Jobs-to-be-Done Theory and the Value Proposition Canvas

Jobs-to-be-Done Theory

Jobs-to-be-Done Theory was originated by Anthony (Tony) Ulwick, the founder and CEO of Strategyn, as part of his firm’s proprietary Outcome Driven Innovation® method (view source).

Clayton Christensen subsequently coined the term “Jobs-to-be-Done” and popularised the theory in his bestselling book, The Innovator’s Solution, co-authored with Michael E. Raynor.

JOBS-TO-BE-DONE THEORY is comprised of a group of principles or tenets that form a foundation for making marketing more effective and innovation more predictable by focusing on the customer’s job-to-be-done. The theory is based on the notion that people buy products and services to get a ‘job’ done. Jobs Theory goes on to say that by understanding in detail what that ‘job’ entails, companies are far more likely to create and market solutions that will win in the marketplace.

The core tenets of Jobs-to-be-Done Theory are summarized as follows:

People buy products and services to get a ‘job’ done.

Jobs are functional, with emotional and social components.

A Job-to-be-Done is stable over time.

A Job-to-be-Done is solution agnostic.

Success comes from making the ‘job’, rather than the product or the customer, the unit of analysis.

A deep understanding of the customer’s ‘job’ makes marketing more effective and innovation far more predictable.

People want products and services that will help them get a job done better and/or more cheaply.

People seek out products and services that enable them to get the entire job done on a single platform.

Customer needs, when tied to the job-to-be-done, make innovation predictable.

Source: What Is Jobs-to-be-Done? by Anthony (Tony) Ulwick, founder of Strategyn.

Video: The ultimate guide to JTBD

Lenny Rachitsky (Lenny’s Podcast) in conversation with Bob Moesta, a principal architect of Jobs to be Done theory and founder of The Re-Wired Group.

Main topics discussed:

What Snickers and Milky Way can teach us about JTBD.
The various flavors of the JTBD framework.
Best practices for implementing the framework.
Advice on conducting interviews for B2B vs. B2C customers.
Common mistakes people make when implementing JTBD.
When not to use it.

Shortcuts to specific topics

00:00 Bob’s background

04:04 What is the Jobs To Be Done framework

07:29 Struggling moments and demand

11:14 Reducing friction in the sales process

14:46 How Autobooks improved their buying process and 4x’ed conversion

16:52 The six phases of the buying process

18:30 The JTBD interview process

21:55 How Bob’s TBI affected his reading/writing

22:02 Why people switch companies

27:18 JTBD interviewing

30:07 Discussion guides

32:48 The danger of looking at the customer through the product

33:53 First steps in applying the JTBD framework

36:25 Signs people are ready for a change

37:43 Bob’s “layers of language”

40:15 Examples of companies with broad adoption of JTBD

43:59 The different flavors of JTBD

48:19 Bob’s work with Clay Christensen on JTBD theory

51:05 When not to use JTBD

53:40 Common misconceptions about the framework

55:55 What compelled Bob to spend so much of his life on JTBD

58:07 Takeaways

59:07 Lightning round

I like Alan Klement’s interpretation of Jobs-to-be-Done theory. In my view, it shows more humanity and gets closer to the truth about why people choose a particular product or service in preference to alternatives. I recommend Alan Klement’s insightful article, Know the Two – Very – Different Interpretations of Jobs to be Done, as well as his book, When Coffee and Kale Compete.

I had known about Jobs to be Done (JTBD) for a few years but Christensen’s “Milkshake” case study [HBR IdeaCast, 24:55] never really resonated with me. Neither did Ulwick’s books about his laborious ODI method. When I stumbled across ‘When Coffee and Kale Compete’ back in late 2016, things changed dramatically. The book was a real eye-opener. For the first time, I understood what Jobs theory was about discovering what progress humans are looking to make in their lives and how they pull in solutions (products and services) to help them get to where they want to be. Alan’s clear and concise writing style makes this comprehensive book easily digestible. From the theory’s origins to the description of its principles, the case studies from the interviews with entrepreneurs and the practical tips to get started, this book will help you progress.

Rene Bastijans, a partner in Revealed.

The Value Proposition Canvas

The Value Proposition Canvas is a tool and associated process created by Alex Osterwalder, the founder of Strategyzer and the principal originator of the Business Model Canvas.

Here is the Value Proposition Canvas: