# Value Proposition Canvas Guide

Detailed guide for using the Value Proposition Canvas to align products with customer needs.

## Canvas Structure

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    VALUE PROPOSITION MAP                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  CUSTOMER PROFILE         │  VALUE MAP                      │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐  │  ┌─────────────────────────┐    │
│  │ Jobs to be Done     │◄─┼──│ Products & Services     │    │
│  │ • Functional jobs   │  │  │ • Features              │    │
│  │ • Social jobs       │  │  │ • Capabilities          │    │
│  │ • Emotional jobs    │  │  │ • Integrations          │    │
│  ├─────────────────────┤  │  ├─────────────────────────┤    │
│  │ Pains               │◄─┼──│ Pain Relievers          │    │
│  │ • Obstacles         │  │  │ • Eliminates            │    │
│  │ • Risks             │  │  │ • Reduces               │    │
│  │ • Negative outcomes │  │  │ • Prevents              │    │
│  ├─────────────────────┤  │  ├─────────────────────────┤    │
│  │ Gains               │◄─┼──│ Gain Creators           │    │
│  │ • Required gains    │  │  │ • Creates               │    │
│  │ • Expected gains    │  │  │ • Increases             │    │
│  │ • Desired gains     │  │  │ • Enables               │    │
│  └─────────────────────┘  │  └─────────────────────────┘    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## Jobs to be Done Categories

| Job Type | Definition | Example |
|----------|------------|---------|
| Functional | Tasks to accomplish | "Deploy code to production" |
| Social | How to be perceived | "Be seen as innovative" |
| Emotional | How to feel | "Feel confident in decisions" |

## Pain Severity Ranking

```
CRITICAL  ────────────────────────────►  MINOR
│                                            │
│  Blocking     Painful      Annoying       │
│  (must fix)   (should fix) (nice to fix)  │
```

## Gain Importance Ranking

```
REQUIRED  ────────────────────────────►  NICE-TO-HAVE
│                                            │
│  Expected     Desired      Unexpected     │
│  (table stakes) (differentiators) (delighters)
```

## Fit Assessment

| Fit Level | Criteria |
|-----------|----------|
| Problem-Solution Fit | Evidence that value prop addresses real jobs/pains |
| Product-Market Fit | Evidence customers will pay for solution |
| Business Model Fit | Evidence of sustainable business model |

## Workshop Facilitation

1. **Preparation** (30 min before)
   - Print large canvas
   - Prepare sticky notes (different colors for jobs/pains/gains)
   - Gather customer research

2. **Customer Profile First** (45 min)
   - Each participant adds sticky notes silently (10 min)
   - Group discussion and clustering (20 min)
   - Prioritization voting (15 min)

3. **Value Map Second** (45 min)
   - Map features to jobs/pains/gains
   - Identify gaps
   - Prioritize what to build

4. **Fit Assessment** (30 min)
   - Score fit for each connection
   - Identify highest-value opportunities
   - Document assumptions to validate

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Correction |
|---------|------------|
| Starting with solution | Start with customer jobs |
| Listing features | Focus on outcomes |
| Ignoring emotional jobs | Include all job types |
| Single customer segment | Separate canvas per segment |
| No prioritization | Vote on importance |

## 2026 Updates

- AI-assisted job identification from support tickets
- Automated pain/gain extraction from user interviews
- Real-time fit scoring with analytics data
