Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice

How do you ensure you’re building a product that customers not only want but actually use? In Jobs to be Done, Anthony Ulwick introduces a proven framework that helps make innovation predictable. His premise is simple: customers don’t buy products, they ‘hire’ them to get a specific job done. By having a clear view of that ‘job,’ you can develop more focused, avoid waste, and increase the chances of success.

For whom?

This book is written for product managers, innovation leads, and entrepreneurs who want to gain control over product development and growth. For anyone who wants to move away from assumptions and gut feelings and make choices based on clear customer data.

What can you expect?

• A practical model to identify and prioritize customer needs
• Insight into why so many innovations fail, and how to prevent that
• The Jobs-to-be-Done Growth Strategy Matrix as a tool to strategically choose where to invest
• Practical examples of companies successfully using this approach

Ulwick has worked with dozens of Fortune 100 companies and in this book shows how to base customer needs on data and logic, not intuition. His Outcome-Driven Innovation approach translates these needs into concrete product opportunities. A method that is both strategically and operationally directly applicable.

Why read?

Jobs to be Done offers a concrete alternative to vague customer insights and blind innovation. It provides you with a structured way to build better products—focused on what your customer really needs. Not a hype, but a method that works.