Job Step is a fundamental concept in the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework that refers to the discrete stages or actions that customers must complete to successfully execute their job-to-be-done. Job steps provide a structured way to break down complex customer jobs into manageable components, enabling portfolio companies to identify specific opportunities for product innovation and value creation.
A job step is an action or phase that a customer must complete as part of executing their overall job-to-be-done. Job steps follow a natural pattern based on how humans solve problems, breaking down complex jobs into a sequence of actionable components.
Understanding job steps is critical for portfolio companies because:
One of the most powerful aspects of job steps is that they follow a consistent pattern across all Jobs to be Done. This pattern is based on how humans naturally approach problems and goals, as originally described by mathematician George Polya in his work on problem-solving in the 1940s and later refined in the JTBD framework.
The standard job step pattern includes:
These initial steps focus on defining the job parameters and understanding what needs to be accomplished. Customers gather information, clarify objectives, and establish requirements before proceeding.
Example: In the job of "getting to a destination on time," an understanding step would be "estimate the departure time," where the customer determines when they need to leave based on arrival requirements.
Once the job is understood, customers plan their approach. They determine strategies, allocate resources, sequence activities, and prepare for execution.
Example: In the job of "getting to a destination on time," a planning step would be "plan the stops," where the customer determines where they need to stop along the route and in what sequence.
These steps involve the actual performance of the core activities required to get the job done. Customers take action based on their understanding and planning.
Example: In the job of "getting to a destination on time," an execution step would be "travel to the destination," where the customer physically moves from their starting point toward their destination.
As the job progresses, customers evaluate their performance, measure progress, and determine if adjustments are needed. These steps often occur concurrently with execution.
Example: In the job of "getting to a destination on time," an assessment step would be "assess arrival time," where the customer checks whether they're likely to arrive on schedule based on current progress.
Based on assessment, customers may need to modify their approach. These steps involve adjusting plans, changing methods, or adapting to new information or circumstances.
Example: In the job of "getting to a destination on time," a revision step would be "revise the route as needed," where the customer changes their planned path in response to traffic, construction, or other factors.
The final steps involve completing the job, confirming success, and transitioning to subsequent activities.
Example: In the job of "getting to a destination on time," a conclusion step would be "park the vehicle," where the customer completes their journey and prepares for their activities at the destination.
This consistent pattern makes job steps a powerful tool for analyzing any customer job-to-be-done, regardless of industry or context.
It's important to distinguish job steps from related concepts:
Job steps focus on what customers need to accomplish rather than how specific solutions implement those needs. This customer-centric perspective is what makes job steps so valuable for innovation and product strategy.
Accurately identifying the steps in a customer's job-to-be-done requires rigorous research and analysis. The thrv methodology includes several approaches to ensure that portfolio companies correctly identify job steps:
Direct conversations with job beneficiaries and job executors reveal how they think about accomplishing their jobs. These interviews focus on understanding:
Watching customers as they execute their jobs provides insights that may not emerge through interviews alone:
Applying the standard job step pattern helps identify missing or implicit steps that customers might not articulate:
Once preliminary job steps are identified, they are validated through additional research:
This rigorous approach ensures that portfolio companies build their strategies on a solid foundation of accurately identified job steps.
Each job step contains multiple customer needs—specific metrics customers use to evaluate how successfully they can execute that step. A typical job step might encompass 5-10 distinct customer needs.
For example, in the job step "plan the stops" within the job of "getting to a destination on time," customer needs include:
Understanding this hierarchical relationship between jobs, job steps, and needs is crucial for effective product strategy:
This hierarchical structure provides a comprehensive framework for analyzing customer behavior and identifying innovation opportunities.
Job steps play a crucial role in developing effective product strategies for portfolio companies:
By measuring customer effort scores across job steps, companies can identify which steps cause customers the most difficulty. These high-effort steps represent the greatest opportunities for innovation and differentiation.
