A Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) map is a tool used in market research and product strategy to outline the specific 'job' a customer is trying to accomplish in their life. This job could be as mundane as cleaning a kitchen or as complex as managing a professional team. The JTBD map visualizes all the small steps, decisions, and pain points a customer experiences while trying to complete that job. By mapping this out, businesses can identify critical moments where needs are unmet and innovation is possible.

Understanding JTBD in Simple Terms

At its core, a 'job' is the customer's goal or problem, and the 'done' part means solving it in a way that feels complete. Unlike traditional customer personas that focus on who the customer is, the JTBD framework focuses on what the customer is trying to do. It's about function – not traits.

For example:

Imagine a busy parent trying to serve a healthy dinner in under 20 minutes. Their 'job to be done' isn’t just about shopping or cooking. It’s could be about feeling like a good provider, avoiding stress at mealtime, and keeping kids happy – all wrapped into one task. Mapping that out reveals far more than any demographic profile could.

Why JTBD Mapping Matters

When businesses invest in mapping customer needs through the JTBD framework, they can:

 
• Uncover unmet needs that aren’t obvious through standard market research
 
• Discover real-world motivations driving customer behavior
 
• Align product development with actual demand, not assumptions
 
• Improve customer journeys by addressing key friction points
 
• Shape innovation strategy around outcomes, not just ideas

In other words, JTBD helps teams shift from asking "What feature should we build next?" to "What struggle are we solving for the customer?" This approach supports sustainable business growth because it grounds decisions in real, researched human experiences.

JTBD and Your Innovation Roadmap

A JTBD map doesn’t just support product strategy – it impacts how you market. When you understand the job your product is being hired for, messaging becomes sharper, touchpoints become more relevant, and your brand becomes more useful at moments that matter.

That’s why so many companies use JTBD for new product ideas, organization-wide alignment, or as a lens for mapping customer journeys across departments. It’s a flexible, insight-driven tool that turns raw consumer insights into strategy.

Creating a Jobs to Be Done map doesn't require a background in data science or years of research experience – just curiosity and a structured way to listen to your customers. Below, we’ll walk through a JTBD framework step-by-step so you can build a clear, actionable picture of what your audience is really trying to accomplish.

Step 1: Choose a Core Job to Explore

Start by defining one clear job your customer is trying to complete. Pick something specific and meaningful – not just the use of your product.

Example: If you offer project management software, the core job might be "ensure team projects get completed on time with minimal stress."

Choosing a compelling job provides focus for your research process and reveals deeper motivations beyond surface-level tasks.

Step 2: Gather Customer Insights

Use research techniques – like interviews, surveys, or observational studies – to capture how customers currently try to complete the job. At SIVO, we often pair qualitative exploration with behavioral data to ensure both emotion and action are captured. You don’t need a huge dataset, but you do need real voices and patterns.

Ask questions like:

• What triggers this job in your life?
• How do you begin the task?
• Where do things get frustrating or confusing?
• What would make this job faster, easier, or more satisfying?

Pay attention to workarounds and emotional language – those are clues to unmet needs.

Step 3: Map the Customer Journey in Job Steps

Organize the insights into logical stages of the job. A simple JTBD map might follow a linear sequence such as:

1. Trigger – what starts the job
2. Preparation – getting ready to start
3. Execution – doing the actual task
4. Troubleshooting – handling obstacles
5. Completion – finishing and reviewing how it went

Each step helps highlight where the customer experiences value, friction, or potential disappointment – all of which can inform new solutions.

Step 4: Identify Pain Points and Opportunities

Once you’ve mapped out the job, look for areas where customers feel stuck, stressed, or unsatisfied. These are typically high-impact areas for innovation.

Fictional example: In our busy-parent dinner case, map insights showed major sticking points around meal prep time and picky eater stress – opening space for new features, messaging, or product formats that directly support solving that stress.

Step 5: Align Your Product Strategy

With a clear JTBD map in hand, your team can begin sketching solutions that address the most important customer needs. Use the map to challenge assumptions, prioritize features, explore new product ideas, or even reframe your brand promise.

Whether you're enhancing an existing offering or launching something new, JTBD maps transform customer insights into focused action.

In the next section, we’ll show how to bring your JTBD map to life with real-world examples and scenarios, helping to bridge strategy with implementation.

Understanding the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework becomes even easier when we explore how different companies – real or fictional – could apply it to meet customer needs and fuel innovation. JTBD maps are not one-size-fits-all; the beauty of this tool lies in how flexible it can be across different industries and business goals.

Example 1: A Fitness App Aiming to Increase Engagement

Imagine a fictional fitness app company seeing a decline in user activity. Their initial question might be: "Why are our users becoming inactive after signing up?" Using a JTBD approach, they shift from thinking about product features to understanding the deeper goals behind customer behavior.

