Your team can drill down to the job you want to accomplish
Tasks are the individual steps that you complete in order to finish a job. For example, making a cup of coffee involves the tasks of grinding the beans, adding water to the coffee pot, and turning on the machine. In contrast, a job is a higher-level goal that you are trying to accomplish. In the context of coffee, the job might be to get a energized for the day ahead. The important thing to remember is that jobs to be done are always overarching goals, while tasks are the specific steps that you take to complete those goals. When you're trying to prioritize your time, it's helpful to think in terms of jobs to be done rather than tasks. That way, you can ensure that you're always working towards your most important goals.
A job story is a specific type of narrative that describes the goals, motivations, and challenges of a user as they complete a task. Job stories are typically written in the format of "As a <type of user>, I want to <do something>, so that <I can achieve some goal>." For example, "As a coffee drinker, I want to be able to make a cup of coffee, so that I can get energized for the day ahead." Job stories are a helpful tool for team members to use when they're trying to prioritize their time and focus on the most important tasks.
If we don't take the time to prioritize our tasks, we can quickly become overwhelmed and bogged down in work. That's why it's important to prioritize tasks into jobs to be done.
By identifying the most important jobs that need to be done, we can ensure that we allocate our time and energy in the most efficient way possible. This not only allows us to get more done, but it also helps to reduce stress levels and increase our overall productivity.
So next time you're feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list or backlog, meet with your team to prioritize tasks into jobs to be done. That way you'll have a clear path to success, with defined roles and responsibilities, and the right goals in mind.
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