Introduction
- Use JTBD insights to prioritize features in your product backlog
- Keep product reviews grounded in customer outcomes, not just functionality
- Ensure sprints stay aligned with the progress real users are trying to make
- Use JTBD insights to prioritize features in your product backlog
- Keep product reviews grounded in customer outcomes, not just functionality
- Ensure sprints stay aligned with the progress real users are trying to make
Why Product Teams Should Integrate JTBD into Their Development Process
JTBD aligns teams around real-world outcomes
Most product teams are juggling dozens of competing priorities – stakeholder requests, technical constraints, and new feature ideas. Embedding JTBD into your process can function as a north star, helping teams ask, “Is this feature helping a user accomplish the job they hired us for?” When everyone is clear on what the user is really trying to achieve, roadmap conversations become simpler. It’s no longer about which feature is “coolest” or who requested it – it’s about which solutions best support the customer’s desired outcome.Better prioritization and reduced rework
Many teams struggle to decide which features to build next or how to evolve a product over time. By incorporating customer insights drawn from JTBD research into your decision-making, you start focusing on jobs that matter most to your users. This reduces waste, limits second-guessing, and can decrease the number of pivots or re-dos after shipping.JTBD complements existing research and workflows
It’s important to note that JTBD doesn’t replace formal user experience research or large-scale market studies – instead, it complements these tools. For example, insights generated through qualitative interviews or surveys can be reframed through a JTBD lens to inform sprint priorities or product specs. Teams can also pair JTBD with quantitative research to validate how many users share a particular job or unmet need.JTBD benefits anyone involved in product management
Whether you’re a startup founder, a product manager, or a UX designer, the JTBD approach helps you:- Understand what the customer is really trying to get done
- Develop clearer product strategies that solve for actual needs
- Uncover opportunities for innovation by identifying underserved jobs
- Reduce the gap between insights, design, and development
Using JTBD Insights to Prioritize Your Product Backlog
Rewriting backlog items using the JTBD lens
Instead of writing backlog items focused on features or internal goals, try reframing them using the structure of a job story: “When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].” For example, instead of:- “Add onboarding checklist”
- “When I’m logging in for the first time, I want guidance on what to do next, so I can quickly get value from the product.”
Prioritizing high-impact jobs
Jobs To Be Done helps identify which customer problems are most critical, frequent, or underserved. These insights become a natural filter for prioritizing work. For each backlog item, ask:- Does it help users complete a high-priority job?
- Does it improve the experience of a struggling moment?
- Does it support a job where customers currently use workarounds?
JTBD brings context into sprint planning
During sprint planning, JTBD insights can help your team see beyond “tickets” and instead think in terms of user progress. For example, grouping tasks by related jobs makes it easier to assess whether an upcoming sprint actually delivers end-to-end value to the customer. This mindset not only boosts collaboration between product and design, but also builds empathy on engineering teams who can better understand the impact of what they’re building.A better way to evaluate feature requests
It’s common for teams to field requests from stakeholders that may not align with customer priorities. JTBD gives product managers a reasoning framework. Instead of simply saying “no,” you can say: “We’ve identified that most of our users are trying to [core job], and this request doesn’t directly support that. Let’s revisit it when we explore jobs related to [secondary task].” This response is respectful and data-driven – a hallmark of strong product leadership. In short, applying Jobs To Be Done in backlog grooming helps make prioritization more strategic, less reactive, and more grounded in user reality. Up next, we’ll look at how to bring that same approach to design reviews – to ensure what’s being built stays true to your user’s core goals.How to Incorporate JTBD into Agile Sprints and Standups
Agile development is all about iteration, speed, and flexibility. But too often, teams lose sight of the customer while moving quickly from one sprint to the next. Integrating Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) into agile sprints and daily standups provides a practical way to keep product development aligned with core customer needs, even during fast-paced execution cycles.
Bring Customer Jobs into Sprint Planning
One of the simplest JTBD implementation tips for product teams is to translate customer jobs directly into user stories or epics. Instead of writing vague backlog items like “improve onboarding,” reframe them based on the job the user is trying to accomplish — such as “help new users quickly set up their first project to feel confident in the tool.” This keeps the focus on the goal, not just the feature.
During sprint planning, refer back to your JTBD framework. Use it to prioritize work that measurably contributes to helping customers complete their desired jobs.
Key ways to do this include:
- Tagging backlog items with relevant Job Drivers
- Using a simple “job alignment” score (1–5) to evaluate impact
- Ensuring jobs are visible on boards or sprint summary decks
Use JTBD Language in Daily Standups
Daily standups are often focused on internal progress – what was done yesterday, what’s next, and blockers. But a small adjustment can make them more customer-centered. Try incorporating one JTBD touchpoint into each team member’s update:
For example: “Yesterday, I debugged the signup flow to better support the job of ‘getting started fast without frustration.’ I’ll test new validation today so users don’t get stuck.”
This slight change trains teams to connect technical work back to the broader objective – improving the user's experience based on their unmet needs.
