Last update: 16/10/2024

I have introduced a new evaluation framework for assessing Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) with a focus on sustainability. This topic is now integrated into the comprehensive marketing strategy assessment.

In a nutshell

"Job to be Done" (JTBD) is a pivotal concept in the Marketing Canvas, helping businesses to understand their customers' needs more precisely. The JTBD concept posits that customers buy products or services to fulfill a specific job or objective that goes beyond mere product functionality, including emotional and social aspects. Businesses must focus not on the product they sell, but on the job that their product is hired to do. A deep understanding of the customer's job can make marketing more effective and innovation more predictable. The JTBD framework involves identifying customers' unmet goals, constraints, and catalysts, which can lead to innovative and unique solutions.

A practical example is Green Clean, an eco-friendly cleaning company. Their customers' JTBD might not just be "getting a clean house," but also "maintaining a safe and healthy home environment," "reducing their carbon footprint," or "setting a positive example for their children about environmental responsibility." By understanding these broader jobs, Green Clean can tailor their services and marketing strategies more effectively.Introduction

In the Marketing Canvas

The Marketing Canvas is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and non-marketers to build a robust marketing strategy. It consists of six meta-dimensions, each with four sub-dimensions, for a total of 24 sub-dimensions defining your Marketing Strategy. One of these sub-dimensions is JOB TO BE DONE (JTBD), which falls under the CUSTOMER meta-category

Introduction

"Job to be Done" is the inaugural concept in the Marketing Canvas, positioned under the Customer category. It serves as a litmus test to gauge your understanding of the people who buy, use, or may potentially purchase your products and services. Originating from the realms of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, this concept was first broached by Theodore Levitt in his ground-breaking article, "Marketing Myopia". He famously asserted, "People don't want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole" (HBR, 1960).

Marketing Canvas by Laurent Bouty - Job To Be Done

What is Job To Be Done?

When devising your commercial strategy, it's paramount to understand the problems your customers are trying to solve or what they aim to achieve. This is where "Job-to-be-done" (JTBD) comes into play. Simply put, JTBD is the ultimate objective that inspires customers to buy products, services, or solutions.

The JTBD framework functions as a lens through which you can scrutinize the circumstances or problems that trigger customers to make purchase decisions. Customers are seldom swayed by what an "average" customer might do. Instead, they are more likely to buy products or services that can address a specific problem they are facing. Knowing the "job" that your customers are "hiring" a product or service for enables you to design and market products that precisely meet their needs.

A crucial aspect to remember is that JTBD is not an activity or a task (like listening to music). Rather, it encapsulates the broader purpose for which customers use a product or service.

JTBD: An In-Depth Perspective

Imagine a consumer progressing through life as they know it. Then, an opportunity for self-betterment presents itself, a chance to grow. If they find a product that helps them seize this opportunity, they can evolve into a better version of themselves. As Alan Klement puts it, "A Job To Be Done is the process a consumer goes through whenever she aims to transform her existing life-situation into a preferred one."

Thus, JTBD is about comprehending our inherent desire to evolve. This motivation changes slowly, and consequently, Jobs change slowly. However, products constantly evolve due to technological advancements that facilitate better solutions for our Jobs. Therefore, the focus should be on the JTBD and not the product itself or what the product does.

Tony Ulwick, who developed the JTBD concept, lays down nine key principles that govern the JTBD:

People buy products and services to get a “job” done.
Jobs have functional, emotional, and social aspects.
A Job-to-be-Done is consistent over time.
A Job-to-be-Done is independent of any particular solution.
Making the “job”, rather than the product or the customer, the unit of analysis leads to success.
Understanding the customer’s “job” makes marketing more effective and innovation more predictable.
People want products and services that help them get a job done better and/or more cheaply.
People prefer products and services that enable them to get the entire job done on a single platform.
Tying customer needs to the job-to-be-done makes innovation predictable.

A consumer goes along his life as he’s come to know it. Then things change. He is presented with an opportunity for self-betterment — that is, make changes so he can grow. When or if he finds a product that helps him realize that growth opportunity, he can evolve to that better version of himself he had imagined.

“A Job To Be Done is the process a consumer goes through whenever she aims to transform her existing life-situation into a preferred one.”

— JBTD - Alan Klement

Translating JTBD into Action

You must focus not on the product or solution you sell but on the job your customer has hired it for. The product or service they are using today might be satisfactory, but other alternatives could provide a better solution to their job tomorrow.

By observing your (potential) customer, strive to understand the problem they are trying to solve with the product (yours or an alternative). The more critical the job is to the customer, the more value you could potentially add with your solution.

