Selection Journey

JTBD MC2

Decision Architect experiences the Selection Journey — The strategic process of identifying and selecting the most suitable solution.

Job: Choosing a solution

Job Steps

These are sub-objectives of the overall job following the 9 universal phases of Jobs to be Done. Each step is further supported by several performance metrics that customers use to measure success. These are what get prioritized in a survey.

Click Step ⬇️to Open Performance Metrics ➡️

Gather Relevant Information

The ability to collect necessary data and insights related to the problem and potential solutions, facilitating an informed decision.

1

Identify Decision Criteria

The ability to establish clear criteria for evaluating potential solutions, ensuring a structured approach to decision-making.

2

Organize Solution Options

The ability to categorize and arrange possible solutions in a way that aligns with the decision criteria, simplifying the evaluation process.

3

Assess Solution Feasibility

The ability to evaluate the practicality and viability of each solution option, determining their potential effectiveness.

4

Prioritize Solutions

The ability to rank solutions based on their alignment with decision criteria, highlighting the most promising options.

5

Select Optimal Solution

The ability to choose the solution that best meets the established criteria, addressing the core objective of the decision-making process.

6

Review Decision Process

The ability to examine the decision-making steps for accuracy and completeness, ensuring a thorough and rational choice.

7

Adapt Solution as Needed

The ability to modify the selected solution in response to new information or changing circumstances, maintaining its effectiveness.

8

Implement Chosen Solution

The ability to put the selected solution into practice, actualizing the decision made.

9

Evaluate Solution Effectiveness

The ability to assess the impact of the implemented solution, confirming its success in addressing the original problem.

10

Document Decision Outcomes

The ability to record the results and learnings from the decision process, aiding future decision-making efforts.

11

Communicate Decision and Rationale

The ability to explain the chosen solution and the reasoning behind it to relevant stakeholders, ensuring transparency and understanding.

12

Refine Decision-Making Process

The ability to improve the decision-making framework based on feedback and outcomes, enhancing future problem-solving capabilities.

13

Contexts

When jobs have too high of a context, insights tend to be less actionable - or at least relevant for certain stakeholders. These contexts provide a means for narrowing the scope of your research in a consistent and structured fashion. Certainly, more contexts exist, and can be addressed with a specific request.

Situations

While a group of people may be trying to get the same job done, the way the respond to needs-prioritization questions can be different. When we find statistical clusters of needs we need a way to describe why the group is different from another, not simply that that are different based on how they rate needs. Situations (aka Complexity Factors) that end users experience when they execute the job (or last executed the job) could be different, thus resulting in a different prioritization of specific performance metrics. One or or more situations could correlate to a segment, and it is recommend that follow up interviews are done with actual respondents within a segment to help you gain clarity, and verbatims you can use to construct your strategic storyline for the segment.

Ideal States | Root Causes | Countermeasures

There are times when going deep into a job, job map, and success metrics is just too much of a gamble. Is it the right job to study? Ideal states give us a handful of indicators that can be used in addition to importance, difficulty, and frequency to understand which jobs groups of end users struggle with, and why.

Financial Metrics

The purchase decision-maker has a say in product selection, and costs relative to cash outlays, direct or indirect, are what they think about. These questions can only be answer by the person who makes those decisions. For consumers, many times you can included these in a core functional study. However, beware of business end users who simply use products that are purchased for them. They are not the right audience for these metrics. (Not as relevant on journeys)

1. Minimize the cost of software updates needed to maintain the solution's effectiveness.
2. Minimize the cost of technical support for troubleshooting issues.
3. Minimize the cost of extended warranties for long-term reliability.
4. Minimize the cost of integration with existing systems to ensure compatibility.
5. Minimize the cost of data migration from old to new solutions.
6. Minimize the cost of staff training to operate the new solution.
7. Minimize the cost of customization to meet specific business needs.
8. Minimize the cost of scalability to accommodate future growth.
9. Minimize the cost of downtime during the implementation phase.
10. Minimize the cost of security features to protect sensitive data.
11. Minimize the cost of compliance with industry regulations when using the solution.
12. Minimize the cost of energy consumption for operating the solution.
13. Minimize the cost of maintenance over the solution's lifespan.
14. Minimize the cost of disposing of the old system in an environmentally friendly manner.
15. Minimize the cost of user licenses for multiple team members.
16. Minimize the cost of feature upgrades to stay competitive.
17. Minimize the cost of emergency repairs during critical operations.
18. Minimize the cost of data backup and recovery services to prevent data loss.
19. Minimize the cost of network infrastructure upgrades required for the new solution.
20. Minimize the cost of insurance for the solution against damages or loss.

Related Jobs

When a core functional job is getting close to maturity, we have to look beyond steps or metrics and find other jobs the end user is trying to accomplish so we can help them. This provides an opportunity to not only get a job done better, but get more jobs done on a single platform (and potentially better).

Before Choosing a Solution

1. Defining the Problem Space - Identify and understand the specific issue or opportunity that requires a solution.
2. Gathering Stakeholder Inputs - Collect insights, needs, and constraints from all relevant stakeholders involved in the solution.
3. Researching Possible Solutions - Conduct thorough research to find existing solutions that might address the identified problem.
4. Analyzing Solution Fit - Evaluate how well each potential solution aligns with the specific needs and constraints of the problem.
5. Setting Decision Criteria - Establish clear criteria for evaluating and selecting the best solution, including factors like cost, effectiveness, and implementation time.

