The Customer-Centered Innovation MapBy Lance A. Bettencourt and Anthony W. Ulwick

This article originally appeared in Harvard Business Review

Article Reprint No. R0805H

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The Customer-Centered Innovation Map

by Lance A. Bettencourt and Anthony W. Ulwick

harvard business review page 2

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By thoroughly mapping the job a customer is trying to get done, a

company can discover opportunities for breakthrough products and

services.

We all know that people “hire” products andservices to get a job done. Office workers hireword-processing software to create documentsand digital recorders to capture meeting notes.Surgeons hire scalpels to dissect soft tissue andelectrocautery devices to control patientbleeding. Janitors hire soap dispensers, papertowels, and cleansing fluid to help removegrime from their hands.

While all this seems obvious, very fewcompanies use the perspective of “gettingthe job done” to discover opportunities forinnovation. In fact, the innovation journey formany companies is little more than hopefulwandering through customer interviews. Suchunsystematic inquiry may occasionally turnup interesting tidbits of information, but itrarely uncovers the best ideas or an exhaus-tive set of opportunities for growth.

We have developed an efficient yet simplesystem companies can use to find new ways toinnovate. Our method, which we call “jobmapping,” breaks down the task the customerwants done into a series of discrete process

steps. By deconstructing a job from beginningto end, a company gains a complete view ofall the points at which a customer might de-sire more help from a product or service—namely, at each step in the job. With a jobmap in hand, a company can analyze thebiggest drawbacks of the products and servicescustomers currently use. Job mapping alsogives companies a comprehensive frameworkwith which to identify the metrics customersthemselves use to measure success in execut-ing a task. (For a description of these metricsand a discussion about how to gather andprioritize them, see Anthony W. Ulwick’s“Turn Customer Input into Innovation” inHBR’s January 2002 issue.)

Job mapping differs substantively from pro-cess mapping in that the goal is to identifywhat customers are trying to get done at everystep, not what they are doing currently. Forexample, when an anesthesiologist checks amonitor during a surgical procedure, theaction taken is just a means to an end. Detect-ing a change in patient vital signs is the job

The Customer-Centered Innovation Map

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the anesthesiologist is trying to get done.By mapping out every step of the job andlocating opportunities for innovative solutions,companies can discover new ways to differen-tiate their offerings.

Anatomy of a Customer Job

Over the past 10 years, we have mapped cus-tomer jobs in dozens of product and servicecategories that span professional and con-sumer services, durable and consumable goods,chemicals, software, and many other indus-tries. Our work has revealed three fundamen-tal principles about customer jobs.

All jobs are processes. Every job, fromtransplanting a heart to cleaning a floor, hasa distinct beginning, middle, and end, andcomprises a set of process steps along the way.The starting point for identifying innovationopportunities is to map out—from the cus-tomer’s perspective—the steps involved inexecuting a particular job. Once the stepsare identified, a company can create value ina number of ways—by improving the execu-tion of specific job steps; eliminating the needfor particular inputs or outputs; removingan entire step from the responsibility ofthe customer; addressing an overlooked step;resequencing the steps; or enabling steps tobe completed in new locations or at differenttimes.

When mapping the job of washing clothes,for example, a company would quickly dis-cover that the step of “verifying that stainshave been removed” often comes at the endof the job sequence, after the clothes havebeen removed from the washing machine,dried, folded, and put away—too late to domuch of anything about it. If the washingmachine itself could detect the presence ofany remaining stains before the wash cycleended—resequence when verification takesplace—it could take the necessary actions at amuch more convenient point in the job. If themachine could be designed to remove theneed for inputs such as stain removers andbleach, that would be even better.

All jobs have a universal structure. Thatuniversal structure, regardless of the cus-tomer, has the following process steps: definingwhat the job requires; identifying and locatingneeded inputs; preparing the componentsand the physical environment; confirming

that everything is ready; executing the task;monitoring the results and the environment;making modifications; and concluding the job.Because problems can occur at many pointsin the process, nearly all jobs also require aproblem resolution step.

Some steps are more critical than others,depending on the job, but each is necessary toget the job done successfully. For example,when preparing for the task of replacing a hipjoint, surgeons sterilize their hands, establisha sterile field between their body and thepatient, prep the patient’s skin for the incision,and properly position the patient. A janitorabout to clean his hands might prepare bysimply rolling up his sleeves. Innovation possi-bilities reside within each of the job steps.

Jobs are separate from solutions. Customershire different products or services to get thesame job done. When preparing income taxes,for example, one person might rely on the ser-vices of a CPA, whereas another might use taxpreparation software. Others might hire bothfor different steps in the process.

