Variations on JTBD -- what are the recent developments?

Introduction

Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a theory that states that customers do not just buy a product — they “hire” it to do some kind of “job.” JTBD highlights the reasons for individuals' reasons for products choosing and buying. One of the most popular thoughts is that people buy not the product itself but the benefits of the product. Recent researches show that there are a lot of advantages of JTBD framework usage, such as growth of effectiveness of businesses and the availability of business-process optimization and automation, etc. The approach allows interested in persons to find out the real customer needs and expected gains and take the necessary measures to achieve their business goals. Nowadays a huge amount of different approaches of Jobs To Be Done allows one to choose the most appropriate vision for the product development, taking into account all the necessary specifics and requirements of the project. One of the most recent developments is the JTBD division into two approaches:

  • Jobs-as-Activities,
  • Jobs-as-Progress.

Jobs-as-Activities

“Jobs-as-Activities” is the model of Anthony Ulwick. The main object of the “Jobs-as-Activities” approach is a functional “job”, that focuses on the concrete actions - the final goals of the person who is buying the product. The version states that project “job” can be described with tasks that include process and result. In the book “Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice” the author mentions such “job” examples as listening to the music or downloading the music, etc. Task is the major point of the whole product analysis. According to his point of view, the emotional aspect fades into the background.

Jobs-as-Progress

“Jobs-as-Progress” is a model of Clayton M. Christensen. One of the books that specifies his approach is “Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice ”. The main object of the “Jobs-as-Progress” approach is a progress that one is planning to achieve in his life. In most cases it means the emotional goal of a person. In their point of view, the product's job shall change the customer's life in a better way.

The functional aspect fades into the background. Emotional results and reactions of the customers are the major point of the whole product analysis. Model of “Jobs-as-Progress” states that the one making his decisions of product buy based on four main factors:

  • desire of the customer to achieve better state and solution in the future;
  • obstacles that stay in the way of the customers achieving the desired better state and solution in the future;
  • action or event that inspires the customer to begin his way;
  • resources available for progress.

As an example of working with emotional jobs of the customer, it can be mentioned products that customers buy to get an athletic physique. The “job” can be divided into four main factors mentioned above. First factor is the desire of the customer in this “job” - a beautiful and healthy body. The second factor is obstacles in the customers way, for the mentioned scenario it is the excess weight. The third factor of the model of “Jobs-as-Progress” is action or event that inspires the customer to achieve his main goal and for this emotional job it may be the discussions with friends or relatives. The last fourth factor contains available resources to achieve the customers major goal and resources for the desire to get an athletic physique can consist of having a diet, hiring a personal trainer, installing fitness applications on your phone, buying a fitness bracelet or watch, buying a membership to a gym or fitness club, buying sports equipment and exercise equipment, etc. Finally, the emotional job that the customer desires to achieve is the great progress in the way of getting an athletic physique.

“Jobs-As-Progress” helps the researchers to understand why the customers change their behavior and established habits of consumption. Also the theory helps to understand why the customers stop using the one product and make the decision to use another one in their everyday life. To elaborate the product it is extremely important to analyze, investigate and research the previous habits and decisions that preceded the behavior change.

Conclusion

In the essay the topic “Variations on JTBD – what are the recent developments?” was analyzed based on the analysis of various approaches of different authors that provided their theories in a few years in the past to understanding the concept of Jobs To Be Done: “Jobs-as-Activities” and “Jobs-as-Progress”.

To sum up, “Jobs-as-Activities” approach focuses on solving functional tasks and the “Jobs-as-Progress” approach focuses on the emotional basis of product choosing. These two different points of view show radically varied and have diverse peculiarities based on which it is very convenient to analyze the situation with your own product and choose the best way for your project or to choose both of the approaches as the final solution.

A huge amount of books, articles, researches, modifications of the Jobs To Be Done approaches demonstrate that the recent developments of JTBD improvements are concentrated on enhancement of theory usage and innovating new ways of combining the “Jobs-as-Activities” and “Jobs-as-Progress” approaches to evolve and expand already existing realizations and views.

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