Evaluate your performance against an objective, not competitors using JTBD

You may focus on a different customer objective than your competitor. Hopefully, you do.

Here’s something you should know if you want to successfully interpret what I write about digital transformation. I do not compare the current state against competitors, features, trends, buzzwords, economies, or ideas. The reason is simple, those things are fleeting and chaotic, and no one has control over them; let alone the ability to assign meaningful value to them. People try. I sometimes get blow back when I point that out. 🤷‍♂️

Compare the current-state against a solution-independent model of the ideal future-state

This is the missing ingredient in most innovation initiatives (and product analyses), and a core reason that

1. product launches fail at a high rate, and

2. seemingly successful industries eventually stall.

Most future-state constructs are focused on “future features.” Thus, the future-state is continually changing. How do you chase a changing target? A better way might be to construct a stable future-state based on the actual core objectives shared by a group of end-users

Co…