Many companies are focused on the prod-uct or service they’re already developing, oron the one the competition is offering, ratherthan on the help they must give the customerto execute the steps in a job. When the job isthe focal point of value creation, companiesnot only can improve their existing offeringsbut also can target new, or “blue ocean,” marketspace. While other MP3 manufacturers wereconcentrating on helping customers listen tomusic, for example, Apple reconsidered theentire job of music management, enablingcustomers to acquire, organize, listen to, andshare music.

Taken together, these fundamental principlesform the foundation of a company’s searchfor opportunities to create customer value.

Creating a Job Map

The goal of creating a job map is not to findout how the customer is executing a job—that only generates maps of existing activitiesand solutions. Instead the aim is to discoverwhat the customer is trying to get done atdifferent points in executing a job and whatmust happen at each juncture in order for thejob to be carried out successfully. (See theexhibit “Mapping a Customer Job.”) Let’s lookat the steps in detail.

Lance A. Bettencourt

(lbettencourt@strategyn.com) is a senior consultant with Strategyn, an innovation management consultancy based in Aspen, Colorado. Anthony W. Ulwick (ulwick@strategyn.com) is the founder and CEO of Strategyn. He is the author of What Customers Want (McGraw-Hill, 2005).

The Customer-Centered Innovation Map

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1: Define

What aspects of getting the job done mustthe customer define up front in order toproceed? This step includes determiningobjectives; planning the approach; assessingwhich resources are necessary or available tocomplete the job; and selecting resources. Afinancial adviser may label this step “assessingthe investment situation,” since she mustnot only gauge investment priorities andrisk tolerance but also consider how muchmoney is available and which types of invest-ments to select. An anesthesiologist might callit “formulating the anesthesia plan,” since hemust choose which type of anesthesia to pro-vide, depending upon case characteristics andthe patient’s medical history.

In this step, a company can look for ways tohelp customers understand their objectives,simplify the resource-planning process, andreduce the amount of planning needed.Consider how Weight Watchers assists dieterswith the daunting task of losing weight. Thecompany offers a core weight-loss plan thathelps the dieter select appropriate foods with-out the need to count calories, carbohydrates,or anything else. In addition, it provides mealideas and recipes that fit into its core andpoints-based diet plans. For dieters desiringmore flexibility, Weight Watchers offers in-stant access to point values for over 27,000foods and online tools to help dieters gaugethe impact of what they eat.

2: Locate

What inputs or items must the customer lo-cate to do the job? Inputs are both tangible(for example, the surgical tools a nurse mustlocate for an operation) and intangible (say,business or other requirements that a softwaredeveloper uses when writing code). Whentangible materials are involved, a companymight consider streamlining this step bymaking the required components easier togather, ensuring that they are available whenand where needed, or eliminating the needfor some inputs altogether. Consider howU-Haul helps customers locate the inputsnecessary to complete the job of moving theirphysical goods. In addition to being a one-stopshop for moving supplies, U-Haul offers cus-tomers prepackaged moving kits that reducethe time it takes to gather the various boxesand supplies required for a move. In addition,an online partnership with eMove helpscustomers quickly locate a variety of inputsin the form of human helpers—packers,babysitters, cleaners, and painters. Opportu-nities abound to help customers assembleintangible materials as well: for instance,retrieve stored data, facilitate the collectionof new information, and verify that data areaccurate and complete.

3: Prepare

How must the customer prepare the inputsand environment to do the job? Nearly allcustomer jobs involve an element of settingup and organizing materials. Before cookingfrench fries, the fast-food operator mustopen bags, portion, and load fries into baskets;

Mapping a Customer Job

To find ways to innovate, deconstruct the job a customer is trying to get done. By working through the questions here, you can map a customer job in just a handful of interviews with customers and internal experts.

Start by understanding the execution step, to establish context and a frame of reference. Next, examine each step before execution and then after, to un-cover the role each plays in getting the job done.

To ensure that you are mapping job steps (what the customer is trying to accomplish) rather than process solu-tions (what is currently being done), ask yourself the validating questions below at each step.

Validating Questions

As defined, does the step specify what the customer is trying to accomplish, or is it only being done to accomplish a more fundamental goal?

valid step:

ascertain patient vital signs

invalid step:

check the monitorDoes the step apply universally for any customer executing the job, or does it depend on how a particular customer does the job?

valid step:

place an order

invalid step:

call the supplier to place

an order

Defining the execution step

What are the most central tasks that must be accomplished in getting the job done?

