Thread by @mikeboysen

(1) So, the reality is that not everyone is looking for whiz-bang breakthrough innovations. After all, our economy is built on existing businesses, and sometimes that just want to figure out how to grow. The common desire is to expand geographically #jtbd

(2) For example, there was a time (2001) when Bosch was not in the North American "market" for circular saws. The "market" was fairly mature when viewing it through a traditional lens. They wondered if there were any hidden opportunities that the incumbents had missed #jtbd

(3) Bosch engaged @Strategyn to help them find these hidden segments, because they had a clear track record of doing it for others. This research could have told them there was nothing, which is also valuable. No one wants to spend time designing things w/ no value #jtbd

(4) It was clear the the "market" needed to be defined differently. It could no longer b the "circular saw" market, because solutions r not stable. They change. So, while you're focused on your solution, u would never c something better coming along. It might look different #jtbd

(5) Instead, a market had to be defined as a group of people trying to get a job done. This is a stable view of a market. A stable platform from which to analyze what does change, the "state" of customer needs, and the solutions that are designed to address "unmet" needs #jtbd

(6) Bosch had four key objectives: they wanted to maintain their high-quality image, they wanted to outperform the competition, they wanted to ensure the big box retailers would carry their product, and they had to remain price competitive #jtbd

(7) That seemed like a daunting task. They knew this was a very mature & commodity-like market. Finding market opportunities that others had missed, and inexpensively addressing them was their only hope. Doing it the same way everyone else was doing it was not going to work #jtbd

(8) Using Outcome-driven Innovation (ODI) Bosch was able to define the market as "tradesmen who need to cut wood in a straight line." While it sounds simple, it was a stable lens. #jtbd

(9) They were then able to capture 85 desired outcome statements for this job. These are metrics, the way customers measure their performance in getting the job done. They are not pain. They are EVERY possible way performance could be measured #jtbd

(10) Once this model was complete, they used quantitative research to prioritize these metrics in the market with 270 respondents. There was no surprise when the results showed "no unmet needs" in the market "as a whole." #jtbd

(11) What we have learned over the years is that there is "no average customer." So, this research continues through a powerful market segmentation process. This research found four distinct segments of opportunity. One of them was a perfect target for Bosch #jtbd

(12) This new segment was comprised primarily of finish and advanced carpenters, and represented over 30 percent of all circular saw users. That's a lot! For them, there were 14 needs that were "unmet."

Knowing where to focus your design efforts is critical #jtbd

(13) Most teams come up with ideas, with no real target in mind. Bosch now had 14 distinct, and proven, targets to address. The team went through the 14 opportunities and systematically generated ideas to address each. #jtbd

(14) Are you familiar with the Direct Connect cord? It's where you can plug any old extension cord into your power saw. One of the common frustrations was when the built-in power cord was inadvertently cut. This led to down time and added maintenance cost. #jtbd

(15) By also designing in a way to wrap the cord so it was "fixed" in place, it could still be lowered to the ground by the cord. This sounds simple, but it's actually pretty big deal. Yea, this came from work by @Strategyn #jtbd

(16) One of the other "unmet" needs was related to maintaining line of site on the cut line. Once the cutting starts, even lasers get obscured by all of the debris. I'm sure someone that the great idea of creating a laser was fabulous, but it didn't get the job done #jtbd

(17) Instead of adding cost, the team simply took exhaust that was already being discharged from the motor, and redirected forward to blow sawdust away from the cut line. They were able to make a huge leap forward in value, without adding cost #jtbd

(18) I'm not going to go through all 14 opportunities here, but I could. The point is that if you don't have a target for innovation, your just guessing. Snipers don't guess, the aim. Surgeons don't guess before making incisions. Why listen to people who are guessing? #jtbd

(19) The process of addressing these 14 opportunities took about 3 hours. In 2004, they successfully entered the North American market with what today is still the top selling and top rated circular saw. It was voted one of the top 100 innovative products by Popular Science #jtbd

(20) The complete story would take about 100 tweets, and still be incomplete. But I think you get the picture. Successful and predictable innovation requires rigor that you'll find using the only method that puts #JobsToBeDone into action. #jtbd

(21) To find out more, check out strategyn.com or follow the deeper content being generated at jobs-to-be-done.com which comes from the experience of over 1000 actual #JTBD projects. No one else can say that.

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