Jobs to Be Done examines what people or organizations seek to accomplish in particular circumstances. This guide uses qualitative, story-based interviews about a recent real decision; a job is neither a customer role nor a requested feature.

1. 1

   Change

   Choose a concrete decision and circumstance

   

   Goal

   The inquiry starts with a recent real decision rather than general opinions.

   Inputs for this step

   • Research question
   • Recruitment criteria for people with a relevant decision experience

   Actions

   • Bound the decision and time period.
   • Recruit people who recently adopted, switched or deliberately retained a solution.
   • Clarify consent, privacy and note handling.

   Output

   Concrete decision scenario

   Circumstance · decision · time

   Quality check

   Can the participant recall a concrete decision rather than a hypothetical intention?

   Pitfall

   Interviews ask only why people like a concept. Reconstruct the last concrete event and separate general opinions from experienced actions.

   Timing: About 20 minutes of preparation; recruitment is additional.

2. 2

   Timeline

   Reconstruct the decision story

   

   Goal

   An event sequence reveals circumstances and triggers, not just retrospective explanations.

   Inputs for this step

   • Interview guide with open narrative prompts
   • Consent and note-taking approach

   Actions

   • Ask the participant to recount the last concrete event chronologically.
   • Probe for timing, actions, people, alternatives and questions.
   • Separate the decision from later use; reference quotes and observations.

   Output

   Timeline of traceable events

   Event · timing · statement/evidence · open question

   Quality check

   Can each interpretation be traced to a reported event or quote?

   Pitfall

   The interviewer fills memory gaps with their own assumptions. Leave gaps open and make timing uncertainty explicit.

   Timing: About 45–60 minutes per interview.

3. 3

   Job and forces

   Understand progress, forces and desired outcomes

   

   Goal

   The job expresses progress in context without reducing it to a product request.

   Inputs for this step

   • Timeline and related statements
   • Evidence about prior solutions and circumstances

   Actions

   • Identify triggers and limits of the previous situation.
   • Separate expected progress from anxieties or habits around a new option.
   • Derive desired functional, social and emotional progress from what was said.

   Output

   Job hypothesis and influencing factors

   Circumstance · progress sought · forces · evidence

   Quality check

   Does the job hypothesis describe progress in a concrete circumstance? Are functional, social and emotional interpretations sourced?

   Pitfall

   The job is phrased as a customer role or requested feature. Phrase the progress and circumstance; record products and solutions separately as options.

   Timing: Briefly after each interview; synthesize across the research round.

4. 4

   Synthesis

   Review the job hypothesis and next research

   

   Goal

   The result informs further discovery without claiming universal prevalence.

   Inputs for this step

   • Notes from several relevant accounts
   • Segment and circumstance criteria

   Actions

   • Compare events and similar struggling situations across accounts.
   • Record counterexamples and differing circumstances.
   • Phrase a job hypothesis, open questions and suitable next research.

   Output

   Provisional job, evidence base and learning plan

   Job hypothesis · evidence · differences · next question

   Quality check

   Does the sample include different cases and counterexamples? Are limits to transferability documented?

   Pitfall

   A small qualitative round is presented as a prevalence or market estimate. Report findings as qualitative learning and assess quantitative questions with suitable research.

   Timing: Several interviews over multiple days; no fixed sample target.