The Jobs to be Done Framework and how it can be implemented to help product managers
Most customers don’t care about the product itself. They are more interested in what a product helps them do or achieve. Failing to align the product to the customer’s needs leads to a failed product or service.
As a product manager or owner, you are responsible for delivering winning products. Product managers or owners might have to go through a long process of product vision, lifecycle, customer requirements, and engineering to deliver winning products. The entire process can easily be a wasted effort if a product fails to meet customers’ goals.
This article will discuss What the Jobs to be Done framework is and How it can be implemented to help product managers and owners deliver the right product.
What?
In his book, Competing Against Luck, Clay Christensen insists on discovering what jobs consumers are trying to get done by hiring their product. According to him, product managers ought to recognize why consumers choose what they do to progress in their respective lives; what job consumers are hiring a product to do.
How?
Jobs to be Done is a framework that helps companies understand that consumers are real humans with a vision, and to advance towards that vision, they need to buy your product. This theory establishes a real connection between producers and consumers; producers empathize with them and facilitate them in overcoming obstacles in life. This framework helps product managers understand the jobs their customers want to get done. Let’s look at how PayPal, LinkedIn, and Yolt apply the Jobs to be Done framework.
PayPal
PayPal Commerce Platform is the biggest online payment system in the world. The service helps consumers around the world pay for goods and services simply and securely. According to the CEO, Dan Schulman, PayPal gives its customers a feeling of “trust and security”. The customer feeling element connects to Jobs to be Done framework’s emotional aspect, making customers human and helping them feel secure by providing the service.
Linkedin is a widely used, employment-oriented online platform that allows professionals worldwide to connect. They also provide a paid premium service with extra features. When you sign up for the premium service, you can send messages to hiring managers, industry leaders, peers, or potential partners. It also lets you see who viewed your profile. LinkedIn has LinkedIn Learning courses that only premium members can access to promote their personal or company profiles.
When you opt for the premium service, LinkedIn provides options that do not describe the product, but an array of jobs you want LinkedIn to do for you:
LinkedIn knows you’re signing up to get a job done and assures you that they’ll help you get it done. LinkedIn Premium has multiple plans for consumers, which they segment using Jobs to be Done by creating a product for each job/plan.
Yolt
Yolt is an app that helps customers view various bank accounts and see how much they are spending. It also gives them a breakdown and insight on where they are spending it. Yolt helps the customer get the job done; the job to be cautious about how they are spending their money. The app allows them to achieve this by enabling users to pay bills, create budgets, or save for the future. The banks are still working in the background.
Product failure is a big concern for product managers. Using the Jobs to be Done framework will help products and their managers succeed because of humanizing the products and focusing on providing a solution for customers’ jobs. Implementing the framework will ensure product innovation meets customer requirements to stay relevant and afloat in this rapidly evolving market.
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