OUR APPROACH

Our belief is that innovation follows very clear patterns of success and as such, can be managed much like any other business discipline. When the right model is applied, efforts that had previously been seen a random, can coalesce quickly into a series of steps and metrics designed to deliver a more predictable outcome. JOBS™ is therefore our response for the innovation discipline. It is to innovation what “six sigma” programs are to operations.

JOBS™ is an acronym for Jobs-to-be-done, Objectives, Barriers, and Solutions. Each one of these describes a discrete work effort that answers a specific question. Aligning them in a common program and building on one another, you can dramatically increase the yield of your innovation investments.

Jobs-to-be-done

What fundamental problem is your customer trying to solve?
Using the jobs-to-be-done concept requires first understanding the problems a customer faces — whether at work or in daily life. We find it helpful to push for as much specificity as possible when describing a job. Complete a job statement that looks like the following:

[Customer] wants to [solve a problem] in [this context]

Identifying the context is particularly important. For example, trying to access the latest news while you are on an airplane is a fundamentally different problem than trying to access the latest news while sitting in front of your television or commuting to work.

Objectives

What objectives do your customers use to evaluate solutions?
It is vital to understand the objectives a customer applies in choosing between solutions. Typically, the objectives will relate to how the customer uses the product or service. For example, the objectives of a teenager whose job to be done is to try to engage with other teens might include a solution that is very inexpensive, impresses her friends, and allows immediate interaction. Think beyond dimensions of functional objectives to consider emotional and social ones as well. The teen might want a solution that exudes “cool,” and is “not her parents’ technology.”

Barriers

What barriers limit your customers’ ability to use your solution?
The flip side to objectives is the barriers that place some solutions beyond consideration. Barriers are typically functional and leave little room for interpretation. For instance, a mobile phone might need to be operated with only one hand. Barriers can place limits on the size of your potential market. Eliminating barriers such as wealth (the cost is too high), skills (the solution is too complex so I can’t use it), access (I cannot obtain the solution) or time (I don’t have the time to learn or use the solution) can unlock entirely new segments of a market.

Solutions

What solutions do your customers consider?
Look at the different ways in which customers can get the job done. Candidates can include products, services, or compensating behaviors — work-arounds that customers follow because no existing solution adequately gets the job done. If you can pinpoint an important job that isn’t being done adequately by an available solution, you have found an opportunity to drive growth through innovation.