SKILL.md
Job Story Mapper Skill
Stop writing features. Start understanding jobs. This skill translates product requirements and user interviews into precise job stories that keep the team focused on outcomes — not outputs.
Jobs-to-be-Done Fundamentals
A "job" is the progress a customer is trying to make in a given situation. People don't buy products — they hire them to get a job done.
Three dimensions of every job:
- Functional job: The practical task ("get from A to B")
- Emotional job: How they want to feel ("feel confident I made the right choice")
- Social job: How they want to be perceived ("look like a competent professional to my team")
Great products address all three. Most roadmaps only address the functional one.
Job Story Format
Template:
When [situation/trigger], I want to [motivation/goal], so I can [expected outcome].
Not a user story: User stories focus on roles and features: "As a [role] I want [feature] so that [benefit]." Job stories focus on situations and motivations: "When [I'm in this specific situation] I want [this capability] so I can [achieve this outcome]."
The situation is the most important part. "When I'm in the middle of a sprint and my PM asks for an update" is a much richer trigger than "As a developer."
Mapping Process
Step 1: Identify the main job
One sentence: What is the core job your product is hired for?
"Help [user type] [accomplish outcome] when [context]."
Step 2: Break into job steps
What are all the sub-tasks within the main job? (Use a job map: Define → Locate → Prepare → Confirm → Execute → Monitor → Modify → Conclude)
Step 3: Identify pain points per step
Where does the job fall down today? Where do customers use workarounds?
Step 4: Write job stories for each pain point
One job story per distinct situation-motivation pair.
Step 5: Map to product opportunities
Which job stories are underserved? Which have existing solutions? Where is your differentiation?
