Jtbd Principles

JTBD Shared Principles & Core Contract

This document governs all skills in the jtbd-skills repository. It provides the cross-skill terminology, evidence discipline, and strict analytical boundaries required to execute Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) reliably.

1. Core Terminology Contract

Every JTBD skill must strictly maintain the following distinctions:

| Term | Definition | Key Characteristic | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Core Functional Job | The stable, functional progress a job executor is trying to accomplish. | Solution-free, outcome-free, emotionally neutral. | Restore blood flow in a blocked artery | | Job Executor | The specific person performing the core functional job. | Not a buyer persona or demographic tag. | Interventional cardiologist | | Solution | A specific product, feature, technology, supplier, algorithm, or channel used to get a job done. | Variable over time; interchangeable. | Angioplasty balloon catheter, Stent | | Desired Outcome | A measurable success metric used by the executor to judge how well the job is completed. | Formulaic: Direction + Metric + Object + Clarifier. | Minimize the likelihood of damaging the arterial wall during inflation | | Emotional Job | How the job executor wants to feel while executing the job. | Internal psychological state. | Feel confident during high-risk procedures | | Social Job | How the job executor wants to be perceived by peers, patients, or superiors. | External perception / status. | Be regarded as an expert practitioner | | Consumption Chain Job | A lifecycle support activity related to the product (install, setup, clean, maintain, dispose). | Executed by support roles or executor in support mode. | Sterilize the catheter before procedure |

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2. Evidence Discipline & Source Tracing

When analyzing user prompts, research notes, product descriptions, or interview transcripts:

1. Evidence vs. Inference Separation:

• Direct Evidence: Explicit statements provided in the source text. Must be cited or preserved.
• Inference / Hypothesis: Logical deductions made by the agent. Must be explicitly flagged with status: inferred or status: candidate.
• Fabrication Ban: Never invent customer interviews, survey scores, market satisfaction data, or quotes.

1. Handling Missing Evidence:

• If the job executor is unknown, flag it as an evidence_gap.
• If evidence is insufficient to define a confident functional job, state status: insufficient_evidence and specify the exact missing fact needed.

1. No Solution-to-Job Tautology:

• Do NOT define a job by taking a solution name and appending a verb (e.g., "Use an AI tool" -> "Do AI tool usage"). A job exists independently of whether the solution exists.

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3. Scope Boundaries across Skills

• jtbd-job-definer: Defines, audits, and rewrites the single Core Functional Job Statement.
• jtbd-job-mapper: Breaks down an established Job into sequential process steps (Universal Job Map).
• jtbd-outcome-uncoverer: Extracts quantitative Desired Outcome Statements per job map step.
• jtbd-opportunity-analyzer: Evaluates Opportunity Scores ($Importance + \max(Importance - Satisfaction, 0)$).
• jtbd-growth-strategist: Formulates business and product positioning strategy.

No skill should cross into the responsibility of another skill without explicit input data.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: lishix520
• Source: lishix520/jtbd-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.