Defining a framework for collecting customer needs using Jobs-to-be-done theory and Out-come-driven innovation methodology

Abstract

From pharmaceutical company’s perspective, innovation, and innovativeness, both in product and services, are becoming a necessity to match the volatile and ever-changing external environment. At the heart of developing new business models, services and possibly products, are customers. For a pharmaceutical company, the customers can be healthcare professionals, patients as well as payers or politicians. Still, methods for describing and discovering customer needs, or involving customers in product and service innovation is challenging for many companies. In this thesis and case study, the objective of defining and discovering customer-centric needs is researched through jobs-to-be-done theory and a framework inspired by Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) approach. ODI’s objective is to identify innovation areas from customer’s job-to-be-done perspective at the earliest steps of innovation processes. In this case study of the pharmaceutical company, the process for identifying customer needs in the context of defining a treatment plan is presented. Firstly, 6 customers were interviewed to identify in the form of job-to-be-done steps and desired outcomes. Through the interviews, over 30 customer needs were identified. In the next phase, the customers evaluated the needs in a survey based on the importance and satisfaction, leading to an identification of most potential innovation areas. These innovation areas and customer needs propose a starting point for the development of innovative services, products, and new value propositions for the Case company. As an outcome, a framework for continuous and repetitive customer need identification is presented. The case study advances the under-standing of defining, describing and documenting customer needs in pharmaceutical context. Also, the thesis offers contribution from the methodological perspective for customer-centric innovation management in pharmaceutical industry.