jobs-to-be-done

# Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) ## Overview Clayton Christensen's Jobs to Be Done framework states: People don't buy products, they hire them to make progress in their lives. Focus on the **job** (goal/outcome), not customer demographics or product features. Classic example: "People don't want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole." ## Core Insight Customers "hire" products to get a job done. Understand the job to build better solutions and identify non-obvious competitors. **Example**: Commuters hire podcasts to "make commute productive." Competitor isn't just other podcasts—it's audiobooks, music, phone calls (all do similar job). ## JTBD Statement Format **When** [situation], **I want to** [motivation], **So I can** [expected outcome] **Example**: When I'm traveling for work, I want to quickly find healthy food options, so I can maintain energy without wasting time. ## Process ### Step 1: Identify the Job Interview customers about moments they decided to buy/use your product. Focus on the circumstance, not the person. **Question**: "Walk me through the day you decided to buy this product. What were you trying to accomplish?" ### Step 2: Map the Job Statement Extract: Situation (when), Motivation (want to), Outcome (so I can). **Example**: Milkshake study: Parents "hired" milkshakes to "keep kids occupied on long morning commute so they could drive peacefully." ### Step 3: Identify Competing Jobs Who else do customers "hire" for the same job? Includes non-obvious competitors. **Example**: Gym membership job: "Feel healthy and confident." Competitors: Fitness apps, diet plans, athleisure clothing (all address same job). ### Step 4: Optimize for the Job Redesign product to better fulfill the job, not just add features. **Example**: McDonald's milkshakes: Made thicker (lasted longer commute), easier to buy (drive-thru optimization), added fruit chunks (guilt-reduction for breakfast). ## Example Application **Company**: Note-taking app struggling with retention **Research**: Interview users: "When do you use our app?" **Jobs discovered**: 1. "When I'm in a meeting, I want to capture action items, so I can follow up later" 2. "When reading articles, I want to save insights, so I can reference them when writing" 3. "When feeling overwhelmed, I want to brain dump, so I can organize thoughts" **Insight**: Three distinct jobs. Current product optimized for none specifically. **Decision**: Split into three products or prioritize one job. Choose job #1 (meeting notes), optimize for that. **Outcome**: Add meeting templates, integrations with calendar, automatic action item extraction. Retention for "meeting notes" job increases 2x. ## When to Use - Discovering why customers really use your product - Identifying non-obvious competitors - Prioritizing feature development - Entering new markets (understand the job, not demographics) ## Anti-Patterns - ❌ Focusing on demographics ("millennials want...") vs. jobs - ❌ Asking "What features do you want?" (users describe solutions, not jobs) - ❌ Treating all use cases as one job (different jobs need different products) - ❌ Confusing job with task ("I want to click this button" is not a job) ## Success Metrics - **Job Completion Rate**: % of customers who successfully accomplish the job - **Time to Job Completion**: Speed from trigger to desired outcome - **Switching Rate**: How often customers "fire" alternatives for your product - **Job Satisfaction Score**: How well product delivers on functional + emotional + social dimensions ## Integration with Other Frameworks **Combines with**: - Opportunity Solution Trees: Map solutions to job dimensions - Continuous Discovery Habits: Weekly interviews to uncover jobs - The Mom Test: Questions that reveal actual jobs, not opinions - Kano Model: Distinguish must-have job requirements from delighters **Complements**: - Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI): Tactical implementation method - Value Proposition Canvas: Map jobs to solutions visually - User Story Mapping: Structure backlog around job completion ## Common Pitfalls ### Confusing Tasks with Jobs **Task**: "I need to share this file" **Job**: "When collaborating remotely, I want to coordinate on documents, so we can make decisions without meetings" ### Stopping at Functional Jobs Don't ignore emotional and social dimensions. A gym isn't just hired to "exercise" (functional), but also to "feel accomplished" (emotional) and "be seen as health-conscious" (social). ### Treating All Customers as One Job Different circumstances = different jobs. A person might hire your product for different jobs in different contexts. Don't try to serve all jobs with one solution. ## References - "Competing Against Luck" - Clayton Christensen - "When Coffee and Kale Compete" - Alan Klement - Christensen Institute JTBD resources - StrategyN Outcome-Driven Innovation (Tony Ulwick) - The Re-Wired Group (Bob Moesta switch interviews) ## Related - continuous-discovery-habits - opportunity-solution-trees - mom-test - user-research-methodologies - product-strategy - customer-development - kano-model - value-proposition