Jobs to be Done (JTBD) Deep Dive

• 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.
• 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
  • Reviewer: Someone who examines a solution for appropriateness
  • Technician: The person who integrates a solution and gets it working
  • Manager: Someone who oversees a job performer while performing the job
  • Audience: People who consume the output of performing the job
  • Assistant: A person who aids and supports the job performer in getting the job done

• The aim of the job performer is not to interact with your company but to get something done.
• Because they don’t mention solutions or technology, jobs should be as timeless and unchanging as possible. 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. The key distinctions to make are between the main job, related jobs, and emotional and social jobs.
• JTBD provides a sequence for innovation: meet the needs of the functional job first and then layer emotional and social aspects after that. Targeting emotional and social jobs first often yields an endless number of solution possibilities.
• There are different types of jobs:
  • MAIN JOB
    • This is the overall aim of the job performer or your customer’s primary objective you want to understand.
    • This job defines your overall playing field and sets your scope of innovation.
    • This job is broad and straightforward and serves as an anchor for all other elements of your JTBD investigation.
    • This job is often expressed 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.
    • This job shouldn’t include adjectives like quick, easy, or inexpensive. Those are considered to be needs, or the metrics by which job performers compare solutions, which are handled separately. The main job is also different from your marketing message or value proposition statement, which tends to be persuasive to evoke an emotion.
    • Don’t define the main job too narrowly. A small job will limit your field of vision, but also will constrain your efforts. When in doubt, go broader and define a main job that is larger than smaller. Ask “why?” and “how?” to move the level of granularity of the main job up or down.
    • Examples: Plan long-term financial well-being, prepare a meal, or listen to music.
  • RELATED JOBS
    • Related jobs are adjacent to the main job, but are significantly different.
    • As you define the main job, identify related jobs to understand the overall landscape of objectives as people have multiple goals that collide and intersect. Identifying related jobs as such can help your team understand what the main job is and what it is not. Only then should you decide on a single main job to focus on, keeping related jobs in your peripheral line of sight.
    • Keep in mind that related goals may even compete with the main job and each other. For instance, buying a large-ticket item like a car or house may detract from growing a retirement portfolio. As a result, progress in our lives is the sum of the outcomes of related jobs, and balance is often required.
    • Example: If you define grow retirement portfolio as a main job, related jobs may be finance a new home or balance cash flow.
  • EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL JOBS
    • Targeting emotional and social jobs first often yields an endless number of solution possibilities, which is why they should be considered after main and related jobs.
    • Emotional jobs reflect how people want to feel while performing the job. Statements usually start with the word “feel.”
    • Example: I want to feel confident in providing feedback on my coworker's code.
    • Social jobs indicate how a job performer fits into a system.
    • Example: I want to help drive cultural change within my organization.
    • Separating functional jobs from emotional and social jobs helps focus on the individual’s objective, on one side, and experiential aspects of getting the job done, on the other. The rule of thumb is to solve for the functional job first. It’s hard to solve for an emotional or social job if the functional job isn’t fulfilled.

• Understanding the process of the job performer’s intent is key to JTBD.
• You can illustrate the main job in a chronological map using a sequence of stages, such as Beginning, Middle, and End.
• Each stage can contain multiple user stories (also called Little Jobs). Be careful not to get into the tasks/physical activities just yet.
• Because the job has to be “done,” be sure to formulate the job in a way that has an end state.
• Once you have the main sequence, specify the tasks needed to complete each user story.

• Why do the job performers act the way they do while getting the job done? Their actions might be tied to achieving specific outcomes, such as producing a specific report. Their actions might also be tied to requirements or processes they must adhere to.
• In JTBD, a need is seen in relation to getting the main job done; needs aren’t demands from a solution, but an individual’s requirements for getting a job done.
• Needs aren’t aspirations either, which are above the main job in terms of abstraction.
• Example: If a main job is defined as file taxes, needs in getting that job done may be minimize the time it takes to gather documents or maximize the likelihood of a getting a return.
• Example: Expressions like “have financial peace of mind” or “provide for my family” are motivations beyond getting the main job. These are important aspects to consider later, but not needs related to reaching the objective of filing taxes.

The contextual factors that frame job execution. When and where does the job get done?

• Circumstances typically consist of aspects around time, manner, and place.
• 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.
• JTBD uses circumstances in order to be relevant to an organization. The conditions around the job give it meaning and relevance and therefore must be considered.
• Example: 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.
• Adding contextual detail to the situation also helps greatly when designing a solution.
  • Example: 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.