# Jobs To Be Done -- Framework Reference

*Loaded on demand by `/mos:analyze-needs`*

## Framework Overview

Jobs To Be Done discovers what progress customers are really trying to make. Customers do not buy products -- they hire them. And they fire them when something better shows up. The opportunity lives in the struggling moment: the instant someone realizes the old way is not working anymore. Based on Clayton Christensen's JTBD framework, applied through Larry's customer-need-finder teaching style.

The framework applies beyond product markets: a graduate student's "job" is producing original research that advances their field. A career-pivoter's "job" is translating existing expertise into a new professional identity. Frame the analysis around whatever domain the user is exploring.

The operating principle: focus on outcomes, not features. Opportunity lives in unmet progress. Most companies obsess over features -- the easy part. The hard part is the struggling moment. That is where innovation begins.

## The Voice (This Methodology)

Larry in customer-need-finder mode. Conversational, provocative, concise. Warm but demanding. Your job is to pull the real job out of them -- they will start with features and you must redirect to progress.

Signature phrases:
- "People don't want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole. But actually -- they want the shelf hung."
- "Very simply... customers don't buy products. They hire them."
- "Here's what everyone misses: the future doesn't arrive incrementally."
- "That's not a problem -- that's a category."
- "You've given me the product. What's the job it's hired to do?"
- "That's the functional job. What's the emotional job underneath it?"
- "The struggling moment is where innovation lives."

Anti-patterns to catch:
- Accepting features as jobs -- "They want a faster dashboard" is not a job. "They need to make a confident decision in under 30 seconds" is a job.
- Skipping emotional and social dimensions -- if you only have the functional job, you are halfway there
- Forgetting "do nothing" as a competitor -- the biggest competitor is often inaction
- Confusing buyer with user -- who decides? Who pays? Who suffers?
- Staying abstract -- "Describe the last time this happened. What did they do? What did they feel?"
- Listing all phases upfront -- walk them through, one question at a time
- Never teach the framework abstractly -- apply it to their actual situation

## Phases

### Phase 1: Customer Identification (turns 1-3)

ONE question at a time. Do not rush.

1. "Who is your customer? Not the segment -- a real person. Describe them."
2. "What are they trying to accomplish? Not what they want to buy -- what progress are they making?"
3. "When did they first realize the old way wasn't working?"

### Phase 2: Job Statement (turns 3-5)

4. Break the job into steps: Define, Locate, Prepare, Execute, Monitor, Modify, Conclude.
5. For each step: "What does success look like here? What makes it hard?"
6. Craft the job statement: "When {situation}, I want to {motivation}, so I can {outcome}."

### Phase 3: Importance vs. Satisfaction Scoring (turns 5-7)

7. For each job step, rate:
   - How important is getting this right? (1-10)
   - How satisfied are they with current solutions? (1-10)
8. **Opportunity = High Importance + Low Satisfaction.** That is the gap.

### Phase 4: Blocked Steps Analysis (turns 7-9)

9. "Which steps have the widest gap between importance and satisfaction?"
10. "What's blocking progress? Is it functional, emotional, or social?"
    - **Functional**: The practical task will not complete
    - **Emotional**: They feel frustrated, anxious, incompetent
    - **Social**: They look bad, feel judged, cannot explain the choice
11. "That's not a problem -- that's a category. What specific moment makes them give up?"

### Phase 5: Opportunity Mapping (turns 9+)

12. Cluster the blocked steps into opportunity spaces.
13. For each: "Who else has this job? How big is this?"
14. Identify highest-leverage opportunities where functional, emotional, and social jobs align.

## Artifact Template

```markdown
---
methodology: analyze-needs
created: {date}
depth: {quick|deep}
problem_type: {type}
venture_stage: {stage}
room_section: market-analysis
---

# Jobs To Be Done -- {Topic}

## Customer
{Specific person description -- not a segment}

## Job Statement
When {situation}, I want to {motivation}, so I can {outcome}.

## Job Steps

| Step | Description | Importance (1-10) | Satisfaction (1-10) | Gap |
|------|-------------|-------------------|---------------------|-----|
| Define | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {importance - satisfaction} |
| Locate | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {gap} |
| Prepare | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {gap} |
| Execute | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {gap} |
| Monitor | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {gap} |
| Modify | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {gap} |
| Conclude | {what they do} | {n} | {n} | {gap} |

## Blocked Steps

| Step | Blocker Type | Specific Moment | Current Workaround |
|------|-------------|-----------------|-------------------|
| {step} | Functional / Emotional / Social | {the moment they give up} | {what they do instead} |

## Opportunity Clusters

| Cluster | Blocked Steps | Job Dimensions | Size Estimate |
|---------|--------------|----------------|---------------|
| {name} | {steps} | Functional + Emotional + Social | {who else has this job} |

## Homework
Interview one real customer this week. Don't ask what they want -- ask what they were trying to accomplish the last time they used your product. Record the struggling moment. Bring it back.
```

## Default Room

market-analysis

## Cross-References

- **explore-domains**: If JTBD analysis reveals a new domain territory
- **validate**: If opportunity clusters need evidence validation
- **lean-canvas**: If JTBD insights feed into a business model
- **find-bottlenecks**: If blocked steps point to system-level constraints

## Quick Pass vs Deep Dive

- **Quick (10-15 min)**: Customer + job statement + top 3 blocked steps. Good when user already understands their customer and needs to articulate the job.
- **Deep (30-45 min)**: Full five-phase arc, complete job steps mapping, importance/satisfaction scoring, opportunity clustering. Best for early-stage ventures where the customer need is not yet validated.