StrategyCAD Guide - Jobs to be done

Problems solved and needs satisfied

The JTBD framework provides a valuable, established and modern lens through which you can view your customers and design products that truly meet their needs. The Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework is a tool for understanding why customers make the decisions they do (motivations). By focusing on the underlying needs and desires of customers, the JTBD framework allows a business to create products and services that truly meet those needs, rather than just providing solutions that are superficially similar to what customers are already using. This can lead to more successful products, higher customer satisfaction, and increased brand loyalty.

Introduction

People make purchase decisions to improve themselves or their situation. Even decisions that are seemingly self-sacrificing, the motivation can be linked to the person fulfilling a need to live as their ideal self – doing what is right or moral (Actualisation). Hence, all value propositions must offer the opportunity for people to improve themselves in their situation. The Jobs to be Done a framework developed by the late and great Clayton Christensen , the world’s foremost authority on disruptive innovation, recognizes that people pull products or services into their lives to make progress or improve their situation. Understanding this opens a world of innovation and value proposition possibilities. Jobs to be Done focuses on understanding the:

the situations or the trigger events that create the need
the actions the customer takes to satisfy those needs and resolve the situation
the functional, emotional, social, and other outcomes that makes the situation satisfying or delightful

The special opportunities for innovation and customer satisfaction lie in resolving the situation, satisfying needs, and creating delight through not just functional, but emotional, social and cognitive outcomes.

A person does not necessarily want to buy a new outfit. They want to pull a particular outfit into their lives because they want to feel a certain way such as attractive, desirable, admired, or socially accepted by peers who are similarly dressed.
A business leader does not want to buy a CRM system, they more likely want hire it to assist with their personal and professional security, success and fulfillment.

This can be why discussing what the criteria for success are can be more valuable that demonstrating features.
The famous example is the customer does not want a ¼ inch drill, they want a ¼ inch hole is frequently but with Jobs to be Done, even this is not quite right. Perhaps they want to hang that picture on the wall and do not need the hole or the drill. From a social and emotional viewpoint perhaps, they may want to appear very competent in-home decoration as part of their ideal self.

The Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework plays an important role in shaping a business strategy by providing insights into customer needs and preferences. By understanding the jobs that customers are trying to accomplish in their lives, your business can develop products and services that are specifically tailored to those needs. This can create a competitive advantage, as your business can be better differentiate from competitors and provide solutions that truly meet customer functional, emotional and social needs.

Additionally, the JTBD framework can help companies identify new market opportunities by uncovering unmet customer needs. By understanding the broader context in which customers use products and services, companies can identify areas where current solutions fall short and develop new products or services to address those needs.

Finally, the JTBD framework can also inform marketing and communication strategies by providing a clearer understanding of the benefits and outcomes that customers are seeking. By focusing on the specific outcomes that customers are looking to achieve, companies can create more effective messaging and advertising campaigns that resonate with their target audience. Overall, the JTBD framework can be a powerful tool for shaping a business strategy that is customer-centric and focused on delivering real value to customers.

Step 1

From the Problems we solve section of the Strategic choices canvas, click the AI icon and then enter the type of business or industry your business is in or considering and submit the dialog.

AI Job to be done dialog — JTBD AI Dialog where you can enter the type of product, service, need or situation

Step 2

Watch for the AI icon to convert to a speaker which means it has something to share with you.

Step 3

You can then review a list of Jobs to be Done recommendations. Many will be valuable and surprising. You can choose to add them directly to the canvas from the results or save them to your Strategic choices canvas Journal, for a later review or if you do not need it, then neither of those options.

Adding to the Strategic choices canvas

To add a result to your Strategic choices canvas

Provide a description for the Suggestion
Assign the Job to be Done suggestion to a team for ownership and elaboration
When done - submit the dialog and StrategyCAD will store the entries you requested to go into the canvas into the canvas and those where you checked the Journal checkbox will be added to your Strategic choices journal.

From the Problems we solve section of the Strategic choices canvas choose:

The add icon to create a new Job to be Done. Complete the Title and description
Submit the dialog
Then use the link icon to locate the Job to be Done you just created to link it to your strategic choices canvas.

Once you have added one or more JTBD records to your Strategic choices canvas, you will want to elaborate and iteratively elaborate upon it to gain insights into the events that trigger the customer need, the functional, emotion and social needs connected with the Job to be Done. A seemingly small but deeper understanding could be the basis for a substantial advantage.

Before launching into completing your own Jobs to be Done canvas, consider taking a look at this example.

In this example we can complete a Job to be Done from the admired startup Rent the Runway.
Rent the Runway is an e-commerce platform that allows users to rent, subscribe, or buy designer apparel and accessories. Founded by Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss in recognition of multiple factors. One of those factors being women’s desire to wear outfits that are glamorous, make them feel and look good and avoid having social media photos in the same outfit in multiple events.

When in this situation	I want to	So that I can
Job to be done statement Identifying goal(s) the customer has, the constraints and frustrations they currently experience and the desires or how they want to feel with respect this goal.
I have special occasion to attend which requires formal or semi-formal dress	Wear a designer outfit that nobody has seen me in before	Feel good, look glamorous, earn the respect of those in attendance and have some great photos that I feel confident in sharing on my social media profile or I be seen in other peoples' profiles.
Related jobs Thinking about the whole of the customer experience we can think about and capture the jobs that come before and after the job to be done – this might provide additional value proposition opportunities
Predecessor / preparation jobs		Follow on jobs to be done
Finding out what others are wearing. Take some photos in one or more outfits, to see how it is going to look. Make sure none of my friends have worn my chosen outfit in their social media photos		Have jewellery that matches Have accessories that match – purse / bag, hair piece Have makeup and hair done to match the outfit. Know the designer details in case I am asked Identify which postures will look best in photos Car or Limo to the event Return the outfit Make sure partner outfit / suit matches mine
Motivators Identify the motivations in this Job to be Done
Physiological	Security / safety	Connectedness
I want assurance it is as clean as new	Needs to be glamorous but fit within my budget Needs to be convenient for me to find what I want, and availability in my size.	I need to feel confident I am going to look the way I desire.
Esteem		Actualization
I want to feel confident about myself and feel confident I will earn the respect and admiration of those present		I see myself as a worthy and desirable human being and I want to live up to that ideal.
Enablement Identify the enhancers and difficulties in getting the Job Done with satisfaction
Delight drivers		Delight detractors
A good range of outfits and ones in my size Ability to see what they look like on (a model) at each different size A good range of colours A good range of matching outfits e.g., skirt, shirt, jacket, shoes		Too expensive (relative to purchase price) Garments look worn or not clean Inability to get the whole collection when choose multiple pieces

Example of using jobs to be done template to demonstrate the situation, needs and motivations.

At this stage you and your team can complete one or more Jobs to be Done for your value proposition. In the StrategyCAD Jobs to be Done template, try to consider as many situations as possible that trigger the demand for your product / service. For example, if you provide CRM software to enable business to create winning relationships with its' customer, then, triggers could be:

New company is registered
Company gets a round of venture funding
Appointment of new customer success, sales or marketing manager at a company in your Arena
A company just missed out on a large client acquisition
A company just recently signed some large customers
A new CEO or executive appointment – the executive wants to make change and customer focus is likely on the agenda
Company gets some bad media or social media for its customer service
Company reports revenue issues due to customer churn, dissatisfaction, etc