What is Jobs to Be Done?
Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) looks at the progress a person wants to make in a particular situation. A product is one possible way to achieve that progress.
Age, income, and location can help describe an audience. They do not, by themselves, explain why someone decides to change what they do.
When [situation], I want to [make progress], so I can [reach an outcome].
Use this as a working hypothesis. Conversations with customers should change it.
The three dimensions
What needs to get done? Find a home within budget and a manageable commute.
How does the person want to feel? Confident about a large commitment.
How do they want others to see them? As someone making a thoughtful decision for their family.
These are lenses for discovery, not assumptions to attach to every buyer.
A property-search example
Illustrative scenario, not a documented customer interview.
Two buyers can both ask for a three-bedroom home in Whitefield. One may be trying to shorten a draining commute before a child starts school. The other may want predictable rental income.
The configuration is the same. The decision is different.
For this buyer, a useful shortlist may need realistic travel times, school access, and move-in readiness. A long amenities list alone may not answer the concern.
Alternatives might include renewing a lease, renting closer to work, or postponing the move. The competition includes doing nothing.
From insight to decision
What changed in the customer's life?
What would a better situation look like?
What must work?
What feels risky?
Who else matters?
What are they using today? What could stop a switch?
Change the shortlist, message, or service. Observe the decision.
The model helps choose a test. It does not prove the test will work.
Questions worth asking
- What was happening when you first started looking?
- Tell me about the last option you seriously considered.
- What else did you try before this?
- What made you hesitate or postpone the decision?
- Who else was involved, and what mattered to them?
- What would need to change for you to act?
Ask about actual events and trade-offs. "Would you use this?" is easier to answer politely than accurately.
What to measure
Choose a measure that matches the hypothesis. If the barrier is uncertainty about move-in readiness, test whether a clearer readiness check helps qualified buyers choose a suitable visit.
Qualified buyers completing a relevant visit ÷ qualified buyers offered a suitable shortlist, within the same defined time window.
Also check cancellations, unsuitable visits, and customer feedback. A higher conversion rate alone does not tell you whether the job was served better. Compare similar groups and treat small samples cautiously.
My takeaway
Before improving a funnel step, understand what the customer is trying to accomplish at that step. The better question often comes before the better metric.
Further reading
This note draws on the Christensen Institute's Jobs to Be Done theory. The property example, flow, and measurement suggestion are illustrative applications.