For example, if research shows that customers struggle significantly with the job step "revise the route as needed" when getting to destinations on time, this indicates a valuable opportunity for navigation products that excel at real-time route adjustments.
Understanding which job steps are most important to customers and most difficult to execute helps companies prioritize features in their product roadmaps.
Features that address high-priority, high-difficulty job steps should receive greater investment and earlier development than those addressing less critical or better-served steps.
Job steps provide a framework for differentiating products in crowded markets. Rather than attempting to outperform competitors across all aspects of the job, companies can focus on excelling at specific high-value job steps.
For example, a navigation app might differentiate by focusing exclusively on excellence in the "plan the stops" job step, creating a unique position in the market even against much larger competitors.
Job steps help companies create more resonant marketing messages by focusing on specific customer struggles rather than generic product benefits.
Messaging that directly addresses customers' difficulties with particular job steps creates stronger connection and higher conversion rates than general feature-focused communication.
As markets evolve, the focus of innovation often shifts from one job step to another:
In early markets, innovation typically focuses on the core execution steps of the job. Products that simply make the basic job possible—even if imperfectly—can succeed.
For example, early navigation products focused primarily on the execution step of "travel to the destination," providing basic route guidance without addressing planning or assessment steps comprehensively.
As markets mature and basic execution becomes commoditized, innovation shifts to planning and assessment steps. Products that help customers better prepare for and evaluate job execution gain advantage.
For example, as basic navigation became standard, products began competing on features related to planning optimal routes and providing real-time traffic assessment.
In highly mature markets, innovation often focuses on the understanding and revision steps. Products that help customers better define their goals and adapt to changing circumstances create differentiation.
For example, advanced navigation systems now help customers understand when they should leave based on predicted traffic patterns and automatically revise routes based on real-time conditions.
Understanding this evolution pattern helps portfolio companies anticipate where innovation opportunities will emerge next in their markets.
In thrv's proprietary Jobs to be Done methodology, job steps serve as a fundamental building block for creating growth strategies for portfolio companies:
The thrv platform includes tools for mapping all steps in a customer's job-to-be-done, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the customer experience.
The methodology measures customer effort scores for each job step through quantitative surveys, identifying which steps represent the greatest opportunities for innovation.
Within each job step, thrv helps portfolio companies identify the specific customer needs that define success criteria for that step.
By analyzing which customer segments struggle with particular job steps, thrv helps companies identify target segments with the greatest growth potential.
The methodology assesses how effectively competitors' products address each job step, identifying competitive weaknesses and opportunities for differentiation.
Based on job step analysis, thrv helps portfolio companies develop product roadmaps that focus on the highest-opportunity job steps and needs.
This comprehensive approach ensures that product strategies address the most valuable opportunities for growth and differentiation.
For portfolio companies, a deep understanding of job steps delivers several strategic benefits:
By focusing on job steps rather than product features, companies maintain a customer-centric perspective in their innovation efforts.
Job steps provide the right level of granularity to identify specific, actionable opportunities without getting lost in excessive detail.
Because job steps remain constant even as technologies change, they provide a stable foundation for long-term product strategy.
Job steps create a shared language and framework that helps align product, marketing, and sales teams around customer needs.
By validating which job steps present the greatest customer struggles before significant investment, companies reduce the risk of developing unwanted features.
Focus on specific high-value job steps helps companies create meaningful differentiation even in crowded markets with powerful competitors.
Job steps are a critical concept in the Jobs to be Done framework, providing a structured approach to breaking down complex customer jobs into manageable components. By understanding the steps customers take to execute their Jobs to be Done, portfolio companies can identify specific opportunities for innovation, prioritize their product investments, and create more effective marketing and sales approaches.
The thrv methodology provides portfolio companies with sophisticated tools for identifying, analyzing, and addressing job steps in their markets. This job step-based approach accelerates growth, increases product adoption, and ultimately creates greater equity value with reduced risk.