Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Analysis Builder
Type: template
Stage: Stage 1: Problem Proof
Difficulty: intermediate
A workspace that shifts your thinking from product features to the job a user is trying to accomplish — includes a Job Statement builder and a database for functional, emotional, and social needs.
Overview
Features attract attention. Jobs drive purchasing decisions. This Notion template is built around the JTBD framework — helping you articulate what progress your user is trying to make, in a format that directly informs both your product decisions and your positioning copy.
The Job Statement formula
The core output of this template is a Job Statement — a structured sentence that captures what the user is trying to accomplish in a solution-agnostic way.
The formula: 'When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].'
Example: 'When I finish a client project, I want to send a professional invoice quickly, so I can get paid without it feeling like a second job.'
A good Job Statement:
• Describes a situation, not a feature
• Names a motivation, not a task
• Identifies an outcome, not a deliverable
Fill in the Job Statement template with language drawn directly from your interviews — not your own interpretation.
The three dimensions database
The template includes a database with three categories for capturing needs:
• Functional needs — the practical task the person is trying to complete (what they say they want)
• Emotional needs — how they want to feel during or after the job is done (security, confidence, relief)
• Social needs — how they want to be perceived by others as a result (professional, capable, prepared)
For each interview you conduct, add the needs you heard into the appropriate category. After five interviews, the database shows you which needs appear most frequently and across all three dimensions — which is where your most defensible positioning lives.
How to use it for Stage 1
After each problem interview:
1. Write a draft Job Statement using the formula above
2. Add the functional, emotional, and social needs you heard into the database
3. Tag each need with the interview participant so you can track frequency
After five interviews, look at the database sorted by frequency. The functional needs that appear most often are your core value proposition. The emotional and social needs are your positioning language.
The goal isn't to build features — it's to understand what 'done' looks like for your user, so you know what your product has to make possible.
Connecting JTBD to Stage 2
The Job Statement you produce here becomes the foundation for your positioning work in Stage 2. A positioning statement built on a Job Statement is more defensible than one built on features or demographics — because it's grounded in what users are actually trying to accomplish, not in what you've built.
Before moving to Stage 2, make sure your Job Statement passes the 'stranger test': could someone who doesn't know your idea read it and immediately recognize whether they're the person it describes?