How product managers use Jobs-To-Be-Done to create products customers love
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TLDR

In this episode, I explain the Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) framework, a powerful approach to understanding customer needs and developing successful products. Real-world examples like McDonald’s morning milkshakes, Snickers vs. Milky Way marketing strategy, and Bosch’s entry into the circular saw market demonstrate how understanding what customers are trying to accomplish (their “job-to-be-done”) leads to better product decisions and innovation. The episode contrasts Clayton Christensen’s consumer demand approach with Tony Ulwick’s job analysis perspective, while providing practical guidance for conducting customer interviews and prioritizing product improvements.

Key Topics:

• 
  
• The classic McDonald’s milkshake study and what it reveals about customer behavior
  
• How Mars used Jobs-To-Be-Done to differentiate Snickers and Milky Way
  
• Bosch’s successful entry into the North American circular saw market through customer observation
  
• Two main approaches to Jobs-To-Be-Done: consumer demand vs. job analysis
  
• Four key areas to explore in Jobs-To-Be-Done interviews
  
• How to prioritize unmet needs through customer surveys
  
• The importance of ethnographic research in understanding customer needs
  
• Tony Ulwick’s IBM PCjr experience and its influence on Jobs-To-Be-Done
  
• Different jobs-to-be-done for various podcast listener segments
  
• The fundamental role of curiosity in effective product management
  

Introduction

Last week, I met with my podcast production team to discuss the job-to-be-done that our listeners have. I got a few blank looks and one person said, “Yeah, the milkshake story.” Since we don’t all know the milkshake story, I want to share this Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) story with you too.

Jobs-To-Be-Done is a great tool, concept, and language that helps us understand the customer’s problem, what they need solved, and what might prevent them from buying our product. I’ve found the JTBD language very helpful, and through examples and applications, I hope you’ll learn how to make better use of it yourself.

The Classic Milkshake Story

McDonald’s wanted to sell more milkshakes. They had tried reformulating them, making them thicker, and offering flavor-of-the-month options, but sales hadn’t improved significantly. What caught their attention was that they were selling many milkshakes around 9-10 o’clock in the morning through the drive-thru.

They hired Clayton Christensen and his colleagues to examine this phenomenon. As Clayton tells the story on YouTube, they stationed themselves at the end of the drive-thru lane. When customers ordered a morning milkshake, they would ask, “What did you hire that milkshake to do for you?”

The responses were revealing. Many customers had a long, boring commute ahead and wanted:

• 
  
• Something that would take time to consume
  
• Was easy to drink while driving
  
• Would fill them up
  
• Help with the monotony of the drive
  

When asked what else they had tried for breakfast, customers mentioned alternatives like donuts, which are messy and distracting while driving. The milkshake worked well because it satisfied multiple needs: It was filling, took time to consume, and was neat and easy to manage while driving.

Analyzing the Milkshake Case Study

The milkshake story illustrates how JTBD helps us understand existing products. We’re examining what consumers are doing, their demand for the product, and any friction in the process. This understanding provides insights into how we can improve the product to better meet customer needs and make our marketing more effective to attract the right customers – in this case, those looking for a breakfast solution during their morning commute.

Interestingly, I’ve never heard Clayton Christensen or others discuss what McDonald’s actually did with these insights. As an occasional McDonald’s customer, I’m not sure if they made any changes. It seems they could have developed a morning smoothie – a breakfast-appropriate option that might appeal to health-conscious customers with the same need. A smoothie might sound healthier than a milkshake, which can feel like an indulgence or too sweet for breakfast.

The Snickers vs. Milky Way Case Study

Another interesting JTBD example comes from Chris Spiek, who shared it in episode 057 of this podcast. The story involves two candy bars: Snickers and Milky Way. Chris’s boss, Bob Moesta at the Rewire Group, was hired by the candy company to help them decide which product to remove from the market. The company believed focusing their energy on one brand would help them compete more effectively.

