Ever since I saw the Cultured Code status page[1] a few months ago, I have been wanting this product. I think a lot of companies would benefit from being more open with their customers about progress.
I'm surprised Github integration isn't on their own roadmap. It would be killer to mark things as completed via commits and see code activity in one application.
We've already added support to pull in your commit log to your Overview feed (see: http://cl.ly/2r2K3N052j0G3w2G2i2O - you can enable this via your roadmap's settings page) and we're now looking at pulling in individual commit messages and posting them to roads as update messages, etc (like you suggested).
We're just now trying to decide on the best way to do this :)
It is very nice looking, well done guys. Though it is strikingly similar to Lighthouse, at least at first glance: http://lighthouseapp.com. Perhaps a source of inspiration, or just coincidence?
I don't see too much resemblance myself and there was no conscious effort of mimicking their design but a lot of project management apps do look fairly similar, UX wise.
Maybe it's just that I use LH daily, and that bug trackers and project management apps have only so many possible options for UX - but to me, these two look more alike than any other combinations I can think of. Not implying it's a rip off - it just struck me as funny.
I've started using Interstate with my team. The core features are great, and it definitely helps to get organized. The one fundamental problem that I've found early on with the product, which will be a severe detriment unless they can find a workaround, is that there isn't much that keeps me coming back. The only thing that would keep me coming back is a constant stream of updates, but the way that the system is set-up currently, updates come infrequently enough that I'm not concerned enough to regularly check it. This might change with a bigger team and once we get more involved, though. I think one way to improve is to build some type of real-time collaboration platform to supplement the core product. That may be too great a pivot, but the ability to actually use it as a communication suite for my team while building our roadmap is compelling.
We've got a some new features which will be arriving across the next few months which will improve the communication aspect of Interstate, among other things.
I've been playing around with it for a week and I really like it so far, enough to transition everything over from Basecamp.
I really like that I'll be able to incorporate the development progress easily into an internal status page for our startup. (Actually thinking of doing a road-based metaphor visualization of the 'interstates'.)
I'm very hesitant to have a publicly visible progress page though, out of concern that would encourage people to wait to pay until a certain announced feature was in place. Would at least have to be handled carefully.
First of all, great to hear you're finding the app useful!
We've somewhat surprisingly already heard stories regarding the opposite of users waiting to pay until a feature is added; where users have actually joined a site because they noticed a feature which they thought was missing was actually in the works on the app's roadmap!
I do see and understand the worry that it can be risky for /some/ larger businesses to share all the inner workings but we haven't yet heard anything negative back from our users. Also, you aren't required to share everything that you have planned. If you want to, you can start off by just the information that you think you think would be great to share with your users, whatever that may be.
I'm excited about this project and even more excited that we were able to utilize it with our startup. I know these guys personally and this is only the beginning... I promise you.
1. http://culturedcode.com/status