Is Jobs-to-be-Done Too Complex?
The Real Reason Some Leaders Resist Jobs-to-be-Done
TLDR:
Many executives and product leaders dismiss Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) as “too complex” or “too academic.” But the complexity isn’t in the framework—it’s in the market itself. JTBD simply reveals the full range of what customers are trying to accomplish, from tasks to identity to emotion. Resisting that complexity often signals discomfort with the insights JTBD uncovers—insights that may conflict with internal metrics, personal agendas, or existing plans. If we truly want to understand customers, we have to embrace the nuance. JTBD doesn’t create the mess. It makes the real picture visible.
The Problem
I’ve heard the pushback more times than I can count:
“JTBD sounds interesting, but it’s too abstract.”
“It feels academic.”
“It’s a little… complex.”
And I’ll be honest: I get where they’re coming from. At first glance, Jobs-to-be-Done can feel like it’s introducing complexity. A new vocabulary. New ways of thinking. Diagrams with layers. Models that look like they belong in a psychology paper, not a product meeting.
But here’s the truth:
JTBD isn’t complex. Markets are.
What JTBD does is reveal that complexity—honestly, precisely, and unapologetically.
It provides a structured language to describe everything customers are trying to accomplish:
The logistical work of buying, using, and maintaining a product
The core functional goals that define success
The deeper identity they are trying to live out
The emotions they want to feel along the way
Yes, that’s a lot.
Yes, there are many layers.
Yes, it can feel like "too many words."
But that’s not a flaw of JTBD.
That’s the nature of real customer understanding.
A Simpler Fiction
When people say “JTBD is too complex,” what they might actually mean is:
“This is showing me things I hadn’t considered.”
“This contradicts what I already believe.”
“This might change what I’ve already committed to doing.”
And that’s uncomfortable.
Because when we don’t adopt JTBD—or any structured lens for understanding the market—we default to a much simpler version of reality. A fiction.
In that fiction:
Customers want what our current roadmap delivers
Markets can be defined by features or personas
Success is whatever our dashboard says it is
But in truth, this simplicity is dangerous.
Engineers build what they personally find interesting
Sales teams push for short-term deals that trade away long-term value
Executives chase strategies that align with investor narratives—not customer lives
This isn’t just inefficient.
It’s misaligned.
And it slowly pulls us away from the very people we claim to serve.
JTBD Reveals, It Doesn’t Invent
One reason I’ve seen leaders resist JTBD is because it reveals inconvenient truths.
When we fully map customer needs—from the product journey to core function to identity and emotion—new tensions emerge:
The strategy we planned may not align with the jobs that matter
The metrics we track may not reflect true value
The features we built may not address actual struggles
And so, there’s a quiet instinct to dismiss JTBD as academic, theoretical, or “not actionable.”
But the real issue isn’t complexity.
The real issue is conflict.
JTBD creates friction—not because it’s wrong, but because it’s honest.
It forces us to confront the gap between our inside-out thinking and the outside-in reality.
If You Want to Understand Customers, Embrace Detail
To truly understand the customer’s world, we need to:
Embrace nuance – Customers don’t live in simple stories
Invest time – True insight isn’t fast food
Structure the chaos – Organize the full spectrum of needs, not just the obvious ones
There’s no shortcut to deep understanding. But there is structure. There is method.
Personally, I’ve found that when you view needs through multiple levels—from the product to the core function, to identity, to emotion—everything starts to make more sense.
You see where the friction really is.
You see which needs are being ignored.
You see the deeper "why" behind adoption, loyalty, and love.
And that’s the point.
JTBD Isn’t the Problem. It’s the Mirror.
So the next time someone says:
“This Jobs-to-be-Done stuff is too academic…”
You might respond:
“Maybe it’s not too academic.
Maybe it’s just honest.
And maybe that honesty is what we’ve needed all along.”