Why Is It Called “Jobs to be Done”? (And Why Is This Important?)

The product does the work, while the consumer enjoys the benefits

Figure 1. An employer has a Job to be Done, so they hire something/someone to do the job for it. The employee does the work (right), while the employer enjoys the benefits (left)

The phrase “jobs to be done” carries a lot of meaning with it. The three most important parts are:

1. Job. Just as an employer hires and fires employees to improve itself, consumers hire and fire products to help them achieve progress. Also like the employer/employee relationship, the product does the work, while the consumer enjoys the benefits of that work.
2. to be. When something doesn’t exist yet, we can say it is to be. A Job to be Done, then, is to create a life-situation that doesn’t exist yet.
3. Done. When I hire a product and make the progress I desire, then the Job is Done.

Let’s break this down.

Getting Hired for a Job: One Does the Work; The Other Enjoys the Benefits

Figure 2. Consumers — like employers — have a Job to be Done. So they hire something (usually products) to do the work, while they enjoy the benefits

There are two definitions of the word job:

1. A paid position of regular employment
2. A task or piece of work, especially one that is paid.

It is the first definition that JTBD is meant to invoke. I’ll illustrate why.

Imagine you’re starting a business. The success of this business will depend on how well its finances are run. For example, is the business tax compliant?, are expenses properly accounted for and managed?,…

However, for various reasons, you struggle to realize those goals. So what do you do? Well, you hire an accountant to do that job. If the accountant does her job well, you realize those benefits. If she does the job poorly, you will fire her and hire someone/something else (Figure 1).

The important part is this:

The accountant does the work, but you enjoy the benefits.

This same logic carries over to Jobs to be Done, and it’s critical to understanding it: the product does the work, while the consumer enjoys the benefits.

It’s also a valuable insight into innovation and consumer motivation. People don’t want to do work or tasks. That’s the whole purpose of innovation! We create technologies to do the things we don’t want to do, so we can have more time to do the things we want to do.

Figure 3. JTBD isn’t about doing things. It’s about hiring a product to help you make a change (progress). The product does the work, while the consumer enjoys the benefits

For example, many people who own a lawn want it to look great, impress the neighbors, be inviting for their kids to play on, and so on. These are the benefits consumers want to enjoy, but — if possible — they don’t want to do the work to make it happen. That’s why they hire product(s) to do the work of making — and maintaining — these benefits.

>But wait! One of the solutions has the user doing work: me + lawnmower!

Yes, and this is what makes JTBD so powerful. Often there are either technological or consumer-financial constraints which end up asking the consumer to do work. However, we should be clear that this is a limitation of the solution. We should strive to eliminate them. For example, a robotic lawnmower is a cheeper version of using a professional lawn care service.

>But wait! I like to mow the lawn. It’s relaxing and fun.

Well, then that’s part of the value code you used to choose one solution over another. Some people don’t like the feel of Field Turf — others don’t care. Some may think the boy next door doesn’t do as good of a job as a professional — but they like the idea of promoting a work ethic amongst children.

Figure 4. An email I received from Copper. That team gets it. The product “does the Job” while I enjoy the benefits. In this case, it remembers things for me, so I don’t have to worry about forgetting things

→ Takeaway

The “Job” metaphor in JTBD is meant to evoke the idea of an employer hiring an employee to do work. When applied to innovation: consumers “hire” products to do the work of helping them make progress; the product does the work, while the consumer enjoys the benefits (progress). If the product can deliver those benefits, the consumer will continue to employ it. If it cannot, the consumer fires it, and something else is considered.

“to be”: creating something that doesn’t exist yet

It’s called Jobs to be Done, not jobs to do or jobs you do.

The purpose of the phrase “to be” is to denote this idea of creating something that does not exist yet. For example, kids often describe what they want “to be” when they grow up. They’re not describing what they are now, they’re describing what they want to be in the future.

This applies to everyone who has plans for the future. A child wants to be a fireman. An aspiring entrepreneur wants to be successful. A boxing contender wants to be champion.

Figure 5. Children often talk about what they want “to be” when they grow up. They’re not describing how they are today , they’re describing how they want to be in the future

Within the context of innovation and JTBD, the “to be” part describes the consumer in the future, not how the consumer is today.

The “to be” part of Jobs to be Done is supposed to denote the idea of creating a future which does not yet exist. It’s not called “Jobs you do” or “Jobs to do”.

→ Takeaway

The “to be” part of Jobs to be Done aims to evoke the idea of a desired future. When applied to innovation: the Job to be Done should describe the consumer in the future (i.e. the future “to be” created), not how the consumer is today or what they do today.

“Done”: When the desired progress is achieved

Here’s another critical point about Jobs to be Done: JTBD is about consumers making a change; and when that desired change happens, the Job is Done. It’s that simple.

→ Takeaway

The “Done” part of Jobs to be Done illustrates the idea that a JTBD is a process of change, and when that change is done, demand for a product also dissipates. When applied to innovation: a Job to be Done ends when the consumer makes the progress they desire.

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