Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Analysis Workspace
Type: template
Stage: Stage 2: Positioning Proof
Difficulty: intermediate
A complete JTBD workspace with a Job Statement builder, functional/emotional/social needs database, and the Four Forces of Progress map — revealing whether a user will actually switch to your solution.
Overview
Jobs-to-be-Done theory reframes why people buy products: not because of demographics or features, but because they have a 'job' they're trying to accomplish and they 'hire' a product to do it. This Notion workspace applies that theory to Stage 2 positioning — helping you understand not just what customers want, but what forces will actually move them to switch from their current solution to yours.
The Job Statement builder
Every job has a standard structure: a direction verb, an object of the verb, and a contextual clarifier.
Format: [Direction verb] + [Object] + [Contextual clarifier]
Examples:
• 'Reduce the time spent compiling weekly reports for stakeholders who want a single source of truth'
• 'Minimize the risk of compliance errors when submitting project documentation to regulatory bodies'
• 'Increase confidence that the customer data I'm acting on is accurate and current'
The Job Statement builder in this workspace walks you through each component and produces a structured statement you can use across your positioning, sales, and content strategy.
The test: read the job statement to five customers. If they say 'yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to do,' the statement is accurate. If they correct your framing — pay close attention to the exact words they use. Their language is your positioning language.
Functional, emotional, and social needs
Every job has three dimensions:
• Functional needs — the practical, measurable outcome the customer is trying to achieve ('reduce report compilation from 4 hours to 30 minutes')
• Emotional needs — how the customer wants to feel during and after the job ('confident that the numbers are right before I present them to leadership')
• Social needs — how the customer wants to be perceived by others as a result of the job ('look like someone who is on top of their data, not scrambling for it')
Most B2B positioning addresses only functional needs. Positioning that also addresses the emotional and social dimension creates a stronger connection — because buyers are people, not procurement systems.
The workspace includes a database for capturing all three need types per job, along with the current solution the customer is using to address each and how well it's working.
The Four Forces of Progress
The Four Forces model explains the dynamics that determine whether a customer will switch from their current solution to yours:
• Push — the frustrations and limitations of the current situation that are motivating the customer to look for something better ('our current tool can't handle more than 500 rows and we're at 800')
• Pull — the appeal of the new situation your product creates ('finally having a single view of all project status without manual consolidation')
• Anxiety — the fears about switching to your product ('what if the migration breaks something,' 'what if the team doesn't adopt it')
• Habit — the inertia of the current approach ('we've always done it this way,' 'people know where to find things')
For a customer to switch, Push + Pull must outweigh Anxiety + Habit. The workspace maps each force and helps you identify which ones are most active in your target customer's situation — so your positioning can amplify the push and pull while addressing the anxiety and habit directly.
Connecting JTBD to positioning
The JTBD workspace output feeds three positioning decisions:
• What to promise — the functional need your product addresses most powerfully
• What emotional register to use — the emotional need your positioning should activate ('confident,' 'in control,' 'ahead of it')
• What objections to preempt — the anxiety forces that are most likely to stall a purchasing decision
A positioning statement that addresses all three dimensions looks like: 'We help [ICP] finally [functional outcome] — so they can [emotional state] without [anxiety-triggering risk].' The JTBD workspace gives you the specific language to fill in each part.