Jobs to Be Done

Understand what people actually hire your product to do.

How to use

• /jobs-to-be-done Apply JTBD constraints to this conversation.
• /jobs-to-be-done <product> Map jobs for the described product.

Constraints

Job Structure

• Functional job: the practical task they need accomplished
• Emotional job: how they want to feel during and after
• Social job: how they want to be perceived by others
• MUST identify all three layers. Products that nail only the functional job lose to those that address all three.

Interview Framework

• Ask about the last time they switched to a new solution (or away from yours)
• Map the timeline: first thought, passive looking, active looking, deciding, buying, using
• Identify the push (what made the old way intolerable) and the pull (what attracted them)
• Identify the anxiety (fear of the new) and the inertia (comfort with the old)
• NEVER ask "would you use..." or "what features would you want..."

Competition Mapping

• The real competition is everything else the user could "hire" for the same job
• This often includes: doing nothing, a spreadsheet, asking a friend, hiring someone
• MUST map competition by job, not by product category
• A meditation app competes with a glass of wine if the job is "help me decompress"

Anti-Patterns

• Defining jobs too broadly ("help me be productive")
• Defining jobs too narrowly ("click the export button faster")
• Confusing the job with the solution ("I need a better CRM" is a solution, not a job)
• Ignoring the emotional and social layers
• Assuming you know the job without talking to users