“What problem are we trying to solve?”
differentiating between jobs and pain points
When product managers ask “what problem are we trying to solve?” it is common that stakeholders are already misaligned. Some problems are really jobs-to-be-done (or jobs), and others are really pain points. Understanding the difference is important and so is getting on the same page to make those conversations productive.
“A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved.” — Charles Kettering
A job is a higher-level framing that describes the progress a person desires in a given circumstance. From Clay Christensen’s immortal jobs-to-be-done framework, “People don’t simply buy products or service; they ‘hire’ them to make progress in a specific circumstance.”¹ A job is usually permanent and always solution-independent. The job of communicating with others across distance has long been a job-to-be-done, despite many advances to the options available for doing so over time (e.g. smoke signals, telegram, telephone).
Jobs can reflect intent and driving motivation for a solution. “To pay for goods and services when I do not have cash available” as a job-to-be-done is rich with opportunities to discuss beliefs, backgrounds, and other valuable context that varies across user groups. There are functional, emotional, and social aspects that influence the way a customer will make decisions in fulfilling this job, tradeoff considerations, and how they will perceive value.
For bonus points, consider categorizing jobs as main jobs and sub jobs.
Pain points, on the other hand, are more discrete and transient. They often reflect of the current state of available solutions rather than the progress a customer is seeking. They exist within the context of a job. “My phone battery doesn’t last long enough,” and “these screens crack too easily,” have only been problems since mobile phones became the dominant communication solution for connecting people. These pain points did not exist with landline telephones that worked even when the power was out and when there was no screen to break. Pain points evolve with available solutions.
Pain points lack depth, yet often create friction on the path to progress. This makes them helpful when scoping specific features, but not rich enough to define entire products. Pain points such as “my internet is slow,” “passwords are hard to remember,” or “this interface is confusing” are narrow and solution-dependent. Resolving pain points may correlate to increasing user progress, but overcoming the pain point is not itself the progress sought as part of the job-to-be-done.
There is a special type of pain point that Bob Moesta, co-architect of the jobs-to-be-done framework, calls a struggling moment. Struggling moments are experienced when pain points are so substantial that they can drive a user or customer to change their behavior. These moments are often emotionally charged as well. Struggling moments can push a consumer away from an existing solution or draw them toward the allure of an alternative.² They can drive customers to seek out workarounds and short-cuts. Sometimes, a struggling moment can be so strong that it prevents a consumer from “hiring” a product at all, opting instead to do nothing, a case known as non-consumption.
Jobs reflect the progress customers seek, while pain points shine light on what gets in the way of that progress. Understanding jobs-to-be-done is about knowing a customer’s current and objective state. It is the game being played. Choosing which pain points to prioritize and how to solve them is about differentiating among available options and is key to winning over a target audience. Fulfilling a job can encompass many pain points, and each pain point can inform potential features of a solution. Addressing a customer’s true struggling moments, especially in a way that others would find difficult to mimic, can make or break a product solution. This is the essence of good product strategy.
¹ “Jobs to Be Done.” Christensen Institute, 13 Oct. 2017, www.christenseninstitute.org/jobs-to-be-done/.
² The Re-Wired Group. “What Is the Jobs to Be Done Framework?” The Re-Wired Group, 23 Jan. 2024, therewiredgroup.com/learn/complete-guide-jobs-to-be-done.
This article was originally published at Scul.ly on Mar 20, 2024.