Bob began his research at an airport when he noticed someone selecting a Snickers bar. This led to a broader study where researchers would observe customers making purchases and ask why they chose one candy bar over another. They found:

• 
  
• Snickers was chosen primarily as a filling snack, almost like a meal replacement
  
• Milky Way was selected as a reward or indulgence, appreciated for its rich, creamy experience
  

Based on this research, the company realized these products served different market segments for different reasons. They decided to keep both brands and reframe their marketing. They even enhanced the Snickers formula by adding more peanuts and increasing the nougat to make it more filling and satisfying.

This is an example of how JTBD can give companies valuable information they can use to enhance the product or more effectively market it.

The Empty Nester Condominium Story

Bob Moesta shared another example in episode 335, involving condominiums designed for retirees downsizing from their homes. The builder was having trouble converting interest into sales for their 55-plus community condominiums.

Through interviews with potential buyers, Bob discovered two main barriers to purchase:

1. 
   
2. The overwhelming task of downsizing possessions
   
3. Emotional attachment to furniture, particularly dining room tables that held years of family memories
   

The builder responded with two innovative solutions:

• 
  
• Redesigned floor plans with smaller kitchens but larger dining areas to accommodate family dining tables
  
• Free first-year storage in the building for items people weren’t ready to part with
  

This allowed potential buyers to:

• 
  
• Bring their cherished dining room tables
  
• Avoid rushed decisions about possessions
  
• Retrieve stored items if needed
  
• Gradually decide what to keep or discard
  

Two Approaches to Jobs-To-Be-Done
The Consumer Demand Perspective

The examples shared so far – the milkshake, candy bars, and condominiums – represent what we might call a Consumer Demand approach to JTBD. This approach focuses on:

• 
  
• Understanding why consumers choose or don’t choose a product
  
• Identifying barriers to purchase
  
• Finding ways to make the product more appealing
  

Questions for Jobs-To-Be-Done Interviews

Dave Duncan, who worked with Clayton Christensen, outlines four key areas to explore in JTBD interviews, from the Consumer Demand perspective:

1. 
   
2. Customer circumstances (current context)
   
3. Jobs-to-be-done (what they’re trying to accomplish or avoid)
   
4. Current solutions (what they’re doing today)
   
5. Quality evaluation (how they measure success)
   

The Consumer Demand perspective works well for existing products, and its language helps us understand what customers want.

The Unit of Analysis Perspective

Tony Ulwick offers a different perspective, focusing on the “unit of analysis,” which is the job itself, rather than consumer demand.

The IBM PCjr Story

Tony Ulwick’s perspective on Jobs-To-Be-Done emerged from his experience at IBM during the PCjr project. The PCjr was designed to revolutionize home computing at a time when personal computers were primarily used in business settings. There was growing interest in home computers, with options like the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and Tandy 8080 from Radio Shack already in the market.

The project development took about a year, with significant marketing buildup creating anticipation for the product. However, the launch was disastrous – within two hours of release, the Wall Street Journal declared the IBM PCjr “dead on arrival.”

For Tony and the team, this was a gut-wrenching experience. After spending a year developing what they thought would be an exciting product, they discovered that consumers weren’t interested. From a consumer perspective, the PCjr was both overpriced and underperforming compared to other options available, including self-built computers.

This failure led Tony to deeply investigate how products could go so wrong despite extensive development efforts.

Later, after Clayton Christensen had published The Innovator’s Dilemma about disruption in business, he and Tony had a conversation at Harvard. Clayton was intrigued by Tony’s framework, which had been published in Harvard Business Review. They discussed how Tony’s approach might provide solutions to the innovation dilemma Clayton had identified.

