What the JTBD framework is
The Jobs to Be Done framework says customers don't buy products. They hire them to make progress in a specific situation. So you compete with whatever else could do that job, not just with your own category. For eight company breakdowns, see Jobs-to-be-Done examples. For the interview method, see the full JTBD guide.
JTBD framework template
Write each job as one sentence, then fill the table. You can also use the free JTBD template.
When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].
| Field | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Situation (when does the need appear?) | |
| Motivation (what are they trying to do?) | |
| Expected outcome (what does better look like?) | |
| Functional job | |
| Emotional job | |
| Social job | |
| What they hire today instead |
Copy this block into Excel, Google Sheets, or Notion:
Field Your answer
Situation (when does the need appear?)
Motivation (what are they trying to do?)
Expected outcome (what does better look like?)
Functional job
Emotional job
Social job
What they hire today instead
JTBD framework examples
These are readings of public products, not statements from the companies. The test is whether real customers would confirm or reject them.
| Company | When… | I want to… | So I can… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | I have a few idle minutes | do something that feels productive | end the day without guilt |
| Slack | a decision is scattered across email and DMs | have one searchable place the team can see | stop re-explaining context |
| Uber | I need to get somewhere and don't want to drive | have a ride arrive on demand | stop worrying about the logistics |
The JTBD Provenance Chain
JTBD is usually credited to Clayton Christensen, but the idea and the famous drill line are both older.
| Year | Who | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | C. C. Wagner, insurance agent | Earliest match found for the drill-and-hole saying, in a newspaper advertisement |
| 1947 | Percy H. Whiting | Credits Leo McGivena of the New York Daily News in The Five Great Rules of Selling |
| 1969 | Theodore Levitt | Repeats it in The Marketing Mode and credits McGivena |
| 1990–99 | Tony Ulwick | By his own account, develops the process in 1990 and names it Outcome-Driven Innovation around 1999 |
| 2002 | Tony Ulwick | Publishes "Turn Customer Input into Innovation" in HBR |
| 2003 | Clayton Christensen | The Innovator's Solution popularizes "hiring" a product. Ulwick says the book cites him as an originator |
| 2005 | Christensen, Cook, Hall | "Marketing Malpractice" credits the drill line to Levitt, who had credited McGivena |
| 2016 | Christensen and co-authors | "Know Your Customers' Jobs to Be Done" sets out the theory for HBR readers |
The Ulwick dates come from his own account, and priority between the camps is still disputed. Treat "Christensen invented JTBD" as a popular shorthand, not a settled fact.
The Job Definition Split
The camps also disagree on what a job is, and the choice changes your research. Outcome-Driven Innovation measures outcomes, while Christensen's 2016 HBR article frames a job as progress in a circumstance.
| Job as a task | Job as progress | |
|---|---|---|
| Associated with | Tony Ulwick, Outcome-Driven Innovation | Christensen and Bob Moesta |
| A job is | A functional task with measurable outcomes | The progress someone wants in a particular circumstance |
| You research | Outcomes, rated for importance and satisfaction | Switching stories: what pushed someone to change |
| Best for | Improving a known product | Understanding why people switch |
Pick one before you interview anyone. Mixing them gives you a list of tasks with no reason anyone would switch.
When not to use it
Skip JTBD when you have no access to real customers, because a job you invented is only a persona with a new label. It also won't rank your roadmap. Once the jobs are clear, use RICE to prioritize, and see JTBD vs user stories for how the job turns into work.
