Jobs to Be Done
Invented by Bob Moesta and amplfified by the late Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen in the HBR article Marketing Malpractice: The Cause and the Cure, the theory of Jobs to Be Done explains the causal reasons why customers purchase and use products or services. It's a theory of consumer behavior.
A Job to Be Done is an individual's desired progress in a struggling circumstance. Individuals "hire" products or services that satisfy the functional, social, and emotional elements of their desired progress. Conversely, when a product or service is not helping them achieve their desired progress, or preferable alternatives appear, individuals will "fire" that product or service.
An understanding of the consumer's Job to Be Done can redefine the competitive landscape of that product or service. Organizing your business model in such a way as to consistently and reliably nail the Job to Be Done will firmly establish you in the market.
There are a variety of tools used when applying this theory, including the Four Forces of Progress, the JTBD Timeline, and interview techniques.
The theory's origin story--and perhaps the most famous product example--is the story of the milkshake. Nothing compares to hearing Clayton Christensen explaining it himself in this Youtube video.
Additional Resources
Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice, by Clayton Christensen, Karen Dillon, David Duncan, and Taddy Hall.
The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story about Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior, by David Duncan.
The Jobs To Be Done Playbook: Align Your Markets, Organization, and Strategy Around Customer Needs, by Jim Kalbach.
Taddy Hall, who co-wrote Competing Against Luck with Clayton Christensen and Karen Dillon, provided a great introduction to Jobs-based innovation.
What Jobs to Be Done resources have I missed?
Send me your suggestions!