| name | jtbd |
| description | Frame a vague goal as the job to be done, so the outcome is explicit before you build or choose. TRIGGER when: user says 'what's the job', 'JTBD', 'frame the outcome', 'what are we actually trying to do'; or a goal, feature, or decision is stated as a solution with the progress underneath it unnamed. |
JTBD — Job To Be Done
Primitive: JTBD — name the job the user is hiring for, then judge every option by job-fit.
People hire a product to make progress in a situation — the job is that progress, not the feature they ask for or who they are.
The lens — a job is one story:
when [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome], without [constraint].
- Situation — the trigger and context they're in.
- Motivation — what they reach for; the core desire.
- Outcome — the progress that ends the story.
- Without — the pain or constraint they're avoiding; often where the real insight sits. Name it when it sharpens the job.
Steps
- Find and draft the job. Read the thread for the job in play. If several are live, list them and ask which — or name the primary; don't silently pick. Write it in the lens format, marking any unsupported part
[unclear] — never fill a slot with a guess.
- Check the outcome is progress, not a restated feature. Test: could a completely different solution deliver the same outcome? If not, it's a feature — ask "so they can what?" until it lands on progress.
- Score the options by job-fit — not elegance, effort, or novelty; the without usually separates them. If only the asked-for path is live, add 1–2 alternatives. Then state it back in the format below.
Job frame — the shape to state back:
Job: when [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome], without [constraint]
(any unsupported part → [unclear])
Confidence: 0.00–1.00 — how well the thread supports the job; blanks and assumptions lower it
Options (when choosing):
| Option | Job-fit 0–1 | Serves the *without*? |
|---|---|---|
Winner: the option that best gets the job done — one line
(Write Job unclear — [which parts are blank and why] when the thread doesn't support a job.)
Examples
Job statements — the format filled across domains
- Milkshake — when I face a long, boring commute, I want a thick, filling treat, so I can keep a hand busy and my stomach full, without making a mess in the car.
- Spotify Discover Weekly — when I want music while I work, I want fresh tracks I'll probably like, so I can stay in flow, without stopping to curate a playlist.
- PayPal — when I'm buying online, I want a fast, trusted way to pay, so I can check out in seconds, without re-entering my card or fearing fraud.
A worked reframe — from a solution-shaped ask to the output format
Ask: "Add a bulk-export button to the orders page."
-
Job — when I'm reconciling last month's sales in my accounting tool, I want my order data out of the app, so I can close the books, without having to remember to pull it every month.
-
Confidence — 0.6: the thread gave the ask and the reconciling context, but the monthly without is inferred, not stated.
-
Options —
| Option | Job-fit 0–1 | Serves the without? |
|---|
| Export button (asked for) | 0.5 | No — relies on remembering to click each month |
| Scheduled CSV email | 0.9 | Yes — arrives monthly, no memory needed |
-
Winner — scheduled CSV email: gets the job done without the user remembering, so the asked-for feature loses to a better fit.
