What Is the Jobs-to-Be-Done Framework?

Just in case you have never heard about the jobs-to-be-done framework, it is high time for you to check out what it is. While being a powerful lens businesses employ to observe markets, define customer needs, and overcome competitors, it can provide you with a deep understanding of how to grow professionally.

So, how about taking a detailed look at the jobs-to-be-done theory? Go through this article and develop a strategy for boosting your business to a completely new level!

Short Information on the Jobs-to-Be-Done Theory

The jobs-to-be-done theory (also known as jobs theory) discusses innovation processes that are based on the assumption that people buy products or services to get their ‘jobs’ done. While these ‘jobs,’ in their turn, include:

• The accomplishment of tasks;
• The achievement of goals;
• The avoidance of problems;
• And so on.

More precisely, the jobs-to-be-done concept states that businesses that would like their products or services to win the marketplace need to put effort into understanding the ‘jobs’ their customers would like to have done with their help while creating beneficial offers.

PLEASE NOTE:
The ‘jobs’ that have to be done with the help of a certain product or service become the main units of analysis. While remaining stable over time, these ‘jobs’ provide businesses with a stable focal point while creating value.

From the History of the Jobs-to-Be-Done Concept

The roots of the jobs-to-be-done concept go back to the field of innovations and product development. In 2000s, Clayton Christensen introduced it after studying why successful companies sometimes failed to come up with successful innovations and, therefore, were not able to create the desired outcomes customers wanted to achieve.

The main purpose of the jobs-to-be-done concept was to understand the motivations and needs of the companies’ target customers better. Instead of focusing solely on product features, the concept looked at the ‘jobs’ that the potential customers were trying to get done when they hired a product or service of a certain company.

PLEASE NOTE:
The core idea of the jobs-to-be-done concept was that customers ‘hire’ products or services to help them accomplish specific ‘jobs’ in their lives. While these ‘jobs,’ in their turn, represented fundamental problems or needs that customers had to solve.

Usage of the Jobs-to-Be-Done Framework in Business

According to numerous product managers, the framework of the jobs-to-be-done might work as a powerful business tool. By means of using it properly, product teams might understand their customers to a greater extent, develop products or services that would perfectly meet their needs, and drive innovations.

Moreover, it is also worth mentioning that an effective usage of the job-to-be-done concept helps every business to both improve its functional aspects and and make a powerful ‘job’ statement to create products or services its customers buy and enjoy.

PLEASE NOTE:
By paying attention to the metrics customers use to measure success during the process of getting the actual ‘job’ done, the job-to-be-done concept might be effectively used to boost a business to a completely new level.

Main Steps of the Job-to-Be-Done Framework

In order to create the best possible customer experience and satisfy customer needs, a business might employ the jobs-to-be-done concept. Below, you will be able to check out the main steps the so-called ‘job’ map includes:

• Identify the ‘jobs’ the customers want to get done (including the functional ‘job’ aspects and emotional ‘job’ aspects);
• Create clear and concise ‘job’ statements that describe core problems or needs the customers have;
• Group the customers into segments since not all of them have the same problems or needs (this way, you will be able to arrive at several different consumption chain ‘jobs’);
• Analyze existing solutions for the related ‘jobs’ of all customer segments in order to identify the unmet problems or needs;
• Develop new solutions (a.k.a. innovations) to satisfy the yet unmet problems or needs of the customers or, in other words, get their ‘jobs’ done.

PLEASE NOTE:
The above-mentioned steps might slightly vary depending on the business ‘jobs’ they are connected with. At the same time, however, the stress on the ‘jobs’ customers expect to be done has to be preserved.

A Bottom Line

All in all, the jobs-to-be-done concept is an amazing tool that has the power to let your business grow. Feel free to try it out yourself and take advantage of all the benefits it provides!

Post Scriptum

More information on the main stages of the job-to-be-done concept might be found in various offline and online sources (for instance, MIT SLOAN Management Review).