Are Most Project Management Tools Too Bloated? Validating a Lean Alternative — Thoughts?

[rushdykawalaa]

Hey everyone,


I recently passed my CAPM exam and have been digging deeper into project management from both a corporate and entrepreneurial lens. One common issue I keep running into — in conversations, research, and my own experience — is that most project management tools feel bloated and overly complex for freelancers, consultants, and small teams.


Tools like Jira, Asana, ClickUp, and Monday.com are powerful, but often:

• Take too long to set up
• Have way more features than most people need
• Create friction instead of clarity

I'm currently validating an idea for a lean, minimalist project management system designed specifically for:

• Freelancers
• Consultants
• Solopreneurs
• Small teams

 

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[Supa]

Hm.. isn't Trello basically a simple project management tool? Notion and many other note taking tools can be used as simply as one wants as well. Just a few thoughts I had while reading your post.

 

[rushdykawalaa]

Hm.. isn't Trello basically a simple project management tool? Notion and many other note taking tools can be used as simply as one wants as well. Just a few thoughts I had while reading your post

Great point — and I agree, Trello and Notion can be used in a simple way.


What I’m noticing though (and what I'm exploring) is that for a lot of freelancers or small operators:

• Trello still feels limited when managing timelines, deadlines, and multiple clients
• Notion has a learning curve and can turn into a distraction if not carefully structured
• Many people spend too much time setting up templates, tracking manually, or just abandoning tools altogether

So I’m thinking about a pre-built, ultra-focused system that’s ready to go — no fluff, no distractions. More like:

“Open it → know what matters today → get it done → track progress → close it.”

Kind of a cross between Trello’s simplicity and a battle-tested weekly planner, built for execution.


Curious if that would solve a real pain for you or others you know?

 

[MitchC]

Sunsama is not exactly what you are trying to create but is taking a similar approach to it so take a look at that

I would say there is a market for this, it would be a good business to own, very sticky customers

Basically sunsama but a proper project manager not a calendar or whatever sunsama is

 

[rushdykawalaa]

Sunsama is not exactly what you are trying to create but is taking a similar approach to it so take a look at that

I would say there is a market for this, it would be a good business to own, very sticky customers

Basically sunsama but a proper project manager not a calendar or whatever sunsama is

Thanks so much — I really appreciate this reply. You’re right, Sunsama isn’t exactly what I’m building, but it’s definitely operating in the same headspace: helping people manage work with more clarity and intention.


I’m looking closely at what they do well and where the gaps might be. From what I’ve seen so far:

• Sunsama is powerful, but feels like a full commitment — like a lifestyle change.
• It’s not ideal for freelancers or consultants juggling multiple client projects — especially those who want low-friction tools that work out of the box.
• And for some, the price point and daily setup require more effort than the value it returns.

So I’m exploring a leaner, simpler daily and weekly system that’s:

• Built for execution over customization
• Has no bloat and doesn’t require building custom dashboards
• Uses a repeatable structure to help freelancers or solopreneurs track what matters across multiple projects

Your point about sticky customers really stood out — that’s exactly what I’m aiming for. A tool that becomes part of someone’s core workflow without slowing them down.


If you ever want to test a stripped-down version or share more feedback, I’d love to include you. Thanks again for the Sunsama reference and encouragement.

 

[Supa]

Great point — and I agree, Trello and Notion can be used in a simple way.


What I’m noticing though (and what I'm exploring) is that for a lot of freelancers or small operators:

• Trello still feels limited when managing timelines, deadlines, and multiple clients
• Notion has a learning curve and can turn into a distraction if not carefully structured
• Many people spend too much time setting up templates, tracking manually, or just abandoning tools altogether

So I’m thinking about a pre-built, ultra-focused system that’s ready to go — no fluff, no distractions. More like:


Kind of a cross between Trello’s simplicity and a battle-tested weekly planner, built for execution.


Curious if that would solve a real pain for you or others you know?

For me personally, I've built a pretty good and simple project planning and managing system in Craft, while using Structured as my day and week planner. So I wouldn't switch right now.

In general I think that there's a market for productivity apps that put a spin on what they do. So, if done right, and if there's enough that differentiates it from the big and trusted and often loved names, like Notion, Obsidian, Asana and others, sure, this could definitely appeal to people. Also you may want to look into Superlist, they are also very simple and well liked.

 

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[rushdykawalaa]

For me personally, I've built a pretty good and simple project planning and managing system in Craft, while using Structured as my day and week planner. So I wouldn't switch right now.

