Preface

Many researchers and product managers might have found themselves in this familiar situation. A new manager or researcher recommends something like, "We should try the Jobs-to-be-Done approach to help truly understand our customers' needs better. Have you read Clayton Christensen's book on Competing Against Luck? We just need to understand what job our customers are trying to get done."

Curious to implement this approach, you begin researching the literature and practical steps, only to encounter confusing and often conflicting pieces of advice. You go to Reddit, Google, and or even review internal documentation on JTBD research that has been ran in the past. But it still does not make sense.

Despite the growing popularity of Jobs-to-be-Done theory and Outcome Driven Innovation, there's a real gap between understanding these concepts in theory and applying them effectively in practice.

That gap is why I wrote this book. Fresh out of college, I landed my first job on Roche's Diabetes Care Division's Strategic Insights and Open Innovation global team who utilized this methodology. Eager to learn and grow, I read every resource I could find, reading books on Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD), Outcome Driven Innovation (ODI), and various research methodologies.

Over five years, I spent my time conducting lean validation studies on early medical device and digital prototypes. The biggest thing I learned was how to really understand and use the Outcome Driven Innovation (ODI) approach to Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD). Working directly with ODI researchers and consultants at Roche, plus getting involved with other JTBD practitioners, taught me not just the theory but when to actually use this methodology and, just as importantly, when not to.

As I learned more, I found myself wanting to share what I'd learned. I started having more conversations with colleagues, jumping into discussions on r/UXResearch and r/ProductManagement, and providing my perspective when I could. That's when I noticed something missing. There's tons of theory out there about JTBD and ODI, but not much that actually shows you how to do it. Most practitioners I talked to wanted the same thing I did when I was starting out: real examples, step-by-step walkthroughs, and tools you can actually use right away, not just more theory.

Overview

This book addresses that gap directly. It's written for researchers, product managers, and strategists working in organizations ranging from startups to established enterprises, across B2B and B2C contexts. Whether you're conducting research for SaaS platforms, medical devices, consumer products, or professional services, the principles and methods in this book can be adapted to your specific context.

Rather than just theory, this is a hands-on guide that provides you with concrete tools and techniques. For example, you'll find interview scripts that help you uncover the emotional and functional dimensions of customer jobs, step-by-step instructions for building outcome statements that actually drive product decisions, and R code templates for analyzing satisfaction and importance data to identify the highest-value opportunities. When a customer tells you they need to "manage their project timeline," you'll learn how to dig deeper to uncover the underlying job of "feeling confident that deliverables will meet stakeholder expectations without constantly monitoring every detail."

While Jim Kalbach's The Jobs To Be Done Playbook stands out as the most practical guide on JTBD to date, this online e-book complements his work with a critical lens on the Outcome Driven Innovation (ODI) approach.[26] Unlike other resources that treat ODI as gospel, I examine its limitations alongside its strengths. The methodology's rigid survey requirements, expensive implementation costs, and prescriptive outcome statement formats don't always align with real-world research constraints or organizational needs. More importantly, ODI's quantitative focus can sometimes obscure the nuanced, contextual insights that make JTBD powerful in the first place.

Recognizing that not every team can, or should, implement the full methodology, I also provide flexible approaches throughout. For instance, while traditional JTBD unmet need quantification surveys are valuable, teams with limited resources can use MaxDiff analysis to prioritize opportunities, or leverage lightweight observational methods combined with targeted interviews to generate actionable insights. When ODI's outcome statement format feels too constraining, I show how to adapt the underlying principles to create statements that better fit your product context.

How to use this book effectively

This book is structured to serve both newcomers and experienced practitioners effectively.

If you're new to Jobs-to-be-Done and Outcome Driven Innovation, I recommend reading this book chronologically from start to finish. Each chapter builds upon the knowledge gained from previous chapters, creating a solid foundation. The early chapters establish core concepts and frameworks, while later chapters dive into practical implementation details.

For experienced JTBD researchers and practitioners who are already familiar with the theoretical foundations, feel free to navigate directly to the sections most relevant to your current challenges. Each chapter is designed to stand alone while still connecting to the broader methodology. You might find particular value in the advanced interview techniques, data analysis methods, or stakeholder communication strategies covered in later chapters.

The appendices contain ready-to-use resources, including interview guides, analysis templates, and code samples that have been refined through real-world application and feedback from practitioners across different industries.

References

[26]: Kalbach, Jim. The Jobs To Be Done Playbook: Align Your Markets, Organization, and Strategy Around Customer Needs. 1st ed., Two Waves Books, 2020. ISBN-13: 978-1933820682. Available on Amazon.