A job to be done is the process a person goes through to achieve a desired outcome. - [[Clay Christensen]] defines jobs to be done as, “the progress that a person is trying to make in a particular circumstance.” - [[Alan Klement]] defines jobs to be done as, “the process a consumer goes through whenever she aims to change her existing life-situation into a preferred one, but cannot because there are constraints that stop her.” [^Klement2] - Similarly, [[Jim Kalbach]] defines jobs to be done as, “the process of reaching an objective under given circumstances.” [^Kalbach] [^Klement2]: [[Alan Klement]]. “What Is Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)?” *Medium*, Jobs to be Done, 9 Oct. 2016, [jtbd.info/2-what-is-jobs-to-be-done-jtbd-796b82081cca](http://jtbd.info/2-what-is-jobs-to-be-done-jtbd-796b82081cca). Accessed 5 Nov. 2014. [^Kalbach]: [[Jim Kalbach]]. “What Is Jobs to Be Done?” *Experiencing Information*, 29 Dec. 2020, [experiencinginformation.com/2020/12/29/what-is-jobs-to-be-done/](http://experiencinginformation.com/2020/12/29/what-is-jobs-to-be-done/). Accessed 16 Apr. 2021. Jobs-to-be-done makes the distinction between what people purchase—or hire—and the thing they ultimately want. Use of a product or service is a means to an end: they enable people to achieve that thing they want. Because of this, jobs to be done are solution and technology agnostic. Other and better ways to achieve a desired outcome will come along.   [^Klement2] (Alan Klement 2016) By understanding what it is that people want, we can create better products to help them achieve it and align marketing and sales around the jobs. One way to uncover the motivations behind making a purchase is to interview existing customers (see [[JTBD interview questions]]). [[Alan Klement]] argues that two incompatible models of jobs-to-be-done exist: [^Klement] [^Klement]: [[Alan Klement]]. “Know the Two — Very — Different Interpretations of Jobs to Be Done.” *Medium*, Jobs to be Done, 15 Jan. 2018, [jtbd.info/know-the-two-very-different-interpretations-of-jobs-to-be-done-5a18b748bd89](http://jtbd.info/know-the-two-very-different-interpretations-of-jobs-to-be-done-5a18b748bd89). Accessed 16 Apr. 2021. 1. Jobs as *activities* focuses on improving how people use a product, believing that people want to “do work” with the product. This model has been popularized by [[Tony Ulwick]]. 2. Jobs as *progress* focuses on helping people achieve their desired outcomes from using the product, believing that people don’t necessarily want or need to *do* any work ([[Outcomes are more important that output]]).  The designers at Intercom use this illustration to show what is, and isn’t, important to customers.  [[Samuel Hulick]] uses this illustration to show how customers use products to design a “new me.” [[Jobs-to-be-done vs. personas]] --- ## Further reading [https://medium.com/the-job-to-be-done](https://medium.com/the-job-to-be-done) [[Intercom on Jobs-to-be-Done.pdf]]