• Validate the steps

Defining pre-execution steps

What must happen before the core exe-cution step to ensure the job is success-fully carried out?

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What must be defined or planned before the execution step?

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What must be located or gathered?

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What must be prepared or set up?

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What must be confirmed before the execution step?

• Validate the steps

Defining post-execution steps

What must happen after the core execu-tion step to ensure the job is successfully carried out?

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What must be monitored or verified after the execution step to ensure the job is successfully performed?

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What must be modified or adjusted after the execution step?

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What must be done to properly con-clude the job or to prepare for the next job cycle?

• Validate the steps

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the nurse must set out and organize surgicaltools before an operation can begin. It may alsobe necessary to prepare a working surface orsome other aspect of the physical environ-ment. The dentist readies the surface of a molarprior to restoring the tooth; the painter cleansthe wall before applying the first coat of paint.

At this stage, companies should considerways to make setup less difficult. They mightinvent a means to automate the preparationprocess; make it easier to organize physicalmaterials; or create guides and safeguardsto ensure the proper arrangement of the workarea. (For customers dealing with informa-tion, companies can help organize, integrate,and examine required data.) Bosch learnedof one opportunity to help customers prepareto cut wood when professional roofers toldthe company that they would like a way tospeed the process of setting bevel levels on

their saws. Accordingly, Bosch added adjust-able levers to its CS20 circular saw to accom-modate the most common bevel adjustmentssuch as 30°, 45°, and 60°. This reduced thetime needed to cut the wood and increasedthe accuracy of the adjustments.

4: Confirm

Once preparation is complete, what does thecustomer need to verify before proceedingwith the job to ensure its successful execution?Here, the customer makes sure that materialsand the working environment have beenproperly prepared; validates the quality andfunctional capacity of material and informa-tional components; and confirms prioritieswhen deciding among execution options.This step is especially critical for jobs in whicha delay in execution might risk a customer’smoney, time, or safety. For example, afterpreparing a patient for an operation, thesurgical nurse must confirm the readiness ofthe patient (jewelry removed, vitals in check);of the equipment and instrumentation (batterypower sufficient, scalpels available); and ofthe operating room (materials in place, sterilefield intact).

A company seeking to differentiate itself atthis step could help customers gain access tothe types of information and feedback theyneed to confirm readiness and decide amongexecution alternatives. Another approach isto search for ways to build confirmation intothe locating and preparing steps, since thiswould allow the customer to proceed throughthe job more quickly and easily. For example,Oracle’s ProfitLogic merchandising optimiza-tion software removes the responsibility fromthe merchandiser for confirming the optimaltiming and level of markdowns by analyzingthousands of different demand scenarios atthe individual product level and recommend-ing the scenario for each product that is likelyto yield the highest profit.

5: Execute

What must customers do to execute the jobsuccessfully? Whether they’re printing a doc-ument or administering anesthesia, customersconsider the execution step the most importantpart of the job. Because execution is alsothe most visible step, customers are especiallyconcerned about avoiding problems anddelays, as well as achieving optimal results.

Uncovering Opportunities for Innovation

With a job map in hand, you can begin to look systematically for opportunities to create value. The questions below can guide you in your search and help you avoid overlooking any possibilities. A great way to begin is to consider the big-gest drawbacks of current solutions at each step in the map—in particular, drawbacks related to speed of execution, variability, and the quality of output. To increase the effectiveness of this ap-proach, invite a diverse team of ex-perts—marketing, design, engineering, and even some lead customers—to par-ticipate in this discussion.

Opportunities at the job level

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Can the job be executed in a more efficient or effective sequence?

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Do some customers struggle more with executing the job than others (for instance, novices versus ex-perts, older versus younger)?

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What struggles or inconveniences do customers experience because they must rely on multiple solutions to get the job done?

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Is it possible to eliminate the need for particular inputs or outputs from the job?

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Is it necessary that the customers execute all steps for which they are currently responsible? Can the bur-den be automated or shifted to someone else?

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How may trends affect the way the job is executed in the future?

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In what contexts do customers most struggle with executing the job today? Where else or when else might customers want to execute the job?

Opportunities at the step level

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What causes variability (or unreli-ability) in executing this step? What causes execution to go off track?

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Do some customers struggle more than others with this step?

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What does this step’s ideal output look like (and in what ways is the current output less than ideal)?

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Is this step more difficult to execute successfully in some contexts than others?

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What are the biggest drawbacks of current solutions used to execute this step?

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What makes executing this step time-consuming or inconvenient?

