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

Scoring

Goal: 10/10. When reviewing or creating product strategy or positioning, rate it 0-10 based on adherence to the principles below. A 10/10 means full alignment with all guidelines; lower scores indicate gaps to address. Always provide the current score and 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, expressed in a structured format that separates context, desired progress, and expected outcome.

Why it works: By forcing teams to articulate the job in the customer's language and circumstances, it prevents solution-first thinking and keeps innovation grounded in real human progress.

Key insights:

• The format is: "When [circumstances], I want to [progress], so I can [outcome]"
• Circumstances matter more than customer 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: