How to Create Value Propositions with the 6-Part JTBD Template

The 6-part JTBD value-proposition template in the phuryn/pm-skills repository lets you generate customer-first product narratives through a declarative skill that lives in the pm-product-strategy plugin and is invoked with the /value-proposition slash command.

If you are building product strategy documentation inside an AI-assisted workflow, the phuryn/pm-skills repository offers a declarative, repeatable way to create value propositions with the 6-part JTBD template. Encoded in the pm-product-strategy plugin, this six-part Jobs-to-be-Done framework lets product managers move from raw ideas to investor-ready pitch copy without writing any imperative code.

Anatomy of the 6-Part JTBD Template

The value-proposition capability is defined in pm-product-strategy/skills/value-proposition/SKILL.md. It breaks every proposition into six sequential blocks that force a customer-first orientation.

Who and Why (The Job to Be Done)

Who identifies the target user segment, while Why captures the underlying motivation—the "job" they are hiring your product to do. According to the phuryn/pm-skills source code, starting with these two elements ensures the proposition is anchored in real user needs rather than feature lists.

What Before, How, and What After (The Narrative Arc)

The middle three parts create causal continuity:

• What Before – The current state, pain points, or workarounds the user suffers today.
• How – Your product's mechanism or approach that bridges the gap.
• What After – The measurable outcome or improved state the user experiences after adoption.

This "What Before → How → What After" structure is explicitly designed to produce a story that is easy to communicate across teams and stakeholders.

Alternatives (Competitive Context)

The final part, Alternatives, forces you to name competitors or existing workarounds. The SKILL.md file includes a comparative note (lines 78-85) that explains how this step differs from classic frameworks such as the Strategyzer Value Proposition Canvas, which often omits direct competitive mapping.

How to Invoke the Value-Proposition Command

Interactive Chat Usage

To create a value proposition in any Claude-compatible chat that has loaded the pm-product-strategy plugin, type:

/value-proposition

The agent will ask follow-up questions such as:

What does the product do?
Who is the target user segment?
What alternatives do they currently use?

Once context is gathered, the AI executes the skill and returns a structured markdown block.

Programmatic Usage in CI Pipelines

You can also trigger the template programmatically. Assuming the Claude CLI is installed and the plugin is added, run:

claude ask "/value-proposition" "AI writing assistant for non-native speakers"

The CLI returns the same structured markdown block, ready for inclusion in a README.md or internal wiki.

Example Generated Output

When the skill runs, it produces a pre-formatted document. Below is the sample output from the repository for an AI writing assistant targeting non-native English speakers:

## Value Proposition: AI Writing Assistant

### For non-native English speakers who need professional-grade copy:

1. **Who**: Language learners & small-business owners with limited editing budgets.  
2. **Why**: They need clear, persuasive content quickly, but lack native fluency and editing resources.  
3. **What Before**: Manual editing, costly freelance writers, or generic translation tools that produce awkward phrasing.  
4. **How**: An AI-powered editor that suggests tone-appropriate phrasing, corrects grammar, and adapts style to the intended audience.  
5. **What After**: Users publish polished copy in minutes, improve conversion rates, and reduce reliance on external writers.  
6. **Alternatives**: Traditional copy-editing services (expensive), generic grammar checkers (limited context).  

**Value Proposition Statement**  
*For non-native English speakers who need professional copy, the AI Writing Assistant is an intelligent editor that delivers native-level language and contextual tone in seconds. Unlike expensive copy-editing services, it provides instant, affordable, and brand-consistent output.*

The markdown above is generated automatically by the value-proposition skill and can be copied straight into a product brief or marketing one-pager.

Skill Architecture and Source Files

The value-proposition capability follows a clear, layered architecture inside phuryn/pm-skills:

• Skill definition – pm-product-strategy/skills/value-proposition/SKILL.md describes the 6-part JTBD template, metadata, input requirements, and step-by-step workflow.
• Command wrapper – pm-product-strategy/commands/value-proposition.md exposes the skill via the slash command and formats the final output.
• Plugin registration – The Value-Proposition entry in the main README.md declares the skill in the marketplace so AI assistants can load it automatically.

Execution Flow

When a user invokes the command, the AI agent performs a fully declarative flow:

1. Pulls any supplied product context.
2. Runs the value-proposition skill defined in SKILL.md.
3. Produces a structured markdown block that can be copied into product docs, marketing collateral, or pitch decks.

No code execution is required beyond the built-in AI tooling, making the workflow safe to run in any assistant environment.

Summary

• The 6-part JTBD template breaks value propositions into Who, Why, What Before, How, What After, and Alternatives.
• The pm-product-strategy plugin in phuryn/pm-skills encodes this template as a declarative skill at pm-product-strategy/skills/value-proposition/SKILL.md.
• You trigger generation interactively with /value-proposition or programmatically through the Claude CLI.
• The skill outputs structured markdown ready for product briefs, wikis, or pitch decks.
• A comparative note in the SKILL file (lines 78-85) helps teams choose between this template and the classic Value Proposition Canvas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does JTBD stand for in this template?

JTBD stands for Jobs-to-be-Done. In the phuryn/pm-skills implementation, it means the template starts with the customer's job and motivation (Who and Why) before describing any product features.

How is the 6-part JTBD template different from the Value Proposition Canvas?

The 6-part JTBD template explicitly includes an Alternatives section and follows a narrative arc (What Before → How → What After). According to lines 78-85 in pm-product-strategy/skills/value-proposition/SKILL.md, the classic Strategyzer Value Proposition Canvas often omits direct competitive mapping, whereas this template forces you to name workarounds and competitors up front.

Can I use this skill outside of a chat interface?

Yes. The command is exposed as a declarative skill, so you can call it programmatically via the Claude CLI or any AI assistant that supports the pm-product-strategy plugin. The execution flow requires no additional code beyond the built-in AI tooling.

Where is the value-proposition skill defined in the repository?

The core definition lives in pm-product-strategy/skills/value-proposition/SKILL.md. The slash-command wrapper is in pm-product-strategy/commands/value-proposition.md, and marketplace registration appears in the main README.md under the "Value-Proposition" section.

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