Build a sequenced Jobs-to-be-Done product strategy

Jobs-to-be-Done as a Sequencing Discipline, Not a Listing Discipline

Most teams stop at "here are the jobs" and never sequence them, which leaves the roadmap trying to serve all jobs simultaneously. JTBD.info's foundational explainer and Teresa Torres' continuous discovery research both argue that JTBD is a prioritization framework, not a cataloging framework. The wedge job is the one where intensity and budget overlap with low switching resistance — the narrow slice where you can win decisively before widening.

How the Build a sequenced Jobs-to-be-Done product strategy Prompt Works

The prompt forces three sequential reductions — raw interviews to jobs, jobs to a 3x3 scored grid, grid to a single wedge — then uses job overlap to plan adjacent expansion. The "explicitly NOT pursue" output is the forcing function: sequencing is real only when you name the job you are walking away from.

When to Use It

• You have run 20+ switch interviews and the insights are drowning in post-its.
• A new segment pivot needs a wedge-first strategy.
• The roadmap is serving 5 jobs at 20% quality each.
• A board wants a clearer "who we serve first" narrative.
• You are a new PM inheriting unclear JTBD research.

Common Pitfalls

• Stopping at the job list. A list of 15 jobs is not a strategy. Pick the wedge and sequence the rest.
• Picking on frequency alone. High-frequency, low-intensity jobs produce low-willingness-to-pay customers. Intensity + budget beats frequency.
• Ignoring switching resistance. A job with high intensity but entrenched incumbent habit is harder to win. Fight on the wedge where switching is easier.

Sources

• What is Jobs-to-be-Done? — JTBD.info
• Opportunity Solution Tree — Product Talk (Teresa Torres)
• Continuous Discovery Habits — Product Talk (Teresa Torres)
• Assessing Product-Market Fit — Silicon Valley Product Group