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

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:

Example: Job = "Ensure Code Quality Before Merge"

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

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)

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: