Jobs-to-be-Done Analysis

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Jtbd Analysis tasks - Working on apply jobs-to-be-done framework for outcome-driven innovation. map customer jobs, identify underserved outcomes, and prioritize opportunities using the jtbd methodology
• Planning or design - Need guidance on Jtbd Analysis approaches
• Best practices - Want to follow established patterns and standards

Overview

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) is a theory of innovation that focuses on what customers are trying to accomplish (jobs) rather than on the products they buy. When people "hire" a product, they hire it to get a job done.

Core Concepts

The Fundamental Insight

"People don't want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole." — Theodore Levitt

Customers buy products to get jobs done. Understanding the job unlocks innovation opportunities.

Job Types

Type	Description	Example
Functional	The practical task	"Ensure code quality before merge"
Emotional	How they want to feel	"Feel confident in my changes"
Social	How they want to be perceived	"Be seen as a skilled developer"
Consumption	Jobs related to product usage	"Learn to use the tool effectively"

Job Statement Template

When [situation/context],
I want to [motivation/desire],
so I can [expected outcome].

Example:

When reviewing a pull request,
I want to quickly identify potential bugs,
so I can approve changes with confidence.

Job Mapping (8-Step Process)

Break complex jobs into universal steps:

Step	Description	Questions to Ask
1. Define	Determine goals	What are you trying to achieve?
2. Locate	Gather inputs	What information do you need?
3. Prepare	Set up environment	How do you get ready?
4. Confirm	Validate readiness	How do you know you can proceed?
5. Execute	Perform the job	What actions do you take?
6. Monitor	Track progress	How do you know it's working?
7. Modify	Make adjustments	What changes do you make?
8. Conclude	Finish and evaluate	How do you know you're done?

Example: Job = "Ensure Code Quality Before Merge"

Step	Job Step	Desired Outcomes
Define	Understand what needs review	Know the scope of changes
Locate	Gather context about changes	Understand the reasoning behind changes
Prepare	Set up review environment	Have tools and context ready
Confirm	Verify reviewable state	Ensure CI passes, conflicts resolved
Execute	Review the code	Identify bugs, style issues, logic errors
Monitor	Track review progress	Know which files are reviewed
Modify	Request changes	Get author to fix issues
Conclude	Approve and merge	Confident in code quality

Outcome Statements

Outcomes are measurable, observable statements of what customers want.

Outcome Statement Formula

[Direction] + [Unit of Measure] + [Object of Control] + [Context]

Direction: Minimize, Maximize, Increase, Reduce, Eliminate, Avoid

Examples

Job Step	Outcome Statement
Execute	Minimize the time it takes to identify bugs in code changes
Execute	Reduce the likelihood of missing a security vulnerability
Execute	Minimize the effort required to understand unfamiliar code
Modify	Reduce the time to communicate feedback to the author
Conclude	Minimize the likelihood of post-merge issues

Outcome Quality Criteria

✅ Good outcomes are:

• Measurable (can be quantified)
• Observable (can be seen/detected)
• Customer-controlled (customer can influence)
• Job-specific (tied to a job step)
• Solution-agnostic (no specific product implied)

❌ Avoid:

• Vague statements ("make it better")
• Solution-embedded outcomes ("use AI to...")
• Company-controlled outcomes ("increase revenue")

Opportunity Scoring

Importance vs. Satisfaction

Survey customers on each outcome:

Importance: "How important is [outcome] to you?" (1 = Not important, 10 = Extremely important)

Satisfaction: "How satisfied are you with your current solution for [outcome]?" (1 = Not satisfied, 10 = Extremely satisfied)

Opportunity Score Formula

Opportunity Score = Importance + (Importance - Satisfaction)

Score Range	Interpretation
> 15	High opportunity (underserved)
10-15	Moderate opportunity
< 10	Low opportunity (appropriately served)
< 0	Overserved (potential to simplify)

Opportunity Landscape

                    High Importance
                          │
              ┌───────────┼───────────┐
     Over-    │           │           │   Under-
     served   │   Table   │   High    │   served
              │   Stakes  │ Opportunity│
              ├───────────┼───────────┤
    Low       │   Low     │   Niche   │
    Satisfaction Priority │ Opportunity│   High
              │           │           │   Satisfaction
              └───────────┼───────────┘
                          │
                   Low Importance

Interview Techniques

Switch Interview (For Existing Products)

Understand why customers "fired" one product and "hired" another:

1. First thought: When did you first think about switching?
2. Event: What triggered the switch?
3. Consideration: What alternatives did you consider?
4. Decision: What made you choose the new solution?
5. Consumption: How did you get started?

Forces Diagram

          ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
          │           PROGRESS                      │
          │      (Desired Outcome)                  │
          └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
                     ▲             ▲
                     │             │
          ┌──────────┴──┐     ┌────┴───────────┐
          │ Push of     │     │ Pull of New    │
          │ Current     │     │ Solution       │
          │ Situation   │     │                │
          └─────────────┘     └────────────────┘
                     │             │
                     ▼             ▼
          ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
          │           RESISTANCE                    │
          └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
                     ▲             ▲
                     │             │
          ┌──────────┴──┐     ┌────┴───────────┐
          │ Anxiety of  │     │ Habit of       │
          │ New Solution│     │ Present        │
          └─────────────┘     └────────────────┘

Questions:

• Push: "What's frustrating about your current situation?"
• Pull: "What attracted you to the new solution?"
• Anxiety: "What concerns did you have about switching?"
• Habit: "What made it hard to leave the old solution?"

AI-Assisted JTBD Analysis

Job Discovery

Given a product domain, generate:

1. Main functional jobs customers need done
2. Related emotional and social jobs
3. Job context variations
4. Job statement formulations

Job Mapping

For a given job, generate:

1. 8-step job map
2. 3-5 desired outcomes per step
3. Properly formatted outcome statements

Opportunity Identification

When satisfaction data is available:

1. Calculate opportunity scores
2. Identify underserved outcomes (score > 15)
3. Suggest solution directions
4. Prioritize by opportunity size

Interview Guide Creation

For a specific job, generate:

1. Screening questions
2. Switch interview questions
3. Forces diagram exploration questions
4. Outcome importance probes

Integration Points

Inputs from:

• design-thinking skill: Empathy insights → Job context
• User research data → Satisfaction ratings
• Customer support data → Pain points → Job failures

Outputs to:

• opportunity-mapping skill: Outcomes → Opportunity tree
• lean-startup skill: Underserved outcomes → Hypotheses
• persona-development skill: Job context → Persona attributes

References

For additional JTBD resources, see: