Jobs to be done

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD), also known as Jobs Theory, is a business and innovation framework that seeks to understand the fundamental reasons why consumers purchase products or services. Rather than focusing on demographic factors or product attributes, JTBD analyzes consumer behavior by identifying the functional, social, or emotional objectives that drive purchasing decisions.

In JTBD, customers "hire" products and/or services to complete desired progress in their lives. The framework emphasizes aligning innovation, marketing, and product development with the underlying objectives consumers aim to achieve, rather than focusing solely on product attributes. Common examples include buying a milkshake - not simply for taste, but for a convenient breakfast while traveling.

Origins and Evolution

The notion of JTBD has roots in Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI), developed by Anthony Ulwick of the consulting firm Strategyn. ODI, which emerged in the late 1990s, emphasizes identifying measurable outcomes customers desire, the outcomes they prioritize when trying to get a job done, and created a structured approach for opportunity discovery.

In 1999, Ulwick shared ODI with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen, who popularized the language of "jobs to be done" in his 2003 book The Innovator’s Dilemma, and later in Competing Against Luck.

Prominent figures associated with JTBD theory include:

• Tony Ulwick developed ODI, which includes mapping customer jobs and desired outcomes through a structured methodology.
• Clayton M. Christensen adopted and expanded JTBD theory to diagnose customer decisions beyond demographic filters.
• Bob Moesta applied JTBD concepts to sales and marketing contexts.

Core Concepts

Types of Jobs

JTBD categorizes jobs into five major types:

1. Functional Jobs - the practical tasks or problems customers aim to solve (e.g., "drill a hole").
2. Emotional and Social Jobs - the feelings people want to experience or how they wish to be perceived (e.g., confidence, convenience).
3. Related Jobs - tasks surrounding the core job, such as maintenance or setup.
4. Consumption-Chain Jobs - steps such as installation, transport, and disposal that support the core job.
5. Purchase Decision Jobs - the financial or performance criteria used by buyers.

Job Mapping

A job map breaks down a job into sequential steps - from defining objectives to execution and afterwards - to identify opportunities for optimization.

Desired Outcomes

JTBD integrates customer-defined desired outcomes - specific, measurable metrics used to assess job completion success - which allow innovation teams to prioritize unmet customer needs quantitatively.

Prominent JTBD Methodologies

Outcome‑Driven Innovation (ODI)

ODI, founded by Tony Ulwick, uses job mapping and outcome measurement to identify areas where customer needs may not be fully met. The methodology includes a scoring system that ranks outcomes by their importance to customers and current satisfaction levels.

Demand‑Side Sales

Bob Moesta’s Demand-Side Sales adapts JTBD principles to sales and marketing, focusing on customers’ life circumstances and motivations rather than the seller’s agenda. Its goal is to connect products to the real "job" users need done.

Christensen’s JTBD Lens

Clayton Christensen framed JTBD as a tool to understand decision-making causality - why customers choose one solution over another. His approach suggests exploring customer context and motivation deeply to design disruptive, context-aware products.

Applications and Benefits

JTBD has been applied in various fields, including product design and marketing, to better align offerings with customer needs. Reported benefits include:

• Improved alignment between product design and real customer needs.
• Reduced innovation risk by focusing on outcomes rather than features.
• The ability to uncover hidden market segments based on functional/emotional jobs.
• Improved customer retention through closer alignment with user needs has been cited as a possible outcome.

Real‑World Examples

• McDonald's reportedly adjusted milkshake consistency and packaging after studying consumer use cases, such as commuters seeking portable breakfast options.
• Tax software: Simplified to reduce time spent on taxes upon discovering customers prioritized speed over complexity.

Other examples include Spotify (“help me focus or relax”), Uber (“help me get from A to B affordably and safely”), and Duolingo (“help me learn a language in short, enjoyable sessions”).

Criticisms and Limitations

JTBD frameworks may become overly abstract if not paired with practical application and translation into specific features. Structuring desired outcomes for quantitative analysis can also be resource intensive.