Jobs to Be Done.

What is Jobs to Be Done?

The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a strategic approach to understanding customer behavior and motivations. It posits that consumers do not buy products or services; instead, they ‘hire’ them to make progress in specific circumstances of their lives. This perspective shifts the focus from product features to the underlying problems or needs customers are trying to solve.

Developed by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen and further popularized by innovation consultants like Tony Ulwick, JTBD challenges traditional market segmentation based on demographics or product attributes. It emphasizes understanding the ‘job’ a customer is trying to get done, which can involve functional, social, and emotional dimensions. By identifying these fundamental jobs, businesses can develop more effective solutions that truly resonate with their target audience.

The JTBD theory provides a powerful lens for innovation, product development, and marketing. It encourages companies to look beyond superficial customer requests and delve into the deeper reasons why customers seek certain outcomes. This can lead to more accurate predictions of market success and the development of disruptive innovations that cater to unmet needs.

Key Takeaways

• Customers ‘hire’ products or services to complete specific ‘jobs’ – to make progress in their lives.
• The focus is on the underlying circumstances and desired outcomes, not just product features or demographics.
• Understanding the ‘job’ enables businesses to innovate more effectively and develop solutions that truly meet customer needs.
• JTBD theory helps predict market success by identifying unmet or poorly met customer jobs.

Understanding Jobs to Be Done

The core principle of JTBD is that customers have fundamental needs or objectives they are trying to achieve. These objectives are often triggered by a change in their circumstances, such as a new life situation, a shift in priorities, or a problem that needs resolving. For example, a person might ‘hire’ a fast-food milkshake not just for its taste, but to alleviate boredom on a long commute, satisfy hunger before a meeting, or provide a treat for their child.

Identifying the job involves understanding the context, the desired outcome, and the forces that compel a customer to seek a solution. This includes understanding the ‘push’ of the current situation, the ‘pull’ of a new solution, the ‘anxiety’ associated with switching, and the ‘habit’ of sticking with the current method. By mapping these forces, companies can better understand what drives customer adoption and retention.

JTBD emphasizes that customers seek solutions that help them achieve desired outcomes reliably and efficiently. This means considering functional requirements (what the product must do), social needs (how the customer wants to be perceived), and emotional aspects (how the customer wants to feel). The most successful innovations address these multifaceted aspects of the job to be done.

Formula

While JTBD does not have a strict mathematical formula in the traditional sense, it can be conceptualized as a relationship between circumstances, desired outcomes, and the solution hired.

Job = Circumstance + Desired Outcome

This simplified representation highlights that the ‘job’ is defined by the specific situation a customer is in and the progress they want to make. For instance, a circumstance might be ‘long commute’ and a desired outcome might be ‘alleviate boredom’; the ‘job’ is then to find a solution that addresses boredom during a commute. The product or service is the ‘hire’ to accomplish this.

Real-World Example

A classic example illustrating JTBD is the story of a milkshake. A fast-food restaurant was struggling to sell more milkshakes. They observed that most milkshakes were purchased during the morning commute, were consumed alone, and customers often tried to make them last the entire drive. The milkshakes were not eaten during lunch or dinner, nor were they typically shared.

Traditional marketing efforts focused on improving the milkshake’s flavor or texture, but sales remained stagnant. By applying the JTBD framework, researchers discovered the ‘job’ the milkshake was hired for: it served as a filling, entertaining, and long-lasting breakfast that kept commuters occupied during their drive. The problem wasn’t the milkshake itself, but how it fulfilled this specific ‘job’.

To address this job better, the restaurant introduced thicker milkshakes with chunks of fruit or candy, offered a ‘to-go’ cup with a deeper holder, and even suggested ways to make the milkshake last longer. These improvements directly addressed the functional needs of a commuter seeking a substantial, entertaining breakfast, leading to increased sales.

Importance in Business or Economics

The Jobs to Be Done framework is crucial for businesses because it provides a customer-centric foundation for innovation and strategy. By focusing on the ‘why’ behind customer choices, companies can identify unmet needs and develop products or services that offer superior value. This reduces the risk of launching products that fail to resonate with the market.

From an economic perspective, JTBD helps explain market dynamics and competitive advantage. It suggests that competition is not just between similar products but between all solutions that can get the same ‘job’ done. Understanding this broader competitive landscape allows businesses to identify threats and opportunities more accurately.

Furthermore, JTBD principles can guide marketing efforts, ensuring that messaging highlights how a product or service helps customers achieve their desired progress. This leads to more effective communication and stronger customer relationships, ultimately driving business growth and profitability.

Types or Variations

While the core JTBD framework remains consistent, there are variations in its application and interpretation. One common distinction is between ‘struggle’ and ‘progress.’ The ‘struggle’ is the current difficult situation the customer faces, and ‘progress’ is the desired state. Understanding this dynamic helps identify the emotional and functional pains that drive hiring decisions.

Another variation involves categorizing jobs into functional, social, and emotional types. Functional jobs relate to performing a specific task. Social jobs concern how customers want to be perceived by others. Emotional jobs relate to how customers want to feel. A comprehensive JTBD analysis considers all three dimensions.

Some practitioners also distinguish between ‘core’ or ‘fundamental’ jobs and ‘contextual’ jobs. Core jobs are the universal, underlying needs, while contextual jobs are more specific to a particular situation or user. Effective innovation often targets the core jobs that are currently underserved.

Related Terms

• Customer Needs Analysis: A process of identifying what customers want and expect from a product or service, often overlapping with JTBD but can be less focused on the ‘why’ of progress.
• Market Segmentation: Dividing a broad consumer market into sub-groups of consumers with common needs or characteristics, which JTBD challenges by segmenting based on jobs rather than demographics.
• Product Development: The process of bringing a new product to market or improving an existing one, where JTBD provides a guiding principle for creating truly desirable offerings.
• Value Proposition Design: A method for creating products and services that customers truly want, heavily informed by JTBD principles to ensure the offering aligns with the jobs customers need to get done.

Sources and Further Reading

• Christensen, C. M., & Raynor, M. E. (2003). The Innovator’s Solution: Innovation and the Art of Economic Growth. Harvard Business School Press.
• Ulwick, J. W. (2005). What If Customers Bought Outcomes? The New Science of Customer-Centered Innovation. Harvard Business School Press.
• Womack, J. P., & Jones, D. T. (2003). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. Free Press. (While not directly JTBD, it covers principles of value and customer focus relevant to job completion).
• Intercom on Jobs-to-be-Done: https://www.intercom.com/blog/jobs-to-be-done/

Quick Reference

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD): A theory stating customers ‘hire’ products/services to achieve progress in specific circumstances. Focuses on the ‘job’ over demographics. Key goal: understand the underlying need for progress. Drives innovation by identifying unmet ‘jobs’.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)