +

+Value Propminor drift

Specification

Speed, clarity, and reduced process overhead for software development teams ^[4]

Reality

Track and manage development issues with team visibility ^[11]

Spec promises speed/efficiency; product emphasizes tracking/visibility.

+Per Pagemajor drift

Specification

Page	Primary Element	User Action
Project page	associated issues, progress graphs, and projected completion date ranges	track project progress
Initiative overview page	resources, documents, notes, research, and GTM planning	manage strategic initiatives
Roadmaps	projects across long timelines showing critical path dependencies	communicate product direction to stakeholders

Reality

Page	Primary Element	User Action
Active issues	Issue list with Todo status	Review active work
Projects	New project button	Create new project
Issue detail	Video player for onboarding	Learn Linear basics

Completely different pages: spec shows strategic, product shows operational.

+Feature Stackmajor drift

Specification

Feature	Prominence	Clicks	Kano
Issues	high	?	must-have
Cycles	high	?	must-have
Projects	high	?	must-have
Initiatives	med	?	performance
Roadmaps	med	?	performance
AI agents	med	?	delighter
Linear Asks	low	?	performance

Reality

Feature	Prominence	Clicks	Kano
Issue tracking	high	0	must-have
Projects	high	1	must-have
GitHub integration	medium	2	performance
Import/Export	low	3	performance
Team management	medium	1	must-have

Product missing Cycles, Roadmaps, AI; shows GitHub instead.

+Color Semanticsnot in spec

Specification

—

Reality

Color	Meaning
gray	secondary navigation and inactive states
white	primary content areas and modals
blue	primary action buttons like Create project

Product documents color usage not mentioned in spec.

1/4 Workflows +

+Journeysmajor drift

Specification

Journey	Steps	Success State
Issue creation and tracking	Create issue with title and status → Assign optional properties (priority, estimate, labels, due date, assignee) → Move issue through team-specific workflow statuses → Filter issues into custom views	Issue completed and moved to Done status
Cycle planning	Define cycle parameters (start week, start day, duration) → Add issues to cycle → Track velocity and capacity → Review cycle analytics	Cycle completed with unfinished issues automatically rolling forward
Project management	Create project for specific deliverable → Add issues and milestones → Track progress on project page → Review projected completion dates	Project completed within projected timeline

Reality

Journey	Steps	Success State
View team issues	Land on active issues page → Scan todo items → Click specific issue	Issue detail page with actionable information
Create project	Click Projects → Click New project → Fill project details → Save project	New project appears in projects list
Complete onboarding	Click onboarding issue → Watch video → Choose setup guide → Follow next steps	Understanding of Linear's core features

Spec shows power-user workflows; product shows basic interactions.

+Cog Walkthroughnot in spec

Specification

—

Reality

Step

Try

See

Link

Progress

Land on active issues page

Pass

Scan todo items

Pass

Click specific issue

Pass

Click Projects

Pass

Click New project

Pass

Fill project details

Friction

Pass

Friction

Pass

Modal shows many unfamiliar fields like Dependencies, Target, Labels without explanation

Save project

Pass

Watch onboarding video

Pass

Choose setup guide

Friction

Pass

Friction

Pass

Company stage options require understanding business context not provided

Product includes detailed cognitive analysis not in spec.

+Friction Mapnot in spec

Specification

—

Reality

Land on active issues page	zero
Scan todo items	zero
Click specific issue	zero
Click Projects	zero
Click New project	zero
Fill project details	guided-only
Save project	zero
Watch onboarding video	zero
Choose setup guide	guided-only

Product maps friction levels not mentioned in spec.

2/4 Onboarding +

+First Minutenot in spec

Specification

—

Reality

User sees a todo list with 4 onboarding tasks and understands this is for managing development work ^[14]

Product describes specific first experience not in spec.

+Time To Valueminor drift

Specification

Usable within hours ^[5]

Reality

Viewing organized list of team issues with clear status indicators

Spec gives timeline; product describes immediate value state.

+Time To Value Clicksnot in spec

Specification

—

Reality

Product measures clicks to value not in spec.

+Assessmentminor drift

Specification

Simple first, then powerful — Easy to start, grows with team size ^[6]

Reality

Structured onboarding through predefined issues, uses developer language, assumes technical context

Same philosophy but product emphasizes technical assumptions.

3/4 Emotional Register +

+Primary Emotionminor drift

Specification

Confident

Reality

Informed

Spec says 'Confident'; product says 'Informed.'

+Feels Likealigned

Specification

Fast, minimalist, keyboard-first productivity ^[7]. Create momentum, don't sprint ^[8]

Reality

Like having a specialized dashboard built specifically for software teams — clean issue lists, GitHub integration prominent, technical terminology throughout ^[16]

Same fast/minimalist intent; different emphasis on specialization.

+Does Not Feel Likealigned

Specification

Dense nested menus and configuration screens like Jira ^[9]. Busy work or tool maintenance ^[10]

Reality

Does not feel like Trello or generic task managers — no visual boards, no simple drag-and-drop, everything structured around development workflows ^[17]

Same anti-complexity intent; different comparison tools.

Specification sources

1 Linear is a project management and issue tracking platform built specifically for software product teams
2 Engineering teams at software companies — from startups to mid-size tech organizations. Built with developers and PMs in mind, not operations, HR, or marketing teams
3 Teams that need speed, clarity, and reduced process overhead
4 Teams that need speed, clarity, and reduced process overhead
5 Linear is usable within hours; Jira takes weeks to configure
6 Simple first, then powerful — Easy to start, grows with team size
7 Linear's UI is famously fast and minimalist. Keyboard-first — nearly every action has a keyboard shortcut
8 Create momentum, don't sprint — Work in cycles with healthy cadence, not rushed sprints toward a deadline
9 Where Jira has dense nested menus and configuration screens, Linear exposes only what is immediately needed
10 Say no to busy work — The tool should work for you, not require you to maintain it

Reality sources

▣ 1 Page title shows 'Active issues' as primary view
2 Navigation includes specialized sections like 'Backlog' and 'My issues'
3 Site consistently refers to 'issues' and 'projects' rather than generic tasks
4 Projects section prominently featured in main navigation
5 GitHub integration appears in multiple contexts including settings
6 Active issues and Backlog views use software development terminology
7 No documentation or wiki features visible in main interface
8 Interface focused on issue tracking without communication features
9 Technical terms like 'API', 'integrations', 'repositories' used throughout
10 Assumes understanding of concepts like backlog management and issue lifecycle
11 Primary landing shows list of issues with status and assignee
▣ 12 New project modal shows multiple advanced configuration options
13 Project creation includes fields like Dependencies, Target, Labels without context
14 Todo list shows 4 onboarding tasks like 'Get familiar with Linear'
▣ 15 Onboarding content assumes user has already decided to use Linear
16 Clean interface with GitHub branding and developer-focused terminology
17 No visual project boards or simple task management metaphors
18 Extensive use of software development jargon throughout interface