Task Analysis of the JTBD Strategy: A Mysterious Process
Ten years ago, when I first dove into the JTBD pool, I was torn. I was fascinated by this theoretical method of transforming disruptive strategies into actionable roadmaps to meet the demands of customers, but I was also perplexed by the cottage industry jargon that surfaced inside the JTBD group.
The Business Strategy Formulation by Tony Ulwick, which was later defined in Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Solution, is directly responsible for the JTBD theory’s origins, which can be directly dated back at least 25 years. Prior to these, numerous marketing and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) publications make mention to various forms of Task Analysis, which are quite similar to Jobs processes. IT infrastructure is essential for product management teams to deliver products that are reliable, scalable, and secure.
JTBD Is Not a Process; It Is a Framework
With the benefit of hindsight, I can acknowledge that I discovered JTBD during what could be called my Agile purist phase, just after I had been set free from the Gantt charts and person-hours estimation without Fibonacci of Waterfall.
I grew unduly wary of anything endangering the hallowed rituals of the Scrum process because it was such a welcome shift. As a blue-period Van Gogh, my sole focus was on my monochromatic method; I was creating innovative works of art. This perspective might help you see why my gut response to product people telling me to transition from user stories to job stories.
Newcomers to the JTBD topic in product management invariably end up falling into Jobs rabbit holes on Twitter or Medium. They rapidly discover that the most well-liked JTBD articles focus more on who created which phrases than they do on the usefulness of JTBD itself, You can use the Pega Framework to motivate your team by setting clear goals, providing regular feedback. which is significant when used appropriately. However, several product professionals claim that the JTBD literature turned them off; at times, the dialogue among them has gotten campy.
Its purpose is to solve the challenge of front-end innovation and help us to understand what customers are trying to accomplish, figure out where to find, how to secure, and how to claim a unique and different idea,” Tony Ulwick said, summarising the purpose of JTBD coveted job in the industry
Which software product Jobs is JTBD best suited for, in the eyes of the product manager? Let’s examine it more closely.
Bringing Business Units and Developers Together is the Right Job
Advocates of using developer time for more user contact include task analyzers and user researchers. Teams can benefit greatly from frameworks developed within the Jobs Theory in order to comprehend the value of the software they are developing. When designers and engineers share a shared product vision, some of the best discovery work occurs, and Jobs is an excellent tool to employ and facilitate that.
Progress as Working Software is an Adequate Job:
Working software is the primary indicator of progress, as any adherent of Agile methodology would attest. The advancement of progress, rather not necessarily finished technology, is a key issue of the jobs theory. The customer’s progress toward their goal is important to JTBD.
Jobs is a perfect example of how to describe the scene that is playing out, as long as your iterations result in releases that progressively enhance a customer’s journey toward their ultimate outcome. The fundamental indicator of development is “functioning software,” however the operative word here is “working.” The team will find value in Jobs’ suggestions if the programme is judged to be working when it satisfies the customer’s needs. If by working we mean devoid of defects, then we will only giving a remedy to a problem that doesn’t exist.
Agile Software Delivery is the wrong job
Jobs Theory is not intended to provide instructions on how to set up teams or produce early and consistent worthwhile software. Employing Scrum will benefit the procedures and duties pertaining to the project management of teams developing software. Scrum can be replaced with Kanban, SAFe, or XP, but functional team management is a well-defined area. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can be used to automate repetitive tasks in agile software development. Additionally, there is a large, established business for creating, improving, delivering, and showcasing user stories. JTBD isn’t trying to challenge the current order here.
Motivate your team and put your trust in them; is the right job
Jobs Theory fits this situation perfectly. Alignment around a challenge that they know they can solve gives a software product team greater strength than anything else. Create empathy for the people on the other end of the experience by clearly articulating the market need’s results. Pulling away from your two-week sprint cycle for a day to do user interviews to get a thorough understanding of the need being addressed can be a powerful experience if you have trouble articulating your vision.
Defining requirements is the wrong job
A user story and a job are not the same. Job stories have been hailed as suitable substitutes, but in my experience, the majority of software teams using Jira or a Jira alternative still have backlogs stuffed with user stories. Corporate asks you to identify the differences between this image and this image, replacing the role with the circumstance in the job story template.
The right task is to improve agility through good design.
The fact that maintaining speed and flexibility is much simpler when a team’s vision is centred on a superb design is one of the less-discussed elements of Agile software delivery. Jobs Theory can empower a group to act as agents of the customer’s desired outcomes when the need is deeply grasped and the notion is expressed. JTBD has the potential to be an amazing force multiplier for this job.