Example: JTBD in Action During a Sprint
Let’s look at a real example. A product team building a team collaboration app identified a key job: “Coordinate work across remote teammates with clarity.” During a sprint, they linked every story to this job. When tickets about notification systems surfaced, the team prioritized a feature that allowed users to set custom “available” times — directly improving that coordination job.
By embedding JTBD into agile sprints and daily conversations, product teams don’t need to pause for research. They can make small, continuous decisions that stay aligned with what customers actually hire the product to do.
Running Better Design Reviews with JTBD in Mind
Design reviews are a critical checkpoint in product development, but they can easily become focused on aesthetics and usability alone. By incorporating the JTBD framework into these reviews, teams ensure that every design is evaluated not just for looks or functionality — but for how well it solves the customer’s underlying problem.
Start with the Job, Not the Feature
Before jumping into screens and color palettes, ground the conversation in the customer insight. What job is the user trying to get done? For example, instead of starting with “Here’s the updated dashboard layout,” have the designer frame it with: “This design supports the job ‘monitor team progress at a glance to reduce manager stress.’”
This orients the conversation around outcomes and clarifies the design rationale for everyone in the room — product managers, developers, and stakeholders alike.
Evaluate Designs Through a JTBD Lens
Once grounded in a job, review the design elements by asking specific JTBD-aligned questions:
- Does this design reduce friction in completing the job?
- Are we supporting emotional drivers associated with the job (e.g., feeling in control)?
- Could this design unintentionally introduce new anxieties or barriers?
Evaluating design through these questions brings nuance to discussions that might otherwise rest on personal opinions. It also helps teams focus on real-world context — not just ideal flows.
Case in Point: A Simple Job Shift
Let’s say your UX team is redesigning an insurance claim form. Previously you framed its purpose as “Submitting a claim.” But through user experience research and JTBD interviews, you discover the truer job is: “Regain financial stability when something unexpected happens.” That small but powerful shift leads the team to add empathetic guidance text, status indicators, and faster submission feedback to relieve anxiety — all driven by job-based insight.
When design reviews consider these deeper drivers, the resulting choices are often stronger, more human-centered, and more impactful. Aligning visuals and interaction patterns with JTBD keeps your team focused on what matters to users beyond surface utility.
Practical JTBD Tools and Templates for Everyday Use
You don’t need to launch a large-scale research project every time you want to use JTBD. In fact, one of the biggest benefits of this framework is how easily it can be broken down into practical tools and templates that guide daily product decisions.
Lightweight JTBD Templates for Product Managers
Here are a few helpful formats that product managers can use to embed JTBD thinking into different parts of the workflow:
User Story with JTBD Context
Example:
“As a remote manager (persona), I want to set daily standup reminders (feature), so I can reduce scattered communication (job-to-be-done).”
Adding this extra line of context to tickets or user stories helps orient developers and designers around real goals, not just technical specs.
Backlog Grooming Grid
Create a simple prioritization matrix with two axes: job criticality and job satisfaction. Plot every feature or fix according to how well it supports an important job, and how well (or poorly) that job is currently being met. High-criticality/low-satisfaction items become clear priorities.
JTBD “Job Card” Template
Use a one-pager to document each core customer job your product supports. Include:
- Job Statement: What the user is trying to achieve
- Triggers: When/why the job arises
- Success Criteria: How they define a good outcome
- Pain Points: Where existing solutions fall short
- Emotional Drivers: How users want to feel
Post these around your workspace, virtual or physical, to keep teams anchored in the user perspective.
Making JTBD a Habit, Not a Phase
These tools aren’t meant to replace robust user insight work when it’s needed. But in between major sprints or formal research phases, these everyday templates make it easier to stay grounded in the customer. Embedding JTBD into daily product work helps teams stay aligned, clarify purpose, and ultimately, make more confident product decisions.
Summary
Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) isn't just a research framework — it's a lens that helps teams stay customer-focused across every stage of product development. From prioritizing your product backlog around user needs, to aligning agile sprints with real-world jobs, to running design reviews that go beyond aesthetics, JTBD empowers product teams to anchor their work in what matters most: the outcomes people are trying to achieve.
Whether you're using JTBD to refine your roadmap or guide daily standups, the key is consistency and simplicity. Small shifts — using job language in user stories, running backlog grooming with job-criticality grids, or applying JTBD in UX workflows — can lead to more thoughtful, relevant, and user-aligned products.
By integrating customer insights into sprint planning, design evaluations, and roadmap planning, you'll build stronger alignment across teams and deliver solutions that truly fit the lives and needs of your users.
Summary
Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) isn't just a research framework — it's a lens that helps teams stay customer-focused across every stage of product development. From prioritizing your product backlog around user needs, to aligning agile sprints with real-world jobs, to running design reviews that go beyond aesthetics, JTBD empowers product teams to anchor their work in what matters most: the outcomes people are trying to achieve.
Whether you're using JTBD to refine your roadmap or guide daily standups, the key is consistency and simplicity. Small shifts — using job language in user stories, running backlog grooming with job-criticality grids, or applying JTBD in UX workflows — can lead to more thoughtful, relevant, and user-aligned products.
By integrating customer insights into sprint planning, design evaluations, and roadmap planning, you'll build stronger alignment across teams and deliver solutions that truly fit the lives and needs of your users.