The "Jobs-As-Progress" concept can

help answer several questions such as:

What triggers someone to buy a product for the first time?
How do consumers use markets to adapt in a changing world?
How do consumers shop and switch between products?

Understanding the 'why' behind their behavior can lead to innovative and unique solutions to their problems.

Tool(s) for JTBD

When mapping the key elements of JTBD, it's useful to separate functional outcomes and aspirations. Functional outcomes are tangible and measurable deliverables of a product or service, whereas aspirations carry significant personal value. For example, consider selling drinkable water. Evian promotes life-changing aspirations (live young) as part of their JTBD solution. So, the customer isn't drinking water just because they're thirsty, but because they want to stay young, with quenching thirst being a functional outcome.

In JTBD, we identify:

Unmet Goals: Future experiences a consumer desires but cannot currently attain. These could be functional, emotional personal, or emotional social.
Constraints: Factors that prevent consumers from progressing towards their unmet goals.
Catalysts: Events that create or affect an unmet goal, constraint, or choice set.

Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen encapsulates it well, “Jobs aren’t just about function—they have powerful social and emotional dimensions."

Clayton Christensen, professor at Harvard Business School talks about the job to be done.

“When you start to understand the why, your mind is then open to think of creative and original ways to solve the problem.”

— JTBD - Alan Klement

“Jobs aren’t just about function—they have powerful social and emotional dimensions.”

— HBR

Statements for Self-Assessment

For a comprehensive evaluation of your understanding and application of the "Job to be Done" concept, rate your agreement with the following statements on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):

You have clearly identified functional unmet goals and feel confident in addressing them.
You have clearly identified emotional personal unmet goals and feel confident in addressing them.
You have clearly identified emotional social unmet goals and feel confident in addressing them.
Your Job To Be Done is compatible with the concept of sustainability. (!!NEW!!)

Marketing Canvas Method - Assessment - JTBD

Interpretation of the scores:

Negative ccores (-1 to -3): These scores indicate that you disagree or strongly disagree with the statement, meaning you lack confidence in your understanding of the given dimension (whether functional, emotional, or sustainability-related). This suggests a significant gap in comprehending your customers' JTBD, potentially leading to missed opportunities for better alignment with their needs and expectations. A thorough reassessment is necessary to improve your understanding of these dimensions and adjust your strategies accordingly.
Score of zero (0): A neutral score suggests that you are uncertain or only partially aware of your customers’ unmet goals in the specified area. While you may have a surface-level understanding, it lacks depth or clarity. This indicates a need for further research and analysis to enhance your understanding of how your customers' JTBD is evolving.
Positive scores (+1 to +3): Positive scores indicate that you agree or strongly agree with the statement, meaning you have a clear and confident understanding of your customers' functional, emotional, or sustainability-related unmet goals. Higher scores demonstrate a well-developed knowledge, enabling you to tailor your products and marketing strategies effectively to resonate with your customers' JTBD.

The Green Clean use case

Imagine an eco-friendly cleaning company, Green Clean. The JTBD for Green Clean's customers extends beyond "getting a clean house." It might also include emotional and social goals, such as "maintaining a safe and healthy home environment," "reducing their carbon footprint," or "setting a positive example for their children about environmental responsibility." Understanding these broader jobs helps Green Clean more effectively align its services and marketing strategies with their customers' needs.

Misaligned understanding (-3, -2, -1): A negative score reflects disagreement with the statement that Green Clean understands how sustainability fits into their customers' JTBD. If Green Clean focuses solely on the functional aspect of cleaning and fails to recognize the importance of environmental concerns, it shows a significant disconnect from the broader aspirations of its customers. This lack of understanding limits their ability to connect with eco-conscious consumers and may lead to missed opportunities in marketing and service development.
Surface understanding (0): A neutral score indicates uncertainty or a limited grasp of how sustainability factors into their customers’ JTBD. Green Clean may recognize that some customers care about sustainability but does not fully understand how central this is to their decision-making. For example, the company might be aware that environmental responsibility is part of their customers' goals but fails to grasp the emotional and social significance of this aspect. As a result, their understanding of how deeply customers prioritize sustainability remains superficial, causing them to miss out on fully resonating with their audience’s aspirations.
Deep understanding (+1, +2, +3): A positive score indicates agreement with the statement that Green Clean has a clear and deep understanding of the sustainability-driven goals in their customers' JTBD. Green Clean recognizes that sustainability is not just a peripheral concern but a core driver of their customers' decisions. The company understands that their customers seek to make environmentally responsible choices that align with broader personal values, such as reducing waste and contributing to a greener future. This deep understanding allows Green Clean to align their business with the emotional and social drivers behind their customers' JTBD, fostering loyalty and trust.