Driving Innovation in Life Sciences through the Jobs-To-Be-Done Framework
Driving Innovation in Life Sciences through the Jobs-To-Be-Done Framework
Executive Summary:
A global life sciences company was facing mounting pressure to innovate quickly, meet evolving
patient needs, and capitalize on emerging treatment models while keeping costs under control.
The company adopted the Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) framework to better understand unmet
customer needs and accelerate its innovation efforts in connected health. By focusing on the
JTBD process, the company was able to drive meaningful innovation, improve patient
outcomes, and bring new solutions to market faster and more cost-effectively.
Challenges:
The company was grappling with several issues common in the life sciences industry:
Slow innovation cycles in a fast-evolving healthcare landscape.
A disconnect between customer needs and existing solutions, especially in the area of
connected health and telehealth.
Fragmented approaches to innovation, which led to higher costs and inefficiencies in
product development.
A competitive landscape requiring quicker time-to-market and a more nimble approach
to introducing new solutions.
The company realized that to stay competitive and meet the evolving expectations of
healthcare stakeholders, it needed to focus on identifying the jobs that patients, physicians,
payers, and other stakeholders were trying to complete. The Jobs-To-Be-Done framework
provided a structured way to frame these needs and guide the innovation process.
The Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) Framework in Action:
The JTBD framework focuses on identifying and addressing the unmet needs of customers,
viewing them through the lens of the jobs they are trying to accomplish. In this case, the
company applied the JTBD framework to better understand the evolving needs of key
healthcare stakeholders, driving targeted innovation in connected health.
1. Framing the Problem:
The first step in the JTBD process was to frame the problem by identifying unmet needs in the
healthcare ecosystem. This involved gathering insights from various customer segments
(patients, physicians, payers, healthcare systems) and understanding the specific jobs they were
trying to get done.
For example:
Patients needed solutions to manage their chronic conditions more effectively at home,
using remote patient monitoring (RPM) and telehealth services.
Physicians required tools that integrated easily into their existing workflows while
improving care outcomes.
Payers sought cost-effective solutions that delivered measurable value while reducing
the overall burden of healthcare costs.
By focusing on the specific jobs each stakeholder was trying to complete, the company was able
to narrow down the areas where innovation would have the most significant impact.
2. Ideation:
Using the JTBD framework, the company began to ideate around the possible solutions that
would best address these unmet needs. This process involved both divergent thinking
(individual brainstorming) and convergent thinking (group discussions) to generate a range of
potential ideas.
By embracing this dual approach, the company was able to explore multiple angles and
perspectives, yielding creative solutions that might not have surfaced through traditional
innovation methods.
One of the most significant breakthroughs came from recognizing that patients were struggling
with maintaining consistency in using their at-home health monitoring devices. This insight led
to the development of an integrated telehealth and RPM platform that simplified the patient
experience, making it easier to monitor and manage their conditions remotely.
3. Selection:
The next step was to select the best ideas based on their potential to solve the critical jobs
identified. The company used several criteria to evaluate potential solutions, including:
Customer-need fit: How well the solution addressed the unmet needs of the patient or
physician.
Feasibility: The ability to develop and deploy the solution quickly and cost-effectively.
Scalability: The solution’s potential to be rolled out across different markets and
customer segments.
By selecting solutions that best aligned with the JTBD framework, the company ensured that it
was developing innovations that not only met immediate customer needs but could also be
scaled for long-term success.
4. Making and Prototyping:
Once the best ideas were selected, the company moved into the prototyping phase, where it
developed minimum viable products (MVPs) to test the solutions in real-world environments.
Prototyping involved creating low-fidelity versions of the connected health solutions and
gathering rapid feedback from customers. This test-and-learn approach allowed the company
to iterate quickly, refining the solutions to better meet the needs identified in the JTBD analysis.
For example, the integrated telehealth and RPM platform was tested in a pilot program with
patients managing hypertension. The MVP allowed for continuous monitoring, automated
reporting to physicians, and alerts for patient non-compliance, ensuring that the solution
addressed the critical job of helping patients manage their condition while keeping healthcare
providers informed.
5. Scaling the Solution:
After successful prototyping and feedback, the company moved into the scaling phase. At this
stage, it rolled out the RPM and telehealth platform across multiple regions, focusing on
expanding its reach within healthcare systems and insurance providers.
The Jobs-To-Be-Done framework continued to guide decision-making during this phase,
helping the company address issues such as:
Market-fit validation: Ensuring that the solution aligned with the reimbursement
models and workflow requirements of payers and providers.
Customer feedback integration: Continuously refining the product based on real-world
evidence gathered during the initial rollout.
This focus on continuously aligning the solution with customer jobs ensured that the product
maintained relevance and effectiveness, even as it scaled.
Results:
By focusing on the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework, the company was able to drive meaningful
innovation and achieve impressive results across several key areas:
1. Customer-Centric Innovation:
The integrated telehealth and RPM platform directly addressed the unmet needs of
patients and physicians, improving patient adherence and providing physicians with
actionable data, leading to better care outcomes.
2. Accelerated Time-to-Market:
The use of agile prototyping and a test-and-learn culture allowed the company to
reduce its time-to-market by 30%, bringing innovative solutions to market faster than
competitors.
3. Increased Adoption and Market Share:
By focusing on jobs that healthcare providers and patients were trying to get done, the
company saw increased adoption of its solutions, capturing significant market share in
the growing digital health market.
4. Cost-Effective Development:
The structured JTBD process, combined with rapid prototyping and real-world testing,
enabled the company to reduce development costs by 25%, ensuring that it could
innovate quickly while controlling costs.
5. Sustainable Long-Term Growth:
The success of the connected health solutions not only improved patient outcomes but
also positioned the company for sustainable long-term growth, with a pipeline of future
innovations aligned to evolving healthcare needs.
Conclusion:
By leveraging the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework, this life sciences company was able to align its
innovation efforts directly with the unmet needs of its key customers, driving targeted
innovation in the connected health space. The JTBD process enabled the company to deliver
solutions that improved patient outcomes, accelerated time-to-market, and ensured
sustainable, long-term growth.
This case study demonstrates how the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework can be a powerful tool for
driving innovation in life sciences. By focusing on the jobs that customers are trying to
accomplish, companies can ensure that their innovations are relevant, scalable, and aligned
with market needs.
If your organization is looking to drive innovation and deliver solutions that truly meet
customer needs, the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework can provide the strategic direction you need to succeed