During this conversation, Clayton suggested they needed a name for the concept, and “Jobs-To-Be-Done” was born. However, their approaches remained distinct:

• 
  
• Clayton’s approach focused on consumer demand and choice
  
• Tony’s approach focused on the job itself as the unit of analysis
  

This difference in perspective makes Tony’s framework particularly valuable for identifying opportunities in white space markets and creating entirely new products, while Clayton’s approach excels at understanding and improving existing products.

The Bosch Circular Saw Example

This case study demonstrates how focusing on the job itself can lead to innovation in what seems like a commodity market. When Bosch was trying to enter the North American market, they wanted to stand out rather than be in direct competition with other circular saws. Tony used ethnographic research (observing customers) to identify 14 unmet needs in the circular saw market, including:

• 
  
• Prevent the cord from being cut (solution: removable power cord)
  
• Tool placement between cuts (solution: built-in hook for hanging)
  
• Line visibility while cutting (solution: improved sawdust blower)
  

The result was an award-winning product that quickly captured market share.

The primary job of a circular saw is straightforward: cut a straight line. But there are other elements of value that are important to customers. Ethnographic research allows us to identify those other unmet needs.

Prioritizing Unmet Needs

After conducting ethnographic research like in the Bosch case study, where they identified 14 unmet needs, the next question is: Do we design solutions for all of them? The answer is typically no.

Even though all identified needs are unmet, they exist in a hierarchy of importance. Some needs provide significantly more value when addressed, while others might be merely minor annoyances that customers can live with.

To determine which needs to address, follow these steps:

1. 
   
2. Take the insights gained from observations
   
3. Convert them into a list of unmet needs
   
4. Create a survey for other users
   
5. Ask them to rank the importance of each need
   

This process provides real evidence to guide development decisions. Often, addressing the top 30% of needs can result in 80% more value for customers. This data gives designers clear direction on where to focus their efforts.

The Results for Bosch

This approach paid off significantly for Bosch:

• 
  
• The resulting circular saw won product innovation awards
  
• It quickly captured market share in the North American market
  
• Contractors recognized the added value and were willing to pay slightly more for a significantly better tool
  

This success demonstrates the power of not just identifying unmet needs through ethnographic research, but also properly prioritizing which ones to address based on customer input.

Understanding Our Podcast Listeners’ Jobs-To-Be-Done

When I was with my team that produces this podcast, we talked about why customers listen to this podcast. What is the job-to-be-done for them?

We identified several key audience groups and their specific needs:

Product VPs and Chief Product Officers

These senior leaders listen to:

• 
  
• Gain insights from expert interviews
  
• Find ways to coach and mentor their product managers
  
• Build and organize effective product management teams
  

For these leaders, I offer the Rapid Product Mastery (RPM) Experience, a facilitated training program designed to help them nurture their product managers’ development.

Individual Contributors

This group spans several experience levels:

Aspiring Product Managers

• 
  
• Want to understand what product management looks like
  
• Learn how product managers think and what they prioritize
  
• Explore if product management is right for them
  

Current Product Managers

• 
  
• Many have 5+ years of experience
  
• Looking to deepen their skills
  
• Want to fill knowledge gaps from on-the-job learning
  
• Seeking comprehensive understanding of the discipline
  

For these professionals, I offer the self-study version of the RPM Experience, based on the Product Development and Management Association’s (PDMA) seven knowledge areas. The program works best for those with at least two years of experience who want to:

• 
  
• Solidify their existing knowledge
  
• Connect disconnected pieces of learning
  
• Fill in blind spots
  
• Gain a comprehensive view of professional product management
  

Product VPs/CPOs

• 
  
• Improving the performance of their product managers
  
• Needing to refocus on customers to drive product improvements
  
• Seeking improved collaboration and trust among product managers
  
• Wanting to provide training to aid in nurturing product managers
  

For Product VPs and CPOs, I provide a facilitated version of the RPM Experience for groups of up to 14 product managers (and related product professionals). We meet virtually 75 minutes a week for 9 weeks. Participants also have access to all the materials provided in the self-study version of the RPM Experience.

