EuPMA - European Product Management Association
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European
Product
Management
Association
Product Management Action Card
Discover the Jobs To Be Done
We drive the future of Product Management in Europe
WHY
Customers do not simply buy or use products — they use them to make progress in a specific situation.
Understanding these Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) helps the team move beyond existing product features and uncover what users are really trying to accomplish, why it matters to them, and what makes the task difficult today.
JTBD provide a strong foundation for identifying opportunities, defining the desired user experience, and translating customer needs into product capabilities and requirements.
WHAT
A Job-to-be-Done describes the progress a customer or user is trying to achieve in a particular context, independently from the solution currently used.
A JTBD should focus on the user’s objective, rather than on a product feature or technical solution.
Whenever possible, use a consistent syntax:
When [situation/context], I want to [job/action], so that I can [desired outcome].
Example:
When I take notes during an important meeting, I want to capture ideas quickly and reliably, so that I can remain focused on the discussion and retrieve the information later.
Jobs can include functional, emotional and social dimensions, and several related jobs may emerge along the different stages of the User Journey.
HOW
- Start from customer evidence
Use interviews, observations, customer insights, usage information, complaints, internal knowledge and other available evidence. - Define the relevant context
Identify the customer or user, the situation and, when useful, the stage of the User Journey. - Ask what progress the user is trying to make
Look beyond what the user currently does with the product. Ask what they are ultimately trying to accomplish. - Formulate the Jobs-to-be-Done
Write each job as a concise, solution-independent statement using a consistent syntax. - Explore functional, emotional and social aspects
Consider not only what users need to accomplish, but also how they want to feel and how they want to be perceived. - Connect related jobs
Link each JTBD to its originating customer insight, need or journey stage. When relevant, identify relationships or dependencies between jobs. - Validate and refine
Check the jobs against customer evidence and, whenever possible, validate them directly with customers or users. - Use JTBD as an input for product definition
Translate validated jobs into desired user experiences, user activities, product capabilities and, progressively, product requirements.
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