jtbd skill

---
name: jtbd
description: Jobs to Be Done analysis to understand what customers really want. Use for product discovery, competitive analysis, or understanding why customers hire/fire solutions.
user-invocable: true
---

# Jobs to Be Done Analysis

Analyze a product, feature, or situation through the Jobs to Be Done framework to understand what customers really want.

## Instructions

Identify the underlying jobs customers are trying to accomplish, including functional, emotional, and social dimensions. Consider the full context of when and why they "hire" solutions.

### Output Format

**Subject**: [Product/feature/situation being analyzed]

---

## The Context

**When does the job arise?**
[Describe the triggering situation or circumstance]

**Who has this job?**
[Customer segments or personas]

**How are they currently solving it?**
[Existing solutions, competitors, or workarounds]

---

## Job Statement

**Core Job**
> When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].

---

## Job Dimensions

### Functional Job
*The practical task they're trying to complete*

| Job | Importance | Current Solution |
|-----|------------|-----------------|
| [functional job 1] | High/Med/Low | [how they do it now] |

### Emotional Job
*How they want to feel*

| Feeling They Want | Feeling They Want to Avoid |
|------------------|---------------------------|
| [positive emotion] | [negative emotion] |

### Social Job
*How they want to be perceived*

| How They Want to Be Seen | By Whom |
|-------------------------|---------|
| [perception] | [audience] |

---

## Forces Analysis

**Forces pushing toward change**
| Force | Strength |
|-------|----------|
| Push: Frustration with current solution | [description] |
| Pull: Attraction of new solution | [description] |

**Forces resisting change**
| Force | Strength |
|-------|----------|
| Anxiety: Fear about new solution | [description] |
| Inertia: Comfort with current way | [description] |

---

## Compensating Behaviors

*What workarounds do people use when no good solution exists?*

| Workaround | Why They Do It | What It Reveals |
|------------|---------------|-----------------|
| [behavior] | [reason] | [insight] |

---

## Competitive Alternatives

*Competition is anything that could be hired for this job*

| Alternative | When It Gets Hired | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|-------------|-------------------|-----------|------------|
| [competitor] | [situation] | [pros] | [cons] |
| [do nothing] | [situation] | [pros] | [cons] |

---

## Insights

**The real job is...**
[What you've learned about what customers actually want]

**Current solutions fail because...**
[Gaps in existing solutions]

**Opportunity areas...**
[Where better solutions could win]

## Guidelines

- Jobs are stable; solutions change. Focus on the job, not the product.
- "Do nothing" is always a competitor
- Emotional and social jobs often matter more than functional ones
- The circumstance matters as much as the job itself

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