Through interviews and market research, they learn users aren’t just trying to "log workouts" – they want to "feel confident going on vacation," or "find quick stress relief between meetings." Mapping these functional, emotional, and social jobs reveals gaps in how their app supports the broader customer journey.

This JTBD map guides product development, resulting in features such as quick meditation breaks, travel-ready workout plans, and community challenges. Engagement rises because the product connects with real-life outcomes users care about.

Example 2: A B2B Software Company Launching a New Tool

In this fictional scenario, a B2B software provider plans to launch a new customer relationship management (CRM) tool. Rather than competing on a feature-by-feature basis, the company asks what job teams are “hiring” a CRM to do. Conversation with potential users uncovers that their real job to be done is to "reduce cross-team miscommunication" and "highlight hidden revenue opportunities."

This insight shifts the tool's development to focus on customizable workflows and predictive reporting – capabilities that solve the underlying customer jobs, not just surface-level requests.

Why These Formats Work

Both examples underscore a critical truth: customer needs go beyond what’s often visible. JTBD maps help uncover unspoken motivations and open up new ways to connect with your target audience. Whether you’re refining an existing product or building something new, JTBD thinking enables smarter, more strategic decisions across branding, messaging, and solution design.

One of the most powerful outcomes of using a JTBD map is its ability to surface unmet needs and identify white space in the market. Instead of just improving what's already out there, this framework empowers businesses to innovate by better understanding what people are truly trying to achieve – and where current offerings fall short.

Reveal What Customers Are Struggling With

Many products or services fail not because they aren’t well-made, but because they solve the wrong problems. A JTBD map highlights the disconnect between what a brand delivers and what the customer genuinely wants to accomplish.

For example, consumers may buy smoothies not just to "consume more fruits," but to "feel in control of their health during a busy morning." If no current option offers fast, portable health assurance, there's a market gap – a space to design an offering that truly delivers on the job.

Spot Opportunities Along the Entire Customer Journey

Unlike traditional segmentation or personas, JTBD maps access the full picture – from the moment a customer recognizes a need to their emotional satisfaction after using a product. This wide lens allows you to:

• Pinpoint friction points or undersupported parts of the customer journey
• Prioritize new feature development based on unmet jobs
• Design marketing messages that address emotional and social needs, not just functionality

In essence, it moves your strategy beyond transaction thinking toward transformational experiences.

Drive Cross-Functional Innovation

Another often overlooked advantage is how JTBD maps can serve as a shared tool across teams – from product and marketing to customer support and executive leadership. When everyone anchors decisions around the same clearly defined customer jobs, innovation becomes more focused and aligned with business growth goals.

This is why companies incorporating JTBD insights from early development stages often outperform competitors – they’re not just reacting to what customers say they want. They’re proactively designing for what customers truly need, often in ways customers couldn’t articulate themselves.

Finding market gaps isn’t about guessing or trend-hopping. It’s about using a robust insight tool like the JTBD framework to translate customer needs into meaningful action.

Now that you understand how a JTBD map works and what it can unlock, let’s explore how to use it effectively as part of your wider business strategy. Whether you’re in product development, brand strategy, or customer experience, Jobs to Be Done mapping adds depth to decision-making and helps align your team around what matters most: solving real customer problems.

1. Make It a Living Document

JTBD maps are not static. As customer needs evolve and your brand grows, revisit your map regularly. Market trends, seasonality, or new competitors can shape jobs differently over time. Consider your JTBD map a compass, guiding but also adapting to what's ahead.

2. Collaborate Across Departments

Use your JTBD map as a shared point of reference. When marketing, R&D, and leadership all draw from the same insight base, it ensures consistency in messaging, feature development, and customer support. This cross-functional view often sparks unexpected innovation and prevents siloed thinking.

3. Prioritize Jobs Based on Impact and Feasibility

It’s common to identify multiple customer jobs, but not all will carry equal weight. Focus on jobs that score high in both:

• Frequency: How often does this job arise for your customers?
• Importance: How critical is it to their success or satisfaction?
• Difficulty: How underserved is that job today?

Prioritizing this way helps you allocate resources to areas with the strongest potential for business growth and customer impact.

4. Tie Customer Jobs to Product Strategy

Let the JTBD map inform your roadmap. When choosing future features or launches, ask: “Does this help the customer achieve their job better or faster?” This customer-centered lens keeps your team focused on outcomes, not features for features’ sake.

5. Use Research to Stay Grounded

Market research is crucial for creating an accurate JTBD map. Conduct interviews, observe behavior, and validate assumptions using data. Firms like SIVO Insights specialize in delivering actionable consumer insights, making the mapping process faster, more credible, and better aligned with what your audience actually needs.

Applying the JTBD framework isn’t just a marketing or product tactic. It’s a mindset – a way to build brands around human purpose and possibility.