Product Thinking Framework

Combines two complementary frameworks:

• Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD): Understand what progress customers seek
• Minto Pyramid: Communicate product thinking clearly and persuasively

When to Use

Core Workflow

Step 1: Establish Mode

Ask: "Would you like me to guide you through discovery questions, or produce a structured document?"

• Interactive Q&A: Walk through JTBD discovery → synthesize → structure via Minto
• Document Output: Gather inputs → produce pyramid-structured artifact

Step 2: JTBD Discovery

The goal is to uncover the job the customer is hiring the product to do.

The Job Statement Formula:

When [circumstance], I want to [progress/outcome], so I can [higher purpose].

Core Questions (ask 2-3 at a time, not all at once):

1. Struggling Moment: "What's the specific moment when someone realizes they need this?"
2. Current Workarounds: "What are people cobbling together today to make progress?"
3. Functional Job: "What task are they literally trying to accomplish?"
4. Emotional Job: "How do they want to feel during/after?"
5. Social Job: "How do they want to be perceived by others?"
6. Hiring Criteria: "What would make them 'fire' their current solution and 'hire' yours?"
7. Anxieties: "What fears would prevent them from switching?"
8. Circumstances: "When/where does this job arise? What's the context?"

See references/jtbd-framework.md for deeper guidance on JTBD theory.

Step 3: Synthesize the Job

After discovery, articulate:

JOB STATEMENT
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
When: [specific circumstance/trigger]
I want to: [desired progress]
So I can: [ultimate outcome/feeling]

FORCES OF PROGRESS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Push (pain of current): [what's broken]
Pull (appeal of new): [what's attractive]
Anxiety (fear of new): [what holds them back]
Habit (comfort of current): [what keeps them stuck]

Step 4: Structure via Minto Pyramid

Organize all thinking top-down:

           ┌─────────────────┐
           │   ANSWER FIRST  │  ← Lead with the conclusion
           │   (So What?)    │
           └────────┬────────┘
                    │
     ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
     │              │              │
┌────▼────┐   ┌────▼────┐   ┌────▼────┐
│ Key     │   │ Key     │   │ Key     │  ← 3-5 supporting arguments
│ Point 1 │   │ Point 2 │   │ Point 3 │
└────┬────┘   └────┬────┘   └────┬────┘
     │             │             │
  Evidence      Evidence      Evidence  ← Data, examples, research

SCQA Framework for framing the narrative:

• Situation: Stable context everyone agrees on
• Complication: What changed or went wrong
• Question: The question this raises (implicit)
• Answer: Your recommendation/insight

See references/minto-pyramid.md for communication patterns.

Document Output Templates

Product Brief (1-pager)

# [Product/Feature Name]

## Recommendation
[One sentence: what to build and why it matters]

## The Job to Be Done
When [circumstance], [user] wants to [progress], so they can [outcome].

## Why Now
- [Complication 1]: [evidence]
- [Complication 2]: [evidence]

## Solution Approach
1. [Key capability] → addresses [job dimension]
2. [Key capability] → addresses [job dimension]
3. [Key capability] → addresses [job dimension]

## Success Metrics
- [Leading indicator]: [target]
- [Lagging indicator]: [target]

## Key Risks & Mitigations
| Risk | Mitigation |
|------|------------|
| [Anxiety/obstacle] | [How addressed] |

Idea Evaluation Scorecard

# Evaluation: [Idea Name]

## JTBD Fit (1-5): __
- [ ] Clear struggling moment identified
- [ ] Job is recurring, not one-time
- [ ] Emotional/social dimensions understood
- [ ] Current alternatives are inadequate

## Market Forces (1-5): __
- [ ] Push from current pain is strong
- [ ] Pull toward solution is compelling
- [ ] Anxieties can be addressed
- [ ] Habits can be overcome

## Strategic Fit (1-5): __
- [ ] Aligns with company capabilities
- [ ] Defensible differentiation exists
- [ ] Viable business model apparent

## Verdict
[PURSUE / ITERATE / PASS]

## Reasoning (Pyramid Structure)
[Answer]: [One sentence verdict with "because..."]
- [Supporting point 1]
- [Supporting point 2]
- [Supporting point 3]

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Interactive Session Flow

When in Q&A mode, follow this arc:

1. Open: "Tell me about the problem you're trying to solve"
2. Struggling Moment: "Walk me through a specific moment when this became painful"
3. Current State: "What are people doing today to cope?"
4. Dimensions: Probe functional, emotional, social jobs
5. Forces: Map push, pull, anxiety, habit
6. Synthesize: Reflect back the job statement for validation
7. Structure: Organize insights into pyramid for next steps

Limit to 2-3 questions per turn. Reflect understanding before probing deeper.

References

• references/jtbd-framework.md - Deep dive on Jobs-to-be-Done theory
• references/minto-pyramid.md - Detailed Minto communication patterns
• references/interview-guide.md - Full discovery interview script