In general I think that there's a market for productivity apps that put a spin on what they do. So, if done right, and if there's enough that differentiates it from the big and trusted and often loved names, like Notion, Obsidian, Asana and others, sure, this could definitely appeal to people. Also you may want to look into Superlist, they are also very simple and well liked.

Thanks for the honest and helpful response — Craft + Structured is a really interesting combo. I’ve heard great things about both but haven’t seen many people use them together for project + time management, so that’s insightful.


Agree — the market is crowded, and tools like Notion, Obsidian, and Asana have deep loyalty. That’s why I’m narrowing in on building something extremely specific for freelancers and consultants who feel overwhelmed by flexible, open-ended systems.


I’ll look deeper into Superlist too — I haven’t explored that one yet.


Out of curiosity:

• What would make someone like you even consider switching?
• What’s one friction point you still feel with your current setup, even if it's small?

Even if you're happy with your system, that kind of feedback helps shape where I focus my concept. Appreciate your time!

 

[Andy Black]

I use Basecamp. It's good for me, but I'm not sure it's the best for clients.

Someone mentioned Todoist as a nice simple tool. I've not used it.

 

[maverick]

Focus on making mediocre project managers look great.

Turnkey, quality templates for developing roadmaps, program/project plans and backlogs. Consider how tools like Granola are making the most lazy contractors/employees look like superstars.

 

[DareDevil]

I use my diary and trello works fine for me , why don't you build a rapid MVP and test ?

 

[DareDevil]

Focus on making mediocre project managers look great.

Turnkey, quality templates for developing roadmaps, program/project plans and backlogs. Consider how tools like Granola are making the most lazy contractors/employees look like superstars.

some deep insights I see exactly this! there is six-sigma and agile obession among managers yes vote this

 

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[Supa]

• What would make someone like you even consider switching?
• What’s one friction point you still feel with your current setup, even if it's small?

• What always gets my interest, but that may just be me, is a fantastic UI and UX, that's how Craft got my attention in the first place. Sure, the core functionality must be there, but many have those, but make the experience so freaking good, that many won't resist to at least give it a try.
• It's that there's no integration between Craft and Structured. I don't copy and paste tasks from one into the other, rather I have my concrete tasks in Craft and in Structured I lay out when I want to do something, as well as having daily to dos (like cleaning) and reminders in Structured. But nonetheless an integration would make the experience even better. So that tasks in Craft could directly be turned into tasks in Structured and then placed in the timeline, inbox or as a daily task.

 

[Supa]

Someone mentioned Todoist as a nice simple tool. I've not used it.

Used Todoist for quite some time, it's great!

 

[bc0510]

@rushdykawalaa
I have used almost a dozen project management systems, whether it was Jira, Asana, Basecamp, Teamwork, Monday, Clickup or Todoist. All of them are good in many things, but I wanted something that is kind of all-in-one (simple, beautiful, powerful) where I can manage my professional and personal projects. I wanted to manage all my staff, clients, and projects in one place, and at the same time, I wanted to see what was going on with my health-related objectives, family-related things etc. This is the reason I started building my own product.

I have recently launched a project management tool (web app for now) specifically for entrepreneurs/solopreneurs, small teams, and agencies. It has all the necessary modules/ features to manage a project efficiently. I have also included some of the strategies discussed by Sir MJ DeMarco in his books. for ex CENTS (productocracy), Kaizen (habits) etc.

Here is the thread

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ability-siddhify-progress-thread-2025.117825/

Let me know if this makes sense. I have received many appreciations and criticisms, and suggestions. I am working on those.

 

[SEBASTlAN]

Your biggest competitor isn't those you listed. It's Google Sheets/Excel.

Regardless, there's always room for a good alternative.

 

[Jeffjeff]

The problems I see with the major systems are:
- More of the same with a different dashboard, price, and small gimmick (e.g. built-in chat or automation).
- SO MUCH modularity it doesn't have a clear direction over how it should be used.

I did managed to create a system in notion that worked well for about 6 months, it were quite simple:
- Add tasks to list, then tag it with the appropriate project
- Open a kanban-like view to schedule which tasks you will complete that week
- Open a week-like calendar view and schedule which tasks will be completed each given day

It was great to reduce decision fatigue, but worked badly as there were little room for adaptation and overall poor UX

 

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[Xeon]

Notion and Trello have ugly and very poor UI and UX. Messy af and hard to keep track of which project is which, who is doing which project, the latest status and updates, how many projects uncompleted, when is the deadline for each project etc.

