The Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) theory has been around for decades but it is still fairly new especially as it applies to Product Development and Product Management. There have been so many variations to the JTBD framework that it has left many product managers confused as to how to effectively use it. The goal of this article is to help you understand what JTBD is and how you can use it to make better products that improve the lives of your customers.
Jobs-to-be-done began with “Creative Destruction”
The fundamental impulse that sets and keeps the capitalist engine in motion comes from the new consumers’ goods, the new methods of production or transportation, the new markets, the new forms of industrial organization that capitalist enterprise creates.
Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy by Joseph A. Schumpeter
The genesis of the Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) started with Joseph Schumpeter and his posits on creative destruction in his book Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. Schumpeter observed that new innovation eventually replaces incumbent offerings and render them obsolete. The most glaring outcome of this happened with the transportation industry in the early 1900s when the Ford Model T replaced horse and buggy transportation. Over time, newer innovations have replaced the Ford Model T and various iteration of vehicles.
Several decades later in 2003, the term Jobs-to-be-done was introduced and popularized by Clayton Christensen in his book, The Innovator’s Solution. Unfortunately, Christensen never fully defined what Jobs-to-be-done is and how to effectively use it. As such, this has led to lots of confusion as well as many variations and interpretation of the JTBD concept.
Since learning about Jobs-to-be done theory years ago, I have looked for ways to further my learning and application of it. The most complete and practical resource and one that I highly recommend is When Coffee & Kale Compete by Alan Klement. It’s a great read and the only complete analyses on Customer Jobs with tactical examples for business leaders.
What is Jobs-to-be-done?
The jobs theory states that customers have a job that needs to get done and then hire products/services to complete that job.
Customers struggle when they try to make their life better but don’t know how. We call this struggle a Job to be done.
@alanklement, Author & JTBD evangelist
The Snickers Satisfies ad from the 1980s is the simplest application of JTBD at work.
Here, customers exhibit various characteristics (confused, dramatic, sleepy, cranky) because they are hungry. The customer is struggling because of hunger and has hired Snickers for the job of satiating hunger. Hence, Snickers satisfies your hunger!
Volvo is another example of a company that constantly evolves its messaging to match culture shifts and the customers’ jobs-to-be-done. One of my favorite ads is this one from 1999:
Interestingly, the Volvo S80 does look a bit similar to the 1999 BMW 5-series – BMWs are known for being fashionable and luxurious. The ad addresses the customers’ inner struggle – they want a car that is safe but probably think they have to settle for an ugly car. Volvo is coming to their rescue by telling them that they can have both in the Volvo S80.
JTBD is all about your customers’ struggles and their transformation towards a better version of themselves
In my opinion, there is no one right way to phrase the Jobs-to-be-done. A recommended way to think about it is to describe the struggle and how your customer’s life is better because of your solution. Some JTBD examples:
- Ring Security Company: Give homeowners on vacation peace of mind by not having to worry about the safety of their homes so they can enjoy time with their families. From a customer’s perspective it could be Help me worry less about my home while I’m on vacation with my family so I can enjoy time with them. Another JTBD can be from a parent’s perspective – When I’m at work, free me from constantly worrying about whether my kids are safely at home.
- Health-ade Kombucha: Prevent me from crashing by mid-day and give me energy to focus on completing my homework so I can hang out with my friends later.
- Calendly: Unburden me from the tedious tasks of back-and-forth scheduling so that I can concentrate on preparing for my meetings.
There are so many examples. Once you start to understand how to think about Customer jobs, you can’t help but see it around you. Jobs-to-be-done is about transformation. It’s about the progress customers makes from where they currently are to where they want to be.
What Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) is not:
- Company goals or mission: The JTBD is not your company goals, objectives, or values. If anything it should be a bottoms-up approach that influences your company’s mission once you understand why customers use your product.
- Product or Features: People not products have a job to be done.
- Task or Activity: Some interpretations of JTBD have grossly misidentified it as a task or an activity. Some examples of a task include: driving a car, listening to music, unwrap a candy bar. In When Coffee & Kale Compete, the author has a great flow-chart for how to denote whether one is describing a JTBD or something else.
How Product Managers can utilize Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD)?
- Gather insights to improve your products and analyze competition as you talk to customers: Uncover insights by doing customer interviews and trying to understand the jobs your customers want to get done. Here are some questions that you can ask during customer interviews to uncover JTBD:
- What would they spend their money on if they didn’t spend it on their product?
- What did customers do before finding your product?
- How did they find your product?
- If they could no longer use your product, what would they use instead?
- Have customers set aside a budget for using your product or other solutions?
- What can be changed to better meet their needs?
- How are they expecting their lives to be better once they have the right solution for a JTBD?
- Product Improvement: Understanding your customers’ JTBD helps you determine whether your product needs improvement. It’s possible your product satisfies your customer jobs just fine and doing anything else only incurs costs without additional benefits. It’s also possible that by not investing in new product offerings and being willing to cannibalize your existing offerings, you’re at risk of losing your customers entirely.
- Prioritization: As you talk to customers and uncover their journeys, you’re bound to notice many JTBD opportunities. While it’s exciting, it is impossible to tackle all the customer jobs. Instead, focus on themes and decide on the most pressing customer job to satisfy.
- Improve copy and marketing material: Create better marketing material that speak to your customers’ JTBD. Show them that you understand their emotional motivations and how their lives as opposed to touting features and functionality. Talk about what your product does for your customers, not what your product is.
JTBD and Competition
When properly applied, Jobs-to-be-done provides insights on who your competitors are. Competition is not just similar products in your category or industry. Competition can come from anywhere. It can be visible like a substitute product or an invisible state like anxiety or passivity. Basically, anything that prevents potential customers from using your product to make progress in their lives is a competitor. Get to the root of your customers’ JTBD and what the detractors are. Then, attack that with all your might.
In general, Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) focuses on customer motivation and why they buy your products. It touches upon the qualitative aspects that cannot be compensated for with analytics or telemetry alone. Furthermore, Jobs-to-be-done is a big-picture unifier for various teams within your organization. Everyone works better together when they understand and are allowed to focus on how your products transform the lives of your customers.
Some recommended reading material on JTBD:
- When Coffee & Kale Compete by Alan Klement
- Lightweight JTBD framework by Sunita Mohanty, Product Lead at Facebook
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