A Job to be done

People seek to get products and services because there are jobs in their lives to be done. A woman in the kitchen buy salts and other soup ingredients to make soups.

According to the late Harvard Business school professor, Clayton Christensen, "a job to be done" is a framework for understanding customer behavior. It emphasizes that people "hire" products or services to fulfill specific jobs or tasks in their lives. The concept helps businesses focus on the functional, emotional, and social needs of customers rather than just product features or market segments.

Key aspects of the "job to be done" framework include:

1. Understanding the Context: Customers face problems or opportunities in specific situations that create the need for a solution. The job is rooted in the context.

2. Focus on Progress: Customers seek to make progress in their lives, and the job to be done is the progress they want to achieve with the help of a product or service.

3. Beyond Features: It's not just about the attributes of a product but how well it helps the customer achieve their desired outcome.

4. Customer-Centered Innovation: By identifying the "job" customers need to accomplish, businesses can design products or services that align closely with their needs, leading to greater success.

For example, a milkshake may not be hired because it's a tasty drink but because it keeps a commuter satisfied during a long drive. By understanding this, a business can better tailor its product to serve the "job."