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An office worker who prints out a documentwants to avoid paper jams, running out oftoner, and long print queues. She also wants toimprove the quality of printed output. An an-esthesiologist wants to prevent negative pa-tient reactions and to ensure that the patientis unable to feel pain.

Here, innovating companies can apply theirtechnological know-how to provide customerswith real-time feedback or to automaticallycorrect execution problems. Companies canalso think about ways to keep performanceconsistent in different contexts. Kimberly-Clark’s Patient Warming System is a goodexample of value added in this way. Thesystem relies on a control unit that automati-cally circulates heated water through thermalpads placed on the patient to avoid tempera-ture spikes during surgery. The systemcan maintain normal patient temperaturewith only 20% of the patient body covered,which means the device performs consis-tently and efficiently in a variety of complexsurgical procedures.

6: Monitor

What does the customer need to monitor toensure that the job is successfully executed?Customers must keep an eye on the results oroutput during execution, especially to deter-mine whether they have to make adjustmentsto get the task back on track in the event of aproblem. For some jobs, customers must alsomonitor environmental factors to see whetherand when adjustments are necessary. Anetwork administrator, for example, monitorsWeb traffic to avoid system overload.

While some monitoring activities are passive(like the way a pacemaker monitors heart-beats), others can often be time-consumingand demanding for customers. When thecosts of poor execution are significant, aswhen operating on a patient, solutions thatcall attention to problems or relevant changesin the environment are especially valuable.Solutions that link monitoring with improvedjob execution or that provide diagnosticfeedback offer considerable value as well.Consider how Nike helps runners monitortheir workouts using the Nike+iPod SportKit. A sensor placed in Nike shoes communi-cates with an iPod being worn by the runner,providing ongoing audio feedback abouttime, distance, pace, and calories burned.

When the runner notices he is flagging, hecan select his “power song” to reinvigoratehimself. The kit also allows runners to trackprogress against predefined goals.

7: Modify

What might the customer need to alter for thejob to be completed successfully? When thereare changes in inputs or in the environment,or if the execution is problematic, the customermay need help with updates, adjustments, ormaintenance. At this step, customers needhelp deciding what should be adjusted as wellas determining when, how, and where tomake changes. Like monitoring, searchingfor the right adjustment can be both time-consuming and costly. Companies can helpby offering ways to get execution back ontrack when there are problems. They can alsoprovide avenues for reducing the time neededmake updates and the number of adjustmentsthe customer has to make to achieve desiredresults. (In addition, solutions that targetthe location and preparation steps can bedesigned to eliminate modifications.) Manysoftware programs perform well at supportingthis step. Microsoft, for example, assistscustomers with the job of modifying theircomputer to protect against security threats.Automatic updates of its operating systemremove the hassle of determining whichupdates are necessary, finding them, and en-suring that fixes are compatible with variouselements of the operating system.

8: Conclude

What must the customer do to finish the job?With some simple jobs such as hand washing,the conclusion is self-evident. Complexjobs, on the other hand, may involve someconcluding process steps. The office workerhas to retrieve a document from the printerand possibly collate, bind, and store it. Ananesthesiologist must document surgery details,as well as wake and oversee transfer of thepatient to a postoperative recovery area.

Customers often think of concluding stepsas burdensome because the core job has al-ready been completed, so companies needto help them simplify the process. Also, theconclusion of one job cycle is often the startof another or may affect the next one’s begin-ning. When a job is cyclical, companies canhelp customers make sure that concluding

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activities are closely connected to the startingpoint of a new job cycle.

One way to help customers finish the job isto design benefits sought at the conclusioninto an earlier step in the process. 3M’s CobanSelf-Adherent Wrap, for example, offers aconvenient way for medical personnel to se-cure wound dressings at the end of treatment,because it is made of a material that stretchesand adheres only to itself. This self-adherenceproperty makes the wrap easy to remove,because it doesn’t stick to patient skin or thewound. 3M designed the product in such away that putting on the wrap anticipates theact of taking it off.

Ancillary step: Troubleshooting

What problems must the customer trouble-shoot and resolve in the course of performingthe job? Even in the simplest jobs, things oc-casionally go wrong—orders are late, printersjam, surgical tools are misplaced, and softwaretest cases fail. When that happens, the customermust disengage from the core job process andenter into a distinct ancillary job of trouble-shooting and resolving the problem at hand.What customers want at that point is a speedyresolution—which is a function of how clearlythe problem is understood. If the printer jams,for example, how should the office workerremove the damaged paper? If a nurse gets cutwhen a surgeon hands him a scalpel, whatsteps must the nurse take to avoid beinginfected with a blood-borne organism?