During Choosing a Solution

1. Comparing Solutions - Methodically compare potential solutions against the established decision criteria.
2. Conducting Risk Assessments - Analyze the risks associated with each solution, including potential for failure and associated impacts.
3. Engaging in Deliberation - Discuss with stakeholders to weigh the pros and cons of each solution.
4. Modeling Solution Outcomes - Use predictive models or scenarios to envision the potential outcomes and effectiveness of each solution.
5. Gaining Stakeholder Consensus - Work towards a consensus among stakeholders on the preferred solution.

After Choosing a Solution

1. Documenting the Decision Process - Record the decision-making process and rationale for future reference and accountability.
2. Communicating the Decision - Effectively communicate the chosen solution to all relevant parties, including stakeholders and implementation teams.
3. Planning for Implementation - Develop a detailed plan for how the chosen solution will be implemented.
4. Setting Up Evaluation Metrics - Establish metrics to assess the effectiveness of the solution once implemented.
5. Reviewing and Adapting the Solution - Regularly review the solution's performance against the set metrics and adapt as necessary to ensure continued effectiveness.

Emotional Jobs

Understanding how end users want to feel (or avoid feeling) in the context of getting the job done is important in several ways. First, understanding this helps to think about more abstract things things a user considers when actually performing the job (or access a service/journey). Second, these insights can be critical in messaging to your offer, which is something your marketing team will value.

Desired Emotions:

1. Feel Analytical: When choosing a solution as a decision architect, being analytical is crucial for assessing various options and their potential outcomes.
2. Feel Open-Minded: It's important to feel open-minded to consider all possible solutions, even those that might initially seem less viable.
3. Feel Confident: Confidence in one’s decision-making ability ensures that choices are made decisively and effectively.
4. Feel Creative: Creativity aids in developing innovative solutions and thinking outside conventional frameworks.
5. Feel Patient: Patience is necessary to thoroughly evaluate options without rushing to conclusions.
6. Feel Focused: Staying focused helps in maintaining attention on the relevant details and avoiding distractions.
7. Feel Calm: Feeling calm allows for better decision-making, especially under pressure or in complex situations.

Undesired Emotions:

1. Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed: It’s important to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the complexity or multitude of choices, as this can hinder clear thinking.
2. Avoid Feeling Biased: Avoiding biases ensures that decisions are based on objective criteria rather than personal preferences or prejudices.
3. Avoid Feeling Impatient: Impatience can lead to rushed decisions without proper evaluation of all options.
4. Avoid Feeling Doubtful: Doubt can create second-guessing and hinder the decisiveness necessary for a decision architect.
5. Avoid Feeling Close-Minded: Being close-minded to unconventional solutions can limit the potential for innovative problem-solving.
6. Avoid Feeling Distracted: Distractions can lead to a lack of focus, resulting in poor decision-making.
7. Avoid Feeling Stressed: High stress levels can impair judgment and negatively impact decision-making processes.

Social Jobs

Ditto emotional jobs

Positive Perceptions

1. Be Perceived as Analytical - As a decision architect, being seen as analytical implies that you can evaluate complex information effectively to make informed decisions.
2. Be Perceived as Innovative - Innovation is key in problem-solving. Being perceived as innovative suggests that you can think outside the box and find unique solutions.
3. Be Perceived as Reliable - Being seen as reliable means others trust that you will choose the best solution consistently.
4. Be Perceived as Objective - Objectivity in decision-making ensures that choices are based on facts and data rather than personal biases.
5. Be Perceived as Confident - Confidence in your decisions conveys strength and decisiveness, which is critical in a leadership role.
6. Be Perceived as Open-Minded - An open-minded approach indicates a willingness to consider various perspectives and solutions.
7. Be Perceived as Communicative - Good communication skills are essential for explaining and justifying decisions made.

Negative Perceptions

1. Avoid Being Perceived as Indecisive - Indecisiveness can lead to delays and a lack of confidence in your abilities.
2. Avoid Being Perceived as Biased - Being seen as biased can undermine your credibility and the validity of your decisions.
3. Avoid Being Perceived as Close-Minded - A close-minded attitude can limit the range of solutions considered and lead to suboptimal decision-making.
4. Avoid Being Perceived as Impulsive - Impulsive decision-making can be perceived as reckless and not well-thought-out.
5. Avoid Being Perceived as Uncommunicative - Failure to effectively communicate decisions can lead to misunderstandings and lack of support.
6. Avoid Being Perceived as Overconfident - Overconfidence can be mistaken for arrogance and can lead to underestimating challenges.

How this was made

I used the tools that I’ve shared in my Jobs-to-be-Done Masterclass: Eliminating Jobs-to-be-Done Interviews with Artificial Intelligence ⬅️ to build this entire catalog.

While it did take some time, that’s because there are 16 journeys and the catalogs are comprehensive. You will not find anything like this in the JTBD practitioner world.

Consultants make their money doing things. Innovators automate things. I hope Customer Experience (CX) professionals are able to leverage this work to accelerate their own.

Purpose

Journey Mapping exercises typically end with a visualization of a make believe journey with a smattering of pain points expressed by a smattering of real people.

Have you ever wondered why you constantly have to redo these?

What I’ve developed above may not be absolutely perfect for your situation, but with a few tweaks it will stand the test of time as the backbone of your prioritization of customer needs, and the foundation of your strategic roadmaps far into the future.

We don’t study solutions, we study the jobs your customers are trying to get done as they experience the lifecycle of ownership within your ecosystem.

Simple as that.

Now, go run a survey. I’ll be incorporating some accelerators for that very, very soon.

Contact

Mike Boysen - Managing Director

Practical JTBD, LLC

www.pjtbd.com | http://jobstobedone.substack.com

678-824-2789 | info@pjtbd.com

Copyright

The entire catalog is covered under creative commons….

The Customer Journey 2.0 Toolkit © 2024 by Michael A. Boysen is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International