 

[pitchpine]

I use Basecamp. It's good for me, but I'm not sure it's the best for clients.

Someone mentioned Todoist as a nice simple tool. I've not used it.

Todoist is a great tool for personal use. I've been using that for years and I still think it's the best cross platform solution for task lists. Something about the UI, design, all just works. I know there is some team functionality but I don't know if this would be an actual PM solution for business.

 

[Ivo Alexandroff]

Personally, I used a lot of PM tools - custom built spreadsheet for time and task tracking, endless Google Doc file for daily priorities and note taking, Trello (then Asana) and few minor ones.

I even built a working app prototype based on one of my task tracking spreadsheets (more on this below).

most project management tools feel bloated and overly complex for freelancers, consultants, and small teams.

I was in the same boat about two years ago.

At the time our team was using Trello and we have recently switched to Asana.

Asana has a learning curve, although not too steep IMO.

Even then, I wanted something super simple and built an MVP app in React based on my task tracker spreadsheet.

And the... I decided to check if Asana could do the same thing.

And guess what - it could, and it was quicker to set up and had more flexibility than I thought.

I built a PM tool in Asana with automations, custom dashboards and tags that automatically update.

For example, it has a view of today's tasks with ROI and priority, overdue stuff, to follow up, and a few dashboards with total hours planned so I can assess what the most important stuff at a glance.

It's the best PM tool I've used so far and it works like a charm (and I tried a lot of them over the years).

If people were just a bit more patient with their existing platforms they could learn to get the most out of it.

But I guess people want everything now and reading documentation is boring anyway, right lol?

You could totally sell to that audience if you make the right app.

minimalist project management system

Everyone has a different approach to project management, and this is why most mass market platforms offer so much flexibility.

For one, I almost never use Gantt charts because they are clunky and awkward on the screen, although all PM courses swear by them.

I guess my point is that if you lock in people into one minimal way of doing things, it might deter some customers.

You'll need to collect a lot of user feedback (which you'd do anyway, right?) to understand what exactly are the 'bare bones' of a PM app that people actually want.

Just my 2c as a real life user.

Love the idea.

 

[i_like_quinoa]

As a PM within engineering, my 4 most important tools were Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint and Excel), Sharepoint, MS Teams (managing team members) and Outlook (emails).

I don't really see the benefits of other tools, which took me away from my existing tools and I have to manually set things up with new tool or input more info. I would love if there was a tool, where say I get an email - a tool basically reads that emails and can prompt an action - draft reply or ready to set up calendar invites etc. As long as I am not being dragged to another interface, just to provide updates - that would be beneficial

 

[rushdykawalaa]

I use my diary and trello works fine for me , why don't you build a rapid MVP and test ?

Im doing so right this week. Your guys feedback has been a tremendous help! Now it's time to see customers' feedback.

 

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[Dark Water]

Jira is amazing for larger organizations and teams, where there are a lot of stakeholders and you need a historical single source of truth.

One of my collaborators uses Basecamp to great effect. Watching her manage all of her clients on there is great.

I've used Trello plenty in the past. It's simple, but not professional enough.

The biggest issue plaguing this space is the pay-per-seat model. It doesn't make sense economically for freelancers and most small businesses. Google Workspace, Slack, ChatGPT, many other tools - too many things are competing on a pay-per-seat basis. It kills scale and hurts a lot when you have somewhere between 5-20 clients and are fighting for consistent revenue.

What's wrong with a bucket approach, where you pay a flat monthly fee for up to 20 clients, another flat fee for up to 100, etc? I'm sure for these orgs, it's more profitable to go pay-per-seat. For a startup looking to disrupt this space, I'd consider this.

I'll also echo what someone else said - Google Sheets is the way to go and probably your biggest competitor. I have many clients on different project management tools that they use internally. However, Google Drive is almost universal. I've switched to making kanban boards in Google Sheets and going all in on that. Next up need to explore the Gemini integration more and how to set up some automations - ideally, taking the best features of Jira / Confluence and converting them into Sheets/Docs.

 

[maverick]

JIRA is not great for large organizations. It's generally locked down by someone in IT. So you are stuck with whatever they came up with to be effective for you. I contract for large organizations and find JIRA extremely bloated and ineffective.

I often find myself signing up for an account myself, either on JIRA or on Monday, to set-up whatever structure I need for my team to prosper.