---
name: jobs-to-be-done
description: Discover what customers truly need using the Jobs To Be Done framework
version: 1.0.0
author: wondelai (adapted)
platforms: [claude-code, cursor]
license: MIT
source: https://github.com/wondelai/skills
based_on: "Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen"
---

# Jobs To Be Done (JTBD)

Discover what customers truly need by analyzing the "job" they hire your product to do.

## Scoring System
Rate product-market fit strategy 0-10 based on JTBD clarity.
Show: current score → JTBD gaps → job statement → improvement suggestions.

## Core Concepts

### The Three Dimensions of a Job
Every job has three aspects:
1. **Functional** — what task needs to be done
2. **Emotional** — how the customer wants to feel while doing it
3. **Social** — how the customer wants to be perceived by others

### Job Statement Format
```
When [circumstance/trigger],
I want to [progress/action],
So I can [desired outcome].
```

**Example:**
When I have a new team member starting (circumstance),
I want to quickly get them up to speed on our codebase (progress),
So I can maintain team velocity without becoming a bottleneck (outcome).

### Forces of Progress (Why Customers Switch)
For a customer to adopt a new solution:
**Push + Pull > Habit + Anxiety**

- **Push**: Pain or friction with current solution
- **Pull**: Attraction toward the new solution
- **Habit**: Inertia of current behavior ("we've always done it this way")
- **Anxiety**: Fear of the unknown, switching costs

### Competing Against Non-Consumption
Your real competitor is often "doing nothing" or a workaround, not another product.
Ask: "What did customers do BEFORE your product existed?"

## Analysis Process

1. **Identify the Job** — what progress is the customer trying to make?
2. **Map the journey** — what steps does completing the job involve?
3. **Find struggle points** — where does the current solution fall short?
4. **Define success criteria** — how does the customer measure "job done well"?
5. **Evaluate your product** — does your product nail the job, or just adjacent features?

## Interview Questions
- "Walk me through the last time you needed [product category]. What triggered it?"
- "What were you doing before you found us?"
- "What almost stopped you from buying/signing up?"
- "If our product disappeared, what would you use instead?"