Jobs to Be Done Framework

Framework for discovering innovation based on a fundamental truth: customers don't buy products -- they "hire" them to do a specific job in their lives.

Core Principle

Job to Be Done = the progress a customer wants to make in specific circumstances.

Key elements of the definition:

• Progress (not goal, not solution) -- the customer wants to move from the current state to a better one
• Circumstances -- context determines the job, not customer attributes (demographics are useless)
• Hiring/Firing -- the customer actively chooses a product for the "job"

Scoring

Goal: 10/10. Rate product strategy or positioning 0-10 against the principles below. Always state the current score and the specific improvements needed to reach 10/10.

Three Dimensions of Every Job

Every job has three inseparable dimensions -- omitting any means failure:

Framework

1. The Job Statement

Core concept: A job statement captures the progress a customer seeks in a specific circumstance, in a structured format separating context, desired progress, and expected outcome.

Why it works: Forcing teams to articulate the job in the customer's language and circumstances prevents solution-first thinking and grounds innovation in real human progress.

Key insights:

• Format: "When [circumstances], I want to [progress], so I can [outcome]"
• Circumstances matter more than demographics -- the same person has different jobs in different situations
• A well-written job statement never mentions your product or any specific solution
• Jobs are stable over time; solutions change but the underlying job persists

Product applications: