Your Jobs Story May Have An Unhappy Ending

Jobs-to-be-Done Theory, when applied correctly, makes innovation five times more predictable. Our 25-year track record applying the theory with our Outcome-Driven Innovation process (ODI) offers that evidence — and it is no surprise as to why it works. Jobs-to-be-Done Theory offers a foundation for addressing the three key questions companies must answer correctly when trying to make innovation more predictable:

(1) What are the customers needs?

(2) Which needs are unmet?

(3) Are there segments of customers with unique sets of unmet needs?

With this knowledge companies can more effectively position and improve their existing products and create altogether new products that customers will want. The qualitative and quantitative research methods we have developed as part of the ODI process are effective and precise at answering these questions.

As the benefits of Jobs-to-be-Done Theory are becoming more apparent, companies, entrepreneurs and prospective practitioners have been eager to put the theory into practice. In doing so, many have created or adopted their own practices, that unbeknownst to them, are likely to fail. One such practice is of particular concern.

New books and articles on the subject are leading users to believe that putting the theory into practice simply means creating a job story. Going from a “compelling job story” to ideation to concept testing may be the goal, but following this approach is unlikely to lead to predictable innovation because it fails to provide answers to the 3 questions defined above that must be answered to make innovation more predictable.

The reality is a job story is really just a glorified persona — a story of a customer’s observed functional and emotional jobs built around qualitative data, void of the quantified details that make it a real target. Just as segments of customers defined around demographic and psychographic data are phantom segments, so are those built around a qualitative-based job story.

What are the chances that a job story will correctly reveal a segment of customers with 15 unmet needs without the quantitative data needed to discover the segment or the unmet needs?

Realistically, they are near zero. There really is no shortcut to predictable innovation. Without the quantitative data needed for success, innovation remains a guessing game.

So where should companies, entrepreneurs and prospective practitioners start?

Applying Jobs-to-be-Done Theory effectively begins with defining the customer’s job-to-be-done at the right level of abstraction. The job should be defined as a functional job and the other types of customer needs (related jobs, emotional jobs, consumption chain jobs, etc.) should be defined around the core job.

Once the job is defined, create a job map — a step-by-step breakdown of exactly what the customer is trying to get done. The details of how and why to create the job map were first introduced in the 2008 Harvard Business Review article The Customer-Centered Innovation Map.

With the job map defined, a company is ready to discover the metrics customers use to measure success while executing each step of the job. These metrics (specially constructed need statements called desired outcomes) are the customer’s desired outcomes. Defined correctly, they serve as the perfect input into the innovation process. The method for defining these outcome statements was introduced in the 2008 MIT Sloan Management Review article Giving Customers a Fair Hearing.

A practical way to start is to use the Jobs-to-be-Done Needs Framework described in detail in Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice:

With these steps covered, a company can agree on what a need is and what the customer’s needs are. Then it is ready to discover which needs are unmet and if segments of customers exist with unique sets of unmet outcomes. This approach brings predictability to a historically chaotic and wasteful practice.

Learn more: download a FREE PDF or AUDIO version of my latest Jobs-to-be-Done book, JOBS TO BE DONE: Theory to Practice.

In addition, you can now access ODIpro, our online innovation strategy platform, where you can:

• Get certified in putting Jobs Theory and Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) into practice.
• Apply the process to your markets using Strategyn’s latest tools and templates.
• Align your team around a winning product strategy.

To learn more about Strategyn’s consulting offerings and customized programs for innovation, go to Strategyn.com.