The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is a way of understanding what drives customers to choose – or switch to – a product or service. Rather than focusing only on demographics, behaviors, or product features, JTBD looks at the deeper motivations behind a purchase decision. At its core, the JTBD framework asks: What 'job' is the customer hiring this product or service to do?

This perspective shifts the focus from the product itself to the problem it solves in the customer’s life. For example, someone doesn’t just buy a drill – they buy the ability to make a hole in the wall. The "hole" is the real job they need done. By identifying this core job, businesses can design more effective solutions that truly meet customer needs.

Key Principles of JTBD

While there are several variations, most JTBD frameworks share a few universal principles:

• Jobs are stable over time: The job itself doesn’t change quickly, even if the tools and technology around it do.
• Solutions compete with each other: Different products may be used to do the same job. For example, a gym membership, fitness app, or at-home treadmill can all solve the “stay fit” job.
• Focus on desired outcomes: What success looks like to the customer helps define what the job really is.

What Makes JTBD Different From Traditional Market Research?

Traditional market research often asks what people like or dislike. JTBD goes a level deeper by asking why they made a choice and what they hoped to achieve with it. It’s less about preference and more about outcome. This delivers stronger, more actionable consumer insights that align closely with how real people live and make decisions.

Simple JTBD Example for Beginners

Imagine a busy parent who buys pre-cut vegetables at the grocery store. The surface observation might be “they’re busy” or “they like convenience.” But the real job might be: “I want to get a healthy, homemade dinner on the table quickly so I can spend more time with my kids.” That job paints a much clearer picture of what matters – and leads to better product development or marketing strategies.

By uncovering the real jobs customers are trying to get done, businesses can design offerings that truly resonate. That’s why JTBD frameworks have become a go-to tool in modern marketing, innovation strategy, and consumer research.

Understanding the real jobs your customers are trying to accomplish is a game-changer for business growth. The Jobs To Be Done framework isn’t just a theory – it’s a practical method to identify unmet needs, generate product ideas, and create messaging that connects. When teams adopt JTBD thinking, they often unlock new opportunities that weren’t visible through traditional market research alone.

Turning Customer Needs into Business Strategy

One of the biggest benefits of JTBD is that it reframes customer needs in actionable terms. Instead of designing around features or assumptions, businesses can build their strategies around what customers are truly trying to achieve. This leads to better solutions and more targeted value propositions.

For example, applying a JTBD template for customer research might reveal that customers aren't just buying your product – they’re buying peace of mind, convenience, or momentum in their goals. That discovery can guide everything from product updates to how your team communicates value in the market.

Areas Where JTBD Drives Growth

JTBD frameworks easily plug into multiple facets of your business strategy:

• Product Development: Discover what improvements (or entirely new solutions) will actually meet a key job better than current options.
• Marketing and Messaging: Clarify how your product helps customers make progress – a message that often outperforms traditional feature-led campaigns.
• Innovation and Growth Planning: Use a JTBD framework for innovation strategy to spot new markets or expand into adjacent customer needs.
• Customer Retention: Pinpoint why customers stay or switch based on whether the job is being effectively completed.

Applying JTBD in the Real World

Let’s say a fictional e-learning company applies a JTBD method step-by-step guide to understand why business users enroll in online leadership courses. Rather than simply targeting “career advancement”, they discover learners are actually trying to do the job: “Build confidence to lead change in uncertain environments.” That insight leads to a new content approach, tools for self-assessment, and marketing that speaks directly to that leadership transformation – ultimately boosting enrollments and course completion.

JTBD Is a Growth Lens, Not Just a Research Tool

The true power of Jobs To Be Done lies in how it aligns decision-making across teams. When everyone – from product to marketing to leadership – shares a common understanding of what the customer is trying to achieve, it becomes easier to prioritize ideas, innovate with purpose, and make business decisions rooted in real human need rather than assumption.

By integrating the JTBD framework into your business processes, you're not just solving customer problems – you’re growing in a direction that matters. The result? Smarter strategies, higher impact, and a stronger connection between your brand and your audience.

The beauty of the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) method lies in its practicality. Whether you're in marketing, product development, or strategic planning, JTBD templates can help you clearly define what your customers are trying to accomplish – and how you can best support them. Below are some of the most popular JTBD templates for business teams and how to apply them across growth initiatives.

1. Job Statement Template

This is one of the simplest entry points into JTBD thinking. A typical job statement follows this pattern:

“When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].”

Example: “When I'm commuting to work, I want to listen to a podcast, so I can stay informed on current events.”

This straightforward structure helps your team quickly capture customer needs in their everyday context – a key advantage of JTBD over traditional demographics or personas.

2. Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) Template

The ODI model, developed by strategist Tony Ulwick, breaks customer jobs into measurable outcomes. It's often used in innovation and product development as it quantifies what success looks like from the customer’s point of view.

Each job can have multiple success dimensions, such as speed, efficiency, and reliability. You can score each desired outcome to prioritize features during product roadmapping.

3. Customer Journey with JTBD Overlay

This visual template maps the customer experience across different touchpoints while layering in their core Jobs to Be Done. It's especially helpful in finding friction points where customer needs are unmet or underserved.

This format is commonly used in service design and CX (customer experience) optimization projects.

How to Choose the Right Template

• For product ideation: Try the Outcome-Driven Innovation model
• For market research or interviews: Use Job Statements to organize insights
• For improving customer touchpoints: Use a Customer Journey + JTBD map

The best JTBD templates for product teams are flexible and easy to adapt, even if you're just getting started. In practice, many organizations customize these formats or use them together depending on the business goal.

Remember: JTBD templates aren't just documents – they’re thinking tools. They help you move from assumptions to observable, real-world behaviors so you can build strategies that truly reflect customer intent.

For teams new to the Jobs to Be Done approach, applying a framework can seem overwhelming. But in reality, one of JTBD’s strengths is its simplicity. Below is a JTBD method step-by-step guide that you can use across functions – from product planning to customer research and innovation strategy.

Step 1: Identify Who You’re Studying

Begin by defining your target customer segment – not by age, income, or other basic demographics, but by the context in which they’re trying to get a job done. This helps move your research beyond traditional segmentation into behavior-focused insights.

Step 2: Observe and Capture Jobs

Use interviews, ethnographic research, or surveys to uncover what the customer is trying to accomplish. Ask open-ended questions like:

• “What’s the hardest part of [task/situation]?”
• “What do you typically do when [scenario] happens?”
• “Why is that important to you?”

This phase is often supported by market research professionals, especially when identifying deeper customer motivations.

Step 3: Define Functional and Emotional Jobs

JTBD includes both types of needs:

• Functional jobs: The practical tasks being completed
• Emotional jobs: How the customer wants to feel or be perceived

For example, a fitness tracker user may want to “track my steps” (functional) but also “feel proud when I reach my daily goals” (emotional).

Step 4: Prioritize Opportunities

Once jobs are defined, look for those that are underserved. Ask:

Are customers satisfied with current solutions? Is there pain in completing these jobs today?

Prioritize based on importance to the customer and room for improvement – a core concept in any JTBD framework for innovation strategy.

Step 5: Translate Jobs into Action

Finally, use your JTBD findings to guide business decisions. Depending on your goal, this could mean:

• Creating new product features
• Shaping your marketing messages
• Revising service experiences

By following these simple steps, you’ll move beyond just knowing who your customers are – to knowing what they really need. That’s the power of JTBD insight paired with thoughtful, user-friendly frameworks.

The real strength of the Jobs to Be Done framework is rooted in application. Let’s explore a few easy JTBD examples for beginners to show how businesses across industries use this method to uncover customer needs and sharpen their strategy. These are fictional examples used for illustrative purposes, based on common industry scenarios.

Consumer Technology: Creating a Smarter Fitness App

A digital health company wanted to improve user retention in its fitness app. Through JTBD interviews, they discovered that users weren’t only tracking workouts – they were trying to “feel more in control of their busy lives.” This emotional job helped them realize that features like stress-reduction content and mindfulness updates could make their app more valuable at key life moments.

Business takeaway: JTBD surfaced emotional motivations – not just tracking behavior – leading to new content strategies aligned with user needs.

Retail: Simplifying the Grocery Shopping Experience

A grocery retailer explored JTBD templates for understanding how families shop during the busy workweek. One job identified was: “When I get home from work, I want to pick up ingredients quickly, so I can still cook a healthy dinner.”

This insight led the retailer to add grab-and-go meal kits designed around common weeknight dinners – a profitable new product category built directly from consumer insights.

B2B Services: Improving Onboarding for Small Businesses

A business banking provider wanted to reduce churn among small business customers. Using a JTBD template for customer research, they uncovered this job: “When I open a new business account, I want to clearly understand next steps, so I don’t make avoidable mistakes.”

This led to a redesigned onboarding experience with clearer documentation and personalized support – improving customer satisfaction and retention.

Why JTBD Works Across Categories

Whether you’re launching a product or refining customer experience, JTBD can be customized to fit your goals. JTBD examples like these show how rich insights surface when you explore the underlying progress your customers seek. When businesses take action based on these needs, the results tend to be both meaningful and measurable.