Jobs To Be Done
Apply Jobs-to-be-Done case-study framing so you define what progress customers hire your product for before you optimize features or copy.
Overview
jobs-to-be-done is a journey-wide agent skill that teaches JTBD case-study thinking—usable whenever a solo builder needs to define the customer’s job and substitutes before committing to features.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/wondelai/skills --skill jobs-to-be-doneWhat is this skill?
- McDonald’s milkshake case: same product, different morning commute vs afternoon parent-reward jobs
- Competition framed as bananas, bagels, boredom—not only other shakes
- SNHU online growth narrative tying nontraditional student job to program design
- Lesson stated explicitly: improving the product without the job leads nowhere
- McDonald’s case notes ~40% of milkshakes bought in the morning by solo drivers
- SNHU narrative contrasts ~2,500 on-campus students with 100,000+ online students
Adoption & trust: 2.5k installs on skills.sh; 1.2k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You are optimizing features, sweetness, or channel tactics while customer research gives conflicting answers because the underlying job was never defined.
Who is it for?
Founders validating positioning, offer design, or packaging when qualitative research feels contradictory.
Skip if: Builders who already have a locked spec and only need implementation tasks, or teams seeking a statistical survey instrument inside the skill.
When should I use this skill?
You need JTBD framing, classic case studies, or job-based competition analysis before feature work.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You articulate situation-based jobs, job-specific competition, and segment-tailored solutions so roadmap and positioning align with real progress customers want.
- Situation + progress statements for primary jobs
- Job-based competitor map including non-product substitutes
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Useful at every journey phase - explore requirements and options before committing to a direction.
Where it fits
Interview debrief: map commute boredom as the morning job before picking a feature backlog.
Split SNHU-style adult learner job from traditional student job to narrow MVP onboarding.
Price against substitutes (bagel, podcast, ice cream) rather than adjacent SaaS tiers.
Write landing hero copy around the situation/job instead of feature bullets.
Design retention emails for the afternoon parent-reward job vs morning efficiency job.
How it compares
Use for job-level strategy narratives—not a UI component library or analytics MCP integration.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is jobs-to-be-done for?
Solo and indie builders doing product discovery who want JTBD examples to reframe features as progress toward a job.
When should I use jobs-to-be-done?
In Idea when researching audience jobs; in Validate when scoping MVP and pricing; in Launch when writing distribution copy; in Grow when lifecycle offers feel misaligned with why users return.
Is jobs-to-be-done safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this page; the skill is editorial case-study content with no special runtime permissions beyond your agent environment.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Jobs To Be Done
# JTBD Case Studies ## 1. McDonald's Milkshake ### Situation McDonald's wanted to increase milkshake sales. Traditional research (focus groups, surveys) gave conflicting results: "less sweet," "more chocolate," "more fruit chunks." ### Job Discovery Observation revealed that 40% of milkshakes were bought in the morning, by solo drivers, to-go. **Morning job:** "When I'm driving alone to work and have a boring hour of commute, I want something to keep my hands busy, satisfy my hunger until lunch, and give me a small pleasure." **Afternoon job (different!):** "When picking up my child from school, I want to be a good parent and give them a small reward, but without feeling guilty." ### Competition Through Job Lens - Morning job: banana, bagel, coffee, boredom, podcast - Afternoon job: ice cream, candy, toy, parental attention ### Solution - **Morning milkshake:** thicker (takes longer to drink), with chunks (more interesting), larger, easier to buy (drive-through kiosk) - **Afternoon milkshake:** smaller (sense of moderation), faster to drink (child doesn't get bored) ### Lesson The same product can serve completely different jobs. Improving the "product" without understanding the job leads nowhere. --- ## 2. Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) ### Situation SNHU was a small college with 2,500 students. They launched an online program that exploded to 100,000+ students. ### Job Discovery Typical online student: 30+ years old, working, often with family, interrupted education years ago. **Job:** "When I realize I'm stuck in my career and need a degree to advance, but I have a job, family, and little time, I want to get a degree without turning my life upside down." ### Job Dimensions - **Functional:** Get a degree from an accredited institution - **Emotional:** Feel that I'm growing, prove to myself that I can do it - **Social:** Show my family I'm setting a good example; not look like a "student" at work ### Competition - Doing nothing (most common!) - Other online universities - Industry certifications - Changing jobs without a degree ### Breakthrough Changes 1. **Onboarding:** Calling applicants within minutes (not days) - reduces "can I do this" anxiety 2. **Personal advisor:** One point of contact throughout studies - like GPS, not bureaucracy 3. **Credit transfer:** Liberal policy for recognizing previous courses - faster to the goal 4. **Communication:** Simplicity, no academic jargon - "we work for you, not the other way around" ### Lesson SNHU doesn't compete with Harvard - it competes with "doing nothing." The job isn't "education" but "unfreezing a stuck life." --- ## 3. American Girl ### Situation Premium doll company ($100+) at a time when competitors offered dolls for $20. ### Job **Mothers/grandmothers:** "When I want to have a meaningful moment with my daughter/granddaughter and pass on values, I want an experience that connects us and teaches, not just a toy." **Girls (8-12):** "When I'm at an age where I don't want to be a 'little girl' anymore but I'm not yet a teenager, I want something that takes me seriously and says my interests matter." ### Dimensions - **Functional:** Playing with doll, reading stories - **Emotional:** Feeling "grown up," understood - **Social:** Ritual with mother/grandmother, belonging to American Girl "club" ### Experience Integration - Doll + book with story (context, values) - Stores with hair salons for dolls - Restaurants where girls eat with their dolls - Magazine, events, community ### Competition - Not other dolls (!) - Other "moments with daughter": trips, movies, shopping - Other ways to pass on values: conversations, books - Non-consumption: "I'll just buy something at the store" ### Lesson American Girl sells an experience-ritual, not a doll. That's why $100+ price makes sense - it's not a "toy" but a "moment with daughter." --- ## 4. Intuit QuickBooks ### Situation QuickBooks dominated among small businesses. Attempts to enter the "even sma