for the job performer while carrying out the job; the other is for the buyer when purchasing a product or service.
Now, in B2C contexts, a single person may switch between the two hats. But their needs while wearing each hat are distinct. In the B2B situations, the job performer and the buyer are often separate people. For instance, a procurement office may purchase equipment and materials for others in the company without their direct input.
In addition to the job performer and the buyer, other functions within the job ecosystem to consider include the following:
• Approver: Someone who authorizes the acquisition of a solution, e.g., a controller, a spouse or parent, or a budget holder
• Reviewer: Someone who examines a solution for appropriateness, e.g., a lawyer, a consultant, or a compliance officer
• Technician: The person who integrates a solution and gets it working, e.g., an IT support, an installer, or a tech-savvy friend
• Manager: Someone who oversees a job performer while performing the job, e.g., a supervisor, a team lead, or a boss
• Audience: People who consume the output of performing the job, e.g., a client, a downstream decision-maker, or a team
• Assistant: A person who aids and supports the job performer in getting the job done, e.g., a helper, a teammate, or a friend
Map out the different actors who may be involved in a simple diagram, such as the one shown in Figure 2.3.
FIGURE 2.3 Keep the possible functions in a job ecosystem separate and focus on the job performer first.
Note that these different roles don’t refer to job titles. Instead, they represent different functional actors within the context of getting a job done. To reiterate, consider these as separate roles or hats to wear. The primary focus on attention is on the job performer first. Later, you can consider the needs of the other roles in relation to the job to be done and the job performer.
For instance, let’s say your company provides an online task management tool to enterprises. The job performer is the ultimate end user, perhaps a programmer on a development team. The buyer could be the collaboration software manager of the customer’s company, for example, who may need to get approval from a procurement office and have the legal department review any software agreement. The job performer also has a manager, who determines the practices around assigning tasks. Program managers may be the audience of the job performer when she presents progress to them.
Draw a quick map, like the one in Figure 2.3, to help differentiate the job performer from other roles. The JTBD perspective gives a sequence in which to address the needs of various stakeholders: start with the needs of the job performer; then focus on the buyer before looking at the needs of others. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean that buyer needs are unimportant. Instead, solutions must first and foremost address the needs of the job performer ahead of considering the needs of the purchaser.
Jobs
What is the job performer trying to achieve? A job is a goal or an objective independent of your solution. The aim of the job performer is not to interact with your company but to get something done. Your service is a means to an end, and you must first understand that end.
Because they don’t mention solutions or technology, jobs should be as timeless and unchanging as possible. Ask yourself, “How would people have gotten the job done 50 years ago?” Strive to frame jobs in a way that makes them stable, even as technology changes.
There are several types of jobs you’ll ultimately be looking for, and it takes practice to sort them out and define them. The key distinctions to make are between the main job, related jobs, and emotional and social jobs.
MAIN JOB
The main job is the overall aim of the job performer. Determining the main job defines your overall playing field and sets your scope of innovation. You should express the main job in functional terms, such as a utilitarian goal. It’s an act that will be performed and should have a clear end state—the “done” part of jobs to be done.
The main job is broad and straightforward, serving as an anchor for all other elements of your JTBD investigation. For example, prepare a meal, listen to music, or plan long-term financial well-being are examples.
The main job shouldn’t include adjectives like quick, easy, or inexpensive. Those are considered to be needs, or the metrics by which job performers compare solutions, which are handled separately. The main job is also different from your marketing message or value proposition statement, which tends to be persuasive to evoke an emotion.
Figure 2.4 illustrates the relationship of the different types of jobs, with the main job framing the primary scope of inquiry. It may be necessary to look at related jobs when devising a solution, or to consider broader jobs or narrower jobs. The main job sets your focus and everything else is seen in relation to it.
FIGURE 2.4 The main job sets the focus of inquiry and innovation with other aspects in relation to it.
RELATED JOBS
Related jobs are adjacent to the main job, but are significantly different. For instance, if you define grow retirement portfolio as a main job, related jobs may be finance a new home or balance cash flow. Identifying related jobs as such can help your team understand the main job—what it is and what it is not.
Also recognize that people have multiple goals that collide and intersect. The world is not as neat and compact as your JTBD model will suggest. As you define the main job, identify related jobs to understand the overall landscape of objectives. Only then should you decide on a single main job to focus on, keeping related jobs in your peripheral line of sight.
Keep in mind that related goals may even compete with the main job and each other. For instance, buying a large-ticket item like a car or house may detract from growing a retirement portfolio. As a result, progress in our lives is the sum of the outcomes of related jobs, and balance is often required.
EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL JOBS
Emotional jobs reflect how people want to feel while performing the job. Statements usually start with the word “feel.” For example, if the main job of a keyless lock system is to secure entryways to home, emotional jobs might be to feel safe at home or feel confident that intruders won’t break in while away.
Social jobs indicate how a job performer is perceived by others while carrying out the job. For instance, adult diapers have an important social job of avoiding
