If you find yourself using an and or or, you probably need two separate need statements. Need statements should be as atomic as possible to not only see all of the factors involved in getting a job done, but also to pinpoint which ones are most important. As a result, any main job may have 50–150 intended needs.
For instance, there may be many needs for the main job of prepare a meal, such as minimize time to process ingredients, reduce the risk of injury, increase the likelihood that others will enjoy the meal, or minimize the effort to clean up after the meal. The list goes on.
Circumstances
When and where does the job get done? JTBD also takes the context of getting the job done into account in order to be relevant to an organization. For instance, get breakfast is a very broad job that could apply to many situations. But for a fast food restaurant, get breakfast on the go, is a more precise job to focus on. The conditions around the job give it meaning and relevance and therefore must be considered.
Adding contextual detail to the situation also helps greatly when designing a solution. For instance, a solution for the job get breakfast on the go could include everything from going to a restaurant or diner to eating a packed lunch at a desk. But when considering specific circumstances like when late for work, while commuting and when cost is a factor, a morning milkshake might be a better solution for the job.
Circumstances typically consist of aspects around time, manner, and place. For example, for the job listen to music on a run, you might uncover factors that determine how that will be performed:
• When it’s raining
• When there is traffic on the road
• When it gets sweaty
• When it’s bouncy
• And so on...
A job without context is not complete and cannot provide strategic direction. There is necessarily a dependency on formulating a main job and knowing the circumstances.
To summarize, there are five key elements in the JTBD framework. Using the previous example of attending a conference, you could consolidate an expression of the JTBD elements as follows in Table 2.4.
TABLE 2.4 AN EXAMPLE OF JTBD ELEMENTS
| ELEMENT | EXAMPLES |
| Job Performer | Conference attendee |
| Main Job | Attend a conference, e.g., a conference, symposium, meetup |
| Related Job | Earn continuing education credits Take a training course |
| Emotional and Social Jobs | Feel inspired by new information Network with others who are like-minded |
| Process | Main stages: 1. Plan 2. Decide 3. Prepare 4. Participate 5. Network 6. Record 7. Summarize 8. Share |
| Needs | • Reduce the time it takes to select a conference to attend • Maximize chances of getting permission to attend • Increase connections in a professional network • Raise awareness of the latest topics in the field • Minimize the time it takes to share learnings with others • Maximize the ability to recall relevant content from event • Etc. (up to ~150 such statements) |
| Circumstances | • When companies limit the number of events employees can attend • When it’s the first time attending a conference • When it’s a very small conference • When it’s a very large conference • Etc. |
Hierarchy in JTBD
The parable goes like this: A traveler came upon three stoneworkers arranging bricks and asked them what they were doing. The first replied, “I’m laying bricks.” The second answered, “I’m building a room.” When the traveler got to the third man, he heard a different response. “I’m building a cathedral,” the stoneworker replied. Of course, all three answered correctly; it’s just a matter of perspective.
When working with JTBD, you’ll confront the issue of granularity. The question you need to answer is, “At what level of abstraction do you want to try to innovate?” There’s no right or wrong answer—it depends on your situation and aim. Getting the right altitude is key. Objectives at one level roll up into higher-order goals, generally called laddering.
In JTBD work, the principle of laddering applies as well. For instance, in his book Competing Against Luck, Clayton Christensen points to “big jobs,” or things that have a big impact on our lives (like finding a new career) and “little jobs,” or things that arise in our daily lives (such as passing time while waiting in line).
Rather than just two levels—big and little—I have found that JTBD can be viewed on about four different levels (see Figure 2.6).
• Aspirations: An ideal change of state, something the individual desires to become
• Big Job: A broader objective, typically at the level of a main job
• Little Job: A smaller, more practical job that corresponds roughly to stages in a big job
• Micro-Job: Activities that resemble tasks but are stated in terms of JTBD
FIGURE 2.6 Recognize the different levels of abstraction in JTBD.
For example, I once experienced a mismatch in goal levels while interacting with Zipcar, the popular carsharing service. On one occasion, I showed up to my reserved car spot, and the vehicle wasn’t there. After immediately calling customer service, they offered to pay for a cab ride to my destination. Job done.
But on Mother’s Day another year, the same thing happened: I arrived to my reserved car, and it wasn’t there. This time, rather than offering an alternative ride option, the Zipcar agent proceeded to name other locations to pick up a Zipcar. All of them would have added hours to my trip.
In other words, while I was trying to get to my family’s house at a specific time (a big job), in this case, the agent was trying to rent me another car (a little job). Consider some of the different levels of abstraction in this example, reflected in Table 2.5.
TABLE 2.5