When a problem arises, customers needresources, tools, and diagnostics to help themdetermine a resolution quickly, protect them-selves and resources that might be affected,and know when the problem is fixed. Theyalso want solutions that prevent problems ateach job step. Consider how MasterCard helpscustomers with the job of paying for productsand services when problems occur. In addi-tion to its zero-liability coverage policy,MasterCard provides downloadable contactnumbers so that customers who lose a cardwhile traveling know exactly how to contactthe company to report the loss. Then Master-Card can send out emergency cash advancesand a replacement card within 48 hours.

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To identify opportunities for innovation, somecompanies focus on product leadership, someon operational excellence, and some on cus-tomer intimacy. Some offer services; othersoffer goods. Regardless of which businessmodel a company chooses, the fundamentalbasis for identifying opportunities for growthis the same. When companies understand thatcustomers hire products, services, software,and ideas to get jobs done, they can dissectthose jobs to discover the innovation opportu-nities that are the key to growth.

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The Zurich HelpPoint Perspective

An editor at Harvard Business Review recently conducted an interview with Ty R. Sagalow to get his perspective on the Harvard Business Review article, “The Customer-Centered Innovation Map” and how Zurich applies innovation to meet its customers’ needs.

What framework do you use, as you think about innovation in new products for your customers?Central to customer-focused innovation is understanding the “job to be done,” using the language famously created by Harvard Business School’s Clay Christensen. For the insurance industry, “the job to be done” from the customer’s point of view is not simply buying an insurance policy. Ultimately, our customers want—and need—help in reducing the net cost of risk. The article takes this concept further by detailing eight sub-jobs or stages in customer contact where innovation can take place.

At Zurich, we have taken this approach for several years. There are steps all along the way where we can innovate, from making the application for insurance easier to the experience with our underwriters and, of course, the actual coverage and pricing of the risk. However, perhaps the most

important area for our customers is in our

claims operation and risk engineering. Risk

engineering is a key point in delivering what

matters most to our customers. Nothing is

more important than advising them on loss

control and how to help them reduce their

overall risk.

Zurich’s chief marketing officer often says that

understanding customer needs comes down

to four commitments: Give them everything

they would expect, some things they might

not, together with unique and helpful services,

all supported by a carrier’s strong financial

health. We created the concept of “Zurich

HelpPoint” to express how our job to be done

is helping our customers better manage their

risks, both known and unknown.

For example, recently we created a Spill

Center, so our customers can call and

get response and advice for any kind of

environmental spill within minutes.

So, innovation starts with understanding the

true needs of your customers, going beyond

what they might say they might want. As

Henry Ford said, if he had merely asked

customers what they wanted before he built

the first car, he would have ended up building

a smaller, faster horse!

In what ways do you advise clients to evaluate risk, when thinking about the introduction of new products? Taking a page from our own book, we

advise them to look at their own customers

and evaluate their customers’ jobs to be

done. So, customers of our insureds who

give our insureds sensitive data expect that

the data will be held securely. Here, there is

an opportunity for us to provide access to

network security consultants and, of course,

insurance in collaboration with our insureds

that they can fulfill their mission of getting

their customer’s job done.

How do you think about your competition, when you look at the opportunities to innovate new products in the industry?

The article points out that many companies are focused on just watching the competition’s offering. Presumably, so they can figure out if they can do it better. Being better than your competition is always important, but just focusing on your competition instead of focusing on your customers is not the right approach.

Zurich is a customer-centric company, so customer-centric innovation is our guiding theme. For this reason we have enhanced over 30% of our portfolio in the last 24 months. Focusing on your customers allows you to create new-to-the-market products, sometimes before your customers fully realize they need them. One last example: Recently, the devastation in Japan has reminded us all of the global impact and risk we may face when there is a huge disruption in the supply chain due to a natural disaster. Over two years ago, as risk advisers, we looked at that and studied what the interruption of the supply chain can mean to a wide range of industries. We came out with a supply chain policy, something we think is the first in industry.

In our pipeline, we have a number of risk-reduction products that arose out of our advance understanding of our customers’ jobs to be done. I’m quite proud of the fact that Zurich was named Top New Product Innovator in North America by Advisen for 2010. Innovation is not difficult when you have the customer in mind. As Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Zurich in North America is a part of Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich), an insurance- based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America, and other markets. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and employs approximately 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries, including more than 9,500 employees in North America. www.zurichna.com

Ty R. SagaloW Head of PRoPoSITIon develoPmenT ZuRIcH noRTH ameRIca commeRcIal