# Jobs To Be Done

> Understand customer goals using the Jobs-to-be-Done framework. Use when analyzing user motivation, defining product strategy, or identifying unmet needs.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-uthumany-uthy-legacy-os-jobs-to-be-done`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [uthumany](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/uthumany)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [uthumany](https://github.com/uthumany)
- **Source:** https://github.com/uthumany/uthy-legacy-os/tree/main/skills/problem-definition/jobs-to-be-done
- **Website:** https://uthumany.github.io/uthy-legacy-os/

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-uthumany-uthy-legacy-os-jobs-to-be-done
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)

## Overview

The Jobs-to-be-Done framework shifts focus from who the user *is* (demographics) to what they're *trying to accomplish*. People "hire" products to do jobs in their life. This skill helps you identify functional, emotional, and social jobs → design products that get hired, not features that gather dust.

## When to Use

- Understanding why users choose your product (or a competitor's)
- Identifying unmet needs in a market
- Defining product strategy and positioning
- Evaluating new feature ideas against core user jobs
- Don't use for: incremental UI improvements, bug prioritization, or compliance work

## Instructions

### 1. Identify the Job Statement

Use the format: **When [situation], I want to [motivation] so I can [desired outcome].**

Example: "When I'm assigned a new project, I want to understand what's already been decided so I can avoid redoing work."

Break it into three parts:
- **Situation**: When does this job arise?
- **Motivation**: What does the user want to do?
- **Outcome**: What's the end goal?

### 2. Uncover the Job Dimensions

Every job has three layers:
- **Functional**: What the user wants to accomplish (the task)
- **Emotional**: How the user wants to feel (confident, relieved, proud)
- **Social**: How the user wants to be perceived (competent, innovative, reliable)

Ask: "When this job is done well, how does it make you feel? How do others see you?"

### 3. Map the Job-to-be-Done Timeline

Jobs don't exist in isolation. Map the full process:
1. **Define** — What triggers the job?
2. **Locate** — What information do they need?
3. **Prepare** — What do they need to set up?
4. **Confirm** — How do they know it's working?
5. **Execute** — The core job
6. **Monitor** — How do they track success?
7. **Modify** — What adjustments do they make?
8. **Conclude** — How do they finish?

### 4. Identify Needs at Each Step

For each step, ask:
- What's frustrating about this step?
- What workaround have you created?
- If you could wave a magic wand, what would happen?
- What makes you abandon this process?

### 5. Prioritize Jobs

Not all jobs are equal. Rank by:
- **Importance**: How critical is this job to the user's success?
- **Satisfaction**: How satisfied are they with current solutions?
- **Frequency**: How often does this job arise?
- High importance + low satisfaction = big opportunity

## Sample Output

JTBD analysis for a note-taking app:

**Primary Job**: "When I attend a meeting, I want to capture action items so I don't forget what I committed to."

| Step | Current Pain | Opportunity |
|------|-------------|-------------|
| Define (trigger) | Meeting starts, no prep | Pre-meeting templates |
| Execute (capture) | Typing distracts from listening | Voice-to-text + auto-summary |
| Confirm (review) | Can't find notes later | Smart search by person/topic |
| Conclude (follow-up) | Action items sit in notes | Auto-create tasks from highlights |

**Emotional job**: Feel prepared and in control
**Social job**: Be seen as reliable and follow-through

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Feature-thinking, not job-thinking** — "Users need search" is a feature. "Users need to find past decisions" is a job
2. **Stopping at functional** — Emotional and social jobs are often the real purchase drivers
3. **Assuming one job per product** — Most products serve 3-5 related jobs
4. **Ignoring the "hiring" moment** — What triggers the user to seek a solution? That's your most important question
5. **Writer's block on job statements** — If the statement feels forced, go back to customer interviews. Real quotes make the best job statements

## Verification Checklist

- [ ] Job statement written in [situation] → [motivation] → [outcome] format
- [ ] Functional, emotional, and social dimensions identified
- [ ] Full timeline mapped (8 steps)
- [ ] Pain points and workarounds documented per step
- [ ] Top opportunity identified (high importance, low satisfaction)

## Source & license

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

- **Author:** [uthumany](https://github.com/uthumany)
- **Source:** [uthumany/uthy-legacy-os](https://github.com/uthumany/uthy-legacy-os)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://uthumany.github.io/uthy-legacy-os/

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

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-uthumany-uthy-legacy-os-jobs-to-be-done
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/uthumany
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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