JTBD Core Theory

Jobs-to-be-Done reframes product development around the progress customers seek rather than products they buy. Customers "hire" products to accomplish specific jobs. The job exists independently of any solution.

The Three Job Dimensions

Every job has three dimensions. Capture all three during discovery -- functional jobs surface first, but emotional and social jobs drive switching decisions.

Functional: Practical task to accomplish. Measurable, concrete, articulated first.

• "Deploy a new feature to production without downtime"
• "Identify the root cause of a performance regression"

Emotional: How the customer wants to feel (or avoid feeling). Internal, personal, often unarticulated.

• "Feel confident that my changes will not break production"
• "Feel in control of the project timeline despite changing requirements"

Social: How the customer wants to be perceived. Identity, status, professional reputation.

• "Be seen as a technically competent lead who makes sound decisions"
• "Demonstrate to stakeholders that the team delivers measurable value"