Shortest Time to Market: Wrong Job
Jobs To Be Done is a meticulous, time-consuming, and scientific method for identifying the core needs of customers. Frequently, the interaction they have with a product fills a gap in their lives that is entirely distinct from the shape of the product itself. Jobs Theory is a practical branch of art (more on this in a bit). JTBD has its roots in a rigorous, consultative approach to analysing markets based on demands, which are expressed through VOC and left unspoken in contextual cues. It is best to use Jobs Theory on occasion for product-market fit and validation.
Maximizing Work Not Done is the proper job
Software and simplicity are two words that are rarely used in a positive context together. Ease of Use is one of the most prevalent core demands that our consumers cherish. The team, the client, and the user will be moving in lockstep toward a useful, feasible conclusion when simplicity can be laser-focused on the correct need driving the most critical goal. JTBD can succeed in this situation, but going alone could be risky. A good software development team could need assistance in identifying features that are unimportant to the final product. It can be a smart move to add a user-researcher to a team’s bench strength so they can help direct and shepherd the user experience as the product is being developed.
Correct Action: Consider and Modify Effectiveness Improvements
It’s amazing what can happen to a team’s sense of accountability once you’ve created a user persona and given a face to the problem you’re tackling! Although JTBD tries to avoid using psychographic or demographic personas, a persona that captures a need can be an excellent tool to aid teams in assessing and aligning during routine retrospectives. JTBD is a fantastic hiring tool for this position.
Efficient and Effective Information is the wrong job
JTBD will be perceived as a barrier if shipping code is the goal. Don’t use it to get out of a rut or quicken your team’s pace. In-depth research and qualitative feedback are fundamental to the majority of JTBD systems; this is true in theory and is even more true in practise. The result of this calls on us to accept a very real sense of frustration. Understanding, evaluating, grouping, and ideating solutions to solve the work, efficiency, and effectiveness of the customer is no easy task, particularly when compared to time-based metrics.
Simply , applying Jobs Theory to analyses won’t result in solutions that can be created. It outlines user wants that might be satisfied. The work is by definition independent of any potential technological solutions. The demand is steady. It is a stable employment. Over time, technology will come and go.
Autonomous Teams are the way to go
Software teams are typically functionally diversified toward Delivery, and JTBD is an activity that involves discovery or even pre-discovery. JTBD can be a particularly effective tool for assisting in the correction of imbalances in teams that are more focused on execution than research. Focusing on the need is how Jobs Theory improves agility, and articulating the need will probably be the subject of a guided research process. Because of this, a team that concentrates on task specifics can increase client trust and create a functional basis upon which to build a plan.
Maintain Pace Indefinitely Is The Wrong Job
JTBD theories are frequently used in situations where consultants are in charge. The analytical rigour required by user research makes it challenging to enforce JTBD on software delivery teams continuously because it necessitates time away from keyboards. Although JTBD requires a significant amount of what Christensen refers to as “passive data” to be input, the influence on pace does not disqualify JTBD for use by software teams.
When he said, “Passive data is hard-to-get qualitative data that will go beyond the market statistics,” Jared Spool provided a succinct interpretation of the idea. Although Christensen doesn’t mention it, designers would refer to passive data as “user research.”
He contends that in order to find out the actual tasks that customers must perform, you must leave the building and speak with them. “JTBD is an excellent tool to hire for continuing discovery. If the sustainable rate of software development was the goal, JTBD would be fired on day one.
JTBD is operationalized product management, which is the sweet spot
JTBD is Operationalized Product Management, not Product Ops. Decoupling product strategy from the tactical technical solution we’re developing aids in our work. Teams that have a strong sense of empathy for the software’s users tend to be more adaptable, independent, and imaginative.
The Jobs Theory is a frequently underutilised strategic thinking viewpoint. Teams will bring the strategy to work every day and elevate the tactical toward the higher purpose of needs and outcomes, as seen by the jobs at which JTBD can flourish and those at which it is better deferred in favour of other tools. The ideal location is here. It involves more than merely hitting the mark and creating imaginative doctrine. The problem and the solution are manifested at this juncture.
Author Bio
Jaspreet Kaur Kalra is a dedicated, open minded person, who looks for opportunities wherever she goes. She writes about health, social topics and marketing. Besides, she’s interested in reading, traveling and exploring! She has written for Thrv – Jobs to be done.
