What is jobs to be done?
Jobs to be done describes the progress customers are trying to make, not who they are or which feature they requested. The idea is that people “hire” a product to help them reach an outcome.
The classic example is a drill. People don't want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole, perhaps so they can put up a shelf and make the room tidier.
A job isn't a task or persona. Very different people can be trying to make the same progress.
Why it matters for product builders
Group requests by job and they often collapse. 10 different asks may describe 1 underlying problem.
What changes in AI-first products
Nothing about the idea changed. Grouping large amounts of feedback by job is faster, but understanding human motives still matters just as much.
**Source note**
The framing is generally credited to Clayton Christensen and colleagues, developed through the 1990s and 2000s.
- The framing is generally credited to Clayton Christensen and colleagues, developed through the 1990s and 2000s.