Jobs to Be Done Workshop

Purpose

The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) Workshop helps teams understand why customers use (or switch to) a product. By identifying the functional, emotional, and social jobs customers hire a product to do, the team can prioritize features that address real needs rather than assumed ones.

At a glance

How to run

1. Introduction to JTBD (10 min) — Explain the framework: people do not buy products, they hire them to get a job done. A job is a progress a person is trying to make in a particular circumstance.
2. Gather raw data (15 min) — Share customer interview excerpts, support tickets, or switch/churn data. If no data exists, brainstorm based on team knowledge.
3. Identify jobs (20 min) — Extract job statements from the data using the format: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome]." Write each on a card.
4. Categorize jobs (15 min) — Group into functional jobs (practical tasks), emotional jobs (how the customer wants to feel), and social jobs (how they want to be perceived).
5. Prioritize (15 min) — Which jobs are most important and least satisfied? Use a 2x2 matrix: Importance vs. Satisfaction. High importance + low satisfaction = opportunity.
6. Map to features (10 min) — For each high-opportunity job, brainstorm features or improvements that address it.
7. Close (5 min) — Summarize top opportunities and next steps: user research to validate, backlog items to create.

Materials needed

• Customer data: interview transcripts, survey results, support tickets, churn data
• JTBD statement template
• Importance vs. Satisfaction matrix
• Sticky notes and whiteboard or digital board

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Jobs are features in disguise — "I want a dashboard" is a feature. "I want to understand my team's performance at a glance" is a job.
• No customer data — Without real data, jobs are assumptions. Validate with customer interviews.
• Ignoring emotional and social jobs — Functional jobs are obvious; emotional and social jobs often drive switching behaviour.
• Too many jobs — Focus on 5–10 primary jobs. A long list is not actionable.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Share customer data excerpts in advance.
• Use the structured statement format so all participants can contribute equally.
• Allow written job statements before group discussion.
• Include diverse team roles (support, sales, design) to capture different customer perspectives.

Variations

• Switch interview analysis — Focus on why customers switched from a competitor, using the Forces of Progress diagram (push, pull, anxiety, habit).
• Outcome-driven innovation — Anthony Ulwick's method: define desired outcomes for each job and measure satisfaction.
• JTBD + impact mapping — Use jobs as the "How" level in an impact map.

When NOT to use this

• If the product is purely internal with mandated usage — there is no hiring/firing dynamic.
• If the team has no access to customer data or customers — gather data first.

Source & further reading

• Christensen, C. et al. (2016). *Competing Against Luck*. Harper Business.
• Klement, A. (2016). *When Coffee and Kale Compete*. NYC Publishing.
• Ulwick, A. (2005). *What Customers Want*. McGraw-Hill.