The problem is that many businesses aren’t ready to absorb the effects of this paradigm shift. They instead cling to management models of the past, despite the new customer-centric imperative. They struggle to find a new center to their view of the world. But markets don’t wait: value isn’t measured by some feature set or capability, but rather how people perceive the benefits of an offering.
JTBD helps. It provides a systematic framework for creating your own model of people’s needs. Like Copernicus’s diagram, models of the job to be done are abstractions. But those abstractions are an important foundation for integrating human needs into business decision-making.
To understand how JTBD can help shift mindsets, let’s first look at the various elements of the framework and how they come together to provide a new North Star to follow.
Elements of JTBD
A core strength of JTBD is its structure, which clearly separates out various aspects of achieving objectives. The who, what, how, why and when/where are analyzed individually, giving both precision and flexibility to JTBD methods. My simplified model of JTBD consists of five core elements, illustrated in Figure 2.2.1
• Job performer (who): The executor of the main job, the ultimate end user
• Jobs (what): The aim of the performer, what they want to accomplish
• Process (how): The procedure of how the job will get done
• Needs (why): Why the performer acts in a certain way while executing the job, or their requirements or intended outcomes during the job process
• Circumstances (when/where): The contextual factors that frame job execution
FIGURE 2.2 Five key elements describe the JTBD ecosystem.
Job Performer
Who is trying to get the job done? The job performer represents the individual who will be executing the job. That person is the eventual end user of the services you’ll provide.
Be sure to make a distinction between the various functions involved in performing the job, in particular differentiating the performer from the buyer. Don’t conflate the two, because they have different needs. Think about two separate hats that are worn: one is for the job performer while carrying out the job; the other is for the buyer when purchasing a product or service.
Now, in B2C contexts, a single person may switch between the two hats. But their needs while wearing each hat are distinct. In the B2B situations, the job performer and the buyer are often separate people. For instance, a procurement office may purchase equipment and materials for others in the company without their direct input.
In addition to the job performer and the buyer, other functions within the job ecosystem to consider include the following:
• Approver: Someone who authorizes the acquisition of a solution, e.g., a controller, a spouse or parent, or a budget holder
• Reviewer: Someone who examines a solution for appropriateness, e.g., a lawyer, a consultant, or a compliance officer
• Technician: The person who integrates a solution and gets it working, e.g., an IT support, an installer, or a tech-savvy friend
• Manager: Someone who oversees a job performer while performing the job, e.g., a supervisor, a team lead, or a boss
• Audience: People who consume the output of performing the job, e.g., a client, a downstream decision-maker, or a team
• Assistant: A person who aids and supports the job performer in getting the job done, e.g., a helper, a teammate, or a friend
Map out the different actors who may be involved in a simple diagram, such as the one shown in Figure 2.3.
FIGURE 2.3 Keep the possible functions in a job ecosystem separate and focus on the job performer first.
Note that these different roles don’t refer to job titles. Instead, they represent different functional actors within the context of getting a job done. To reiterate, consider these as separate roles or hats to wear. The primary focus on attention is on the job performer first. Later, you can consider the needs of the other roles in relation to the job to be done and the job performer.
For instance, let’s say your company provides an online task management tool to enterprises. The job performer is the ultimate end user, perhaps a programmer on a development team. The buyer could be the collaboration software manager of the customer’s company, for example, who may need to get approval from a procurement office and have the legal department review any software agreement. The job performer also has a manager, who determines the practices around assigning tasks. Program managers may be the audience of the job performer when she presents progress to them.
Draw a quick map, like the one in Figure 2.3, to help differentiate the job performer from other roles. The JTBD perspective gives a sequence in which to address the needs of various stakeholders: start with the needs of the job performer; then focus on the buyer before looking at the needs of others. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean that buyer needs are unimportant. Instead, solutions must first and foremost address the needs of the job performer ahead of considering the needs of the purchaser.
Jobs
What is the job performer trying to achieve? A job is a goal or an objective independent of your solution. The aim of the job performer is not to interact with your company but to get something done. Your service is a means to an end, and you must first understand that end.
Because they don’t mention solutions or technology, jobs should be as timeless and unchanging as possible. Ask yourself, “How would people have gotten the job done 50 years ago?” Strive to frame jobs in a way that makes them stable, even as technology changes.
There are several types of jobs you’ll ultimately be looking for, and it takes practice to sort them out and define them. The key distinctions to make are between the main job, related jobs, and emotional and social jobs.
MAIN JOB
The main job is the overall aim of the job performer. Determining the main job defines your overall playing field and sets your scope of innovation. You should express the main job in functional terms, such as a utilitarian goal. It’s an act that will be performed and should have a clear end state—the “done” part of jobs to be done.
The main job is broad and straightforward, serving as an anchor for all other elements of your JTBD investigation. For example, prepare a meal, listen to music, or plan long-term financial well-being are examples.