Leveraging the Customer Job Map for Outcome-Driven Product Development
Making Customer Value Visible
The Paradigm Shift: From Features to Outcomes
Building on our previous article, Outcomes Before Features, about shifting from a 'features-first' to an 'outcomes-first' approach in product development, we now introduce a practical tool that brings this concept to life: the Customer Job Map. As part of the Jobs to Be Done/Outcome-Driven Innovation framework, this tool steers us away from the common 'build-first, ask-later' approach. It guides us in aligning our efforts with true customer desires, enhancing the success rate of product development. Let's explore how to effectively implement the Customer Job Map to shift towards outcomes-driven product management.
Introducing the Customer Job Map
When developing successful products, understanding what customers need is key. This understanding should not be an afterthought but the guiding force from the outset. As someone who firmly believes in the principle of 'outcomes before features', I've seen how this approach can transform product development and any kind of work.
So, how do we effectively implement this? One helpful tool is the Customer Job Map, my favorite component of the Jobs to Be Done/Outcome-Driven Innovation framework. It serves as a guide through the complex terrain of customer needs right from the start of their product development journey. By leveraging the Customer Job Map, teams can avoid the common 'build-first, ask-later' approach, saving invaluable time and resources and ensuring their efforts align with customer desires. Knowing customer’s desired outcomes increases the probability of success while reducing net cost and effort. Let’s start Job Mapping!
A Job Map Example: Healthy Meals for the Week
Let's consider a simple goal: "Have Healthy Meals for the Week." We use a Customer Job Map to break down this goal into steps like Defining, Locating, Preparing, and so on. Each step has its own outcomes that customers desire, like "Finding recipes quickly that are also nutritious.” Below, we show how the Customer Job Map is used for our 'Healthy Meals for the Week' goal.
After examining the 'Have Healthy Meals for the Week' scenario, it becomes evident how the Job Map clarifies customers’ needs in achieving a goal. With clear a clear catalog of needs, we can find better ways to innovate products on the customer’s behalf.
3 Steps To Make a Customer Job Map
Engage with Customers: Dive into their world. Chat with them, watch how they do things, and figure out what success looks like to them. To create a useful job map, first, you need to understand their main goal or the 'Job-To-Be-Done'. Customers aim to achieve this when they use a product or service. It's all about the progress they want to make in a certain situation. Knowing this is key because it guides the way we build the job map. To pinpoint the Job-To-Be-Done before you start mapping, try using the Customer Job Description tool.
Mapping the Journey: Gather insights from actual customers and use the Customer Job Map to outline each step of their process. Imagine you're sketching a treasure map, where each step brings them closer to the value they seek. In our example, these steps are illustrated in boxes labeled Define, Locate, etc.
Finding the Treasure - Articulate Customer Outcomes: For every step on the map, identify what the customer aims to achieve. Think of these outcome statements as the treasure at each step – they reveal what value means to the customer. With a clear understanding of customer value, we're better equipped to innovate solutions and evaluate their impact. In the example, these treasures are represented by the pink sticky notes, like “Decrease food waste by the end of the week”.
We are pretty good at making our work visible; the Job Map makes customer value visible. Next, let’s break down the two parts of the Job Map: (1) Job Steps and (2) Customer Desired Outcomes.
Part 1: The Job Steps
The Customer Job Map is broken down into universal steps most customers go through to achieve any goal or “job”. These steps are:
Define: This is where the customer sets their goals and figures out what they need to achieve them. For our meal planning example, this could determine the week’s nutritional requirements.
Locate: Here, the customer finds the resources or information needed. In meal planning, this means finding recipes that match dietary needs.
Prepare: This step involves getting everything ready. For meals, it's about grocery shopping and meal prep.
Confirm: The customer checks to ensure everything is set to meet their goals. In our case, it's double-checking that the meals meet nutritional targets.
Execute: This is where the action happens – “cooking the meals” in our example.
Monitor: The customer keeps an eye on their progress. Are they sticking to their meal plan?
Modify: Make adjustments along the way if things aren't going as planned.
Conclude: Wrapping up and reviewing the process. For meal planning, this could involve assessing what worked and what didn't for the next week.
You can tweak these steps or design your own, but generally, these standard job steps apply to most situations.
Part 2: Customer Desired Outcomes
Desired Outcomes are the measures customers use to judge how well they've achieved their goals. They clearly define what success looks like in completing a task. For each step, we explore how to make the job easier or better. Central to the Customer Job Map, Desired Outcome statements are characterized by four key attributes:
Solution-Agnostic: They do not presuppose a particular solution, remaining open to innovation.
Measurable: Each outcome provides a clear metric that can be quantified.
Clear: They are expressed in straightforward language.
Stable Over Time: They remain pertinent throughout the entire product development cycle.
Crafting Effective Desired Outcome Statements: Tony Ulwick, the creator of this model, suggests a formulaic approach to crafting these statements, ensuring they are directly tied to the customer's experiences and expectations:
Direction + Metric + Task + Contextual Clarifier
Direction: Indicates whether the goal is to increase, decrease, or maintain a particular metric.
Metric: The specific measure that the customer is looking to change. This could be something like steps, time, clairity
Task: The activity or process that the customer is engaged in during that job step. Note: Ulwick called this “Object of Control,” but I find this confuses people.
Contextual Clarifier: Additional details that define the conditions or constraints of the task. Often denoted by the word “when” at the of the statement. This is used when needed.
For example, the statement "Decrease time to return to diet compliance after deviating from my meal plan" effectively combines these elements, offering a measurable way to gauge progress in getting the job done.
Abridged Customer Job Map
For those new to this approach or pressed for time, the abridged version of the Customer Job Map offers a swift introduction to this powerful tool. It condenses the map into just four steps: Get Ready, Do It, Monitor/Adapt, and Finish.
Download the Job Map and Try It
As we wrap up our exploration of the Customer Job Map, remember that its true power lies in its application. This framework is more than just a planning tool; it's a mindset that places the customer's experience at the forefront of product innovation. It's about understanding that the features we develop are only as valuable as the customer outcomes they enable.
Ready to try it yourself? Grab the Customer Job Map templates here. By using this map, product teams can really get to the heart of customer needs. This leads to better products, happier customers, and a more focused development process. Say goodbye to shooting in the dark and hello to outcome-driven product management!