Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) is an innovation framework and lens used to understand customer needs by focusing on what customers are trying to accomplish rather than their demographic profiles or product categories. The core philosophy, famously captured by economist Theodore Levitt, is that “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!”.
In JTBD, customers do not simply buy products; they “hire” them to make progress or resolve a problem in a specific circumstance. If the product does the job well, the customer hires it again; if it does a poor job, they “fire” it and look for an alternative. Crucially, customer “jobs” are solution-free and highly stable over time, even as technologies change.
Three Core Schools of Thought
The theory has been popularized and operationalized by three primary figures, each emphasizing a different dimension of customer behavior:
- Clayton Christensen’s “Jobs Theory”: A conceptual mindset focusing on the situational context and the functional, emotional, and social dimensions of why a customer “hires” a product.
- Bob Moesta’s “Demand-Side Sales” & Four Forces: An interviewing methodology that maps the forces driving a customer to switch solutions. It views every purchase as a tug-of-war between:
- Push: Frustration with the current situation.
- Pull: The magnetism of the new way.
- Anxiety: Fear of the new.
- Habit: Attachment to the old.
- Tony Ulwick’s “Outcome-Driven Innovation” (ODI): A highly structured, quantitative process that maps out a customer’s job and gathers 100+ customer desired outcomes (specific success metrics). These are evaluated via an “opportunity algorithm” to pinpoint exactly where markets are underserved.
Key Practical Methods of JTBD
1. Job Stories (vs. User Stories)
Popularized by Intercom, Job Stories capture customer requirements by focusing on situation over persona. While traditional user stories assume demographic roles drive behavior, Job Stories anchor on the trigger event:
- Template: When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome].
- Example (eBay): “When a buyer has already made a bid on an item, they want to immediately receive a counter bid notification so they can have enough time to evaluate and update their bid.”
2. Job Mapping
Developed by Tony Ulwick, a Job Map visually deconstructs the customer’s ideal process flow to complete a functional job from start to finish. It consists of eight steps:
- Define: Plan the approach and determine objectives.
- Locate: Gather needed tangible or intangible inputs.
- Prepare: Set up and organize inputs.
- Confirm: Validate readiness to execute.
- Execute: Perform the core action.
- Monitor: Track execution success and notice issues.
- Modify: Make adjustments if things go wrong.
- Conclude: Properly complete the job or prepare for the next cycle.
Real-World Examples of JTBD in Action
1. McDonald’s Milkshake (Clayton Christensen)
McDonald’s wanted to improve milkshake sales. Instead of focusing on demographics, Christensen’s team studied the context of the purchases. They found that 40% of milkshakes were purchased first thing in the morning by solo commuters.
Interviews revealed these commuters “hired” the milkshake to do a specific job: keep them sated and entertained during a boring commute, and fit neatly in their car cup holder. The milkshake competed against bananas, bagels, and donuts, but did a better job because it was thick and lasted the whole drive without making a mess. Armed with this insight, McDonald’s made the morning shakes thicker and added fruit chunks to make the experience more engaging, significantly boosting sales.
2. Retiree Downsizing Condominiums (Bob Moesta)
Moesta was hired to help developers sell two-bedroom condominiums designed for retirees. While viewings were high, sales were low. Focus groups on pricing and attributes yielded no answers.
By interviewing actual buyers, Moesta discovered a surprising blocker: the psychological anxiety of moving out of a family home and giving up the family dining table, where decades of memories lived. The real job was not “buying new construction,” but “moving lives”. By adjusting the condo specifications to accommodate a dining table, including two years of storage in the purchase, and offering a designated “sorting room” in the complex to slowly filter possessions, sales skyrocketed.
3. Bosch CS20 Circular Saw (Tony Ulwick)
In 2001, Bosch wanted to enter the highly competitive, commoditized North American professional circular saw market. Tony Ulwick worked with them to build a job map for the functional job of “cutting wood in a straight line,” uncovering 85 desired outcome statements from tradesmen. By analyzing where tradesmen were highly underserved (e.g., wanting to avoid cutting their own cords or having sawdust block their line of sight), Bosch designed the CS20 circular saw with features directly targeting those unmet needs. The product went on to win major innovation awards.
4. Trivago’s B2B Hotelier Platform (Lydia Penkert & Marco Pretorius)
In 2023, Trivago used the JTBD framework to understand independent hoteliers using their B2B platform to “generate bookings” and “create visibility”. They conducted remote JTBD qualitative interviews to map hoteliers’ real needs. They identified 28 distinct customer jobs (such as “monitor customer feedback”), mapping out corresponding micro-jobs, desired outcomes, and pain points to successfully guide their strategic roadmap.
5. Netflix vs. Blockbuster (Disruptive Strategy)
Blockbuster was hired for a transactional, impulse-driven job: a convenient stop to pick up a popular movie for a spontaneous movie night. Netflix was hired for a completely different job: discovering and watching films that matched personal tastes on the customer’s own schedule. This distinct job led to a radically different business model: Blockbuster invested heavily in real estate and shelf space, while Netflix invested in personalization algorithms and logistics, ultimately disrupting the entire industry.
6. Philips Healthcare Remote Patient Monitoring
Philips applied ODI to remote patient monitoring. The core job was to manage chronic health conditions at home. The primary desired outcome they targeted was the timely and accurate monitoring of vital signs. By building connected platforms and wearables specifically around these outcomes, they enabled proactive clinical care and early intervention before emergencies arose.