Innovation Leaders

For those preparing to:

• 
  
• Help their organizations improve innovation processes
  
• Move into formal innovation leadership roles
  

I offer the Certified Innovation Leader (CIL) Program, aligned with the Association of International Product Marketers and Managers (AIPMM). This program provides training and certification for those who want to lead innovation initiatives within their organizations.

Senior Leaders

These listeners include executives who:

• 
  
• May not be directly involved in product management
  
• Recognize product’s importance to their organization
  
• Need to understand how to foster innovation
  

For these leaders, we’ve created the Unleashing Innovation Program, which focuses on:

• 
  
• Moving beyond operational leadership
  
• Encouraging innovation throughout the organization
  
• Effectively responding to employee ideas
  
• Leveraging frontline employees’ insights
  
• Creating new revenue opportunities
  
• Reducing costs through innovation
  

The common thread among all these listeners is their desire to enhance their product management knowledge and move toward product mastery. Whether they’re looking to advance their careers, build better products, or transform their organizations, they’re all seeking practical insights and actionable knowledge.

Conclusion

The Jobs-To-Be-Done framework, whether approached from Clayton Christensen’s consumer demand perspective or Tony Ulwick’s job analysis perspective, provides valuable tools for understanding customer needs and creating successful products. But at its core, effective product management comes down to one fundamental trait: curiosity.

From understanding why people buy milkshakes for breakfast to designing better circular saws or creating the right living spaces for retirees, by maintaining genuine curiosity about customer needs and problems, product managers can uncover the true jobs-to-be-done and create solutions that customers love.

Useful links:

• 
  
• Check out my product management training
  
• Watch Clayton Christensen tell the milkshake story
  
• 057: Applying the Jobs-to-be-Done Framework – with Chris Spiek
  
• 335: JTBD tips from a veteran practitioner – with Bob Moesta
  
• 345: How to use Jobs-to-be-Done to be a market detective – with Dave Duncan, PhD
  
• 106: Jobs to be done – with Tony Ulwick
  
• Stopping the confusion of Jobs to be Done (JTBD)- with Tony Ulwick
  

Innovation Quote

“Many product managers are nervous about talking with customers, yet that is a primary responsibility of product management. You can make talking with customers easier by simply being genuinely curious about them, about their problem, and about what they want to achieve. Just be curious.“ – Chad McAllister, PhD

Application Questions

1. How could you apply the Jobs-To-Be-Done interview structure (circumstances, jobs-to-be-done, current solutions, quality evaluation) to better understand your customers? Consider a specific product in your portfolio and outline what questions you would ask to uncover the true job your customers are hiring that product to do.

2. How could you use ethnographic research to better understand why customers choose or don’t choose your solution?

3. Think about the last time your team identified multiple potential product improvements. How could you adapt Bosch’s approach of surveying customers to rank unmet needs? How might this change your current prioritization process?

4. What barriers might prevent customers from choosing your solution?

5. How could you use Jobs-To-Be-Done insights to better align your marketing messages with customer needs? Like the Snickers/Milky Way example, are there ways you could better differentiate your product by focusing on the specific job it does for customers?

Bio

Chad McAllister, PhD, is a product management professor, practitioner, trainer, and host of the Product Mastery Now podcast. He has 30+ years of professional experience in product and leadership roles across large and small organizations and dynamic startups, and now devotes his time to teaching and helping others improve. He co-authored “Product Development and Management Body of Knowledge: A Guide Book for Product Innovation Training and Certification.” The book distills five decades of industry research and current practice into actionable wisdom, empowering product professionals to innovate and excel. Chad also teaches the next generation of product leaders through advanced graduate courses at institutions including Boston University and Colorado State University and notably re-engineered the Innovation MBA program at the University of Fredericton, significantly broadening its impact. Further, he provides online training for product managers and leaders to prepare for their next career step — see https://productmasterynow.com/.

Thanks!

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