Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a product development framework built on the idea that customers don't buy products, they hire them to accomplish a specific goal. The job is the outcome they need, not the feature they ask for.
The classic version of this: people don't want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole. That reframe changes what you build.
How it works
JTBD pushes you to write job statements instead of feature requests. The format is: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]." It looks like a user story, but the focus is on the outcome, not the action.
When you focus on the job, you sometimes find a simpler solution the customer never would have thought to ask for. You also see your real competition more clearly. If someone hires your app to "keep track of customer requests," they might be replacing a spreadsheet or a Slack channel, not a competitor product.
Where to apply it
Customers aren't always good at articulating their jobs. You have to dig through support tickets, sales calls, and your feedback boards to find the patterns. The feature requests are the symptoms. The job is the diagnosis.
Use JTBD when evaluating what to build next, when scoping features that feel vague, or when your roadmap has drifted away from real customer problems.