Climbing the Product Candy Mountain: How to Get to the Core Problem with Jobs to Be Done

I recently watched O Brother, Where Art Thou?, starring George Clooney, John Tuturro and Time Blake Nelson.  It’s an entertaining film set in the Deep South during the Great Depression. The movie blends adventure and comedy with a soundtrack that revives early 20th-century American folk, bluegrass, and gospel music.

One song that stood out was "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928. The lyrics paint a picture of a simple paradise:

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a land that's fair and bright...

Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The winds don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain

It got me thinking. In Product, we often chase our own version of the Big Rock Candy Mountain; a place where every stakeholder is happy, customers get exactly what they ask for and features magically drive engagement and revenue.

But just like the mythical paradise in the song, that perfect product doesn't exist.

The Candy-Coated Illusion of Solving Every Problem

Too often, product teams confuse feature requests with real problems. We listen to what customers ask for, prioritize the loudest voices, and ship features that might not move the needle.

Stakeholders show up with requests like:

• "Can we add a button for this?"
• "We need dark mode."
• "We need risk scoring… now."

These can sound reasonable. But are they solving anything meaningful? Or are they just candy, sweet on the surface, but ultimately empty calories?

This is where Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) helps. Instead of focusing on what people ask for, it focuses on why they need it.

Customers don't buy products. They hire them to do a job.

Clayton Christensen popularized this idea in Competing Against Luck. The goal is to understand the reason behind a customer's behavior. What are they trying to achieve, fix, or avoid?

The core message: You're not building features. You're solving jobs.

A few quick examples:

• People don't want an AI chatbot. They want fast, accurate answers without waiting.
• People don't want a digital wallet. They want a secure, easy way to manage money.

JTBD pushes you to ask: what job is the customer hiring our product to do?

A Better Way to Uncover the Real Problem

When a request comes in, don't rush to write a story. Start with a few simple questions:

• What triggered this need?
• What else did they try?
• How would they define success?
• What are they trying to avoid?

It will help uncover what's really going on.

Real-World Success: McDonald's Milkshake Mystery

Christensen shares a perfect example of JTBD in action. McDonald's tried to boost milkshake sales by improving flavor and consistency based on customer feedback. Sales didn't budge.

Then researchers observed something unexpected: 40% of milkshakes were sold before 8 AM to commuters. Through interviews, they discovered customers weren't "hiring" milkshakes as desserts but as:

• Filling breakfast that lasted through their commute
• One-handed food they could eat while driving
• Something to make a boring drive more interesting

The competition wasn't other desserts. It was bagels and breakfast bars. Understanding this job led to newer iterations that kept commuters engaged longer.

The result? Targeted improvements that solved the real customer need rather than just responding to surface-level feedback.

Example: Dark Mode Isn't About Aesthetic

Someone says, "We need dark mode."

Instead of nodding, dig in.

• JTBD insight: They're working late and experiencing eye strain.
• The real need: Better accessibility and visual comfort. Maybe contrast settings matter more than just a toggle.

That insight leads to better solutions and more meaningful impact.

Climb the Right Mountain

A few things to keep in mind:

• Not every feature request deserves a spot on the roadmap.
• JTBD helps shift from outputs to outcomes.
• Great PMs don't just ship features. They solve problems.
• Help your team and stakeholders reframe the conversation around what truly matters.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain might be a fun dream, but it's not where product teams find success. Focus on the mountain your customer is already climbing. Then build the tools they need to keep going.

What's Your Experience?

Have you ever built something a customer requested, only to realize later they needed something entirely different? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Want to master the Jobs to Be Done framework?
Check out "Competing Against Luck" by Clayton Christensen, where he explains how the world's most successful companies use JTBD to build game-changing products.

For your next movie night consideration, check out the film that inspired this post!
Watch "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" on Amazon.