Determining the scope of a JTBD¶
Job stories can be written at different levels or altitudes. For the majority of our work, we write job stories for stage groups as we craft experiences for features or sets of related features. If you're writing a job story for your stage group, consider this guiding principle to determine the appropriate altitude: If the job is applicable to more than 3 user types, it's likely the altitude is set too high for a small job (consider whether it is a main job, instead).
Main Jobs¶
To help determine longer-term product direction, JTBD can be written for an entire stage or across multiple stages.
A main job is often expressed as a utilitarian goal. It’s an act that will be performed and should have a clear end state—the “done” part of JTBD. It shouldn’t include adjectives like quick, easy, or inexpensive (because those are considered to be needs) or the metrics by which job performers compare solutions (this is handled separately). The main job is also different from your marketing message or value proposition statement, which tends to be persuasive to evoke an emotion.
Don’t define a main job too narrowly. A small job will limit your field of vision, but also will constrain your efforts. When in doubt, go broader, and define a main job that is larger rather than smaller. Ask “why?” to move higher in altitude during interviews, and “how?” to lower the altitude of the main job.
Small jobs¶
Small jobs are more practical and correspond to the main job's stages or steps. Small jobs answer the question, "How does the job get done?" in the context of the main job and approximate the process a user moves through to accomplish their goal. Each job step is a small job.
Micro-jobs¶
Tasks a user may undergo to accomplish their small job. At this level, we define the sub-processes or actions a user will take to complete a step (small job) of their main job.
JTBD Hierarchy¶
Using our examples, we can produce a JTBD hierarchy, confirming we operate at the right altitude.
- Main job: Maintain an acceptable level of risk in my organizations assets.
- Small job: Prioritize business-critical vulnerabilities in my assets.
- Micro jobs: Review the most recent risks detected in my assets; Refine the list of risks by relevancy; Refine the list of risks by impact.
