Jobs to be Done (JTBD)
for Defence activities (ISIC 8422)
The Defence activities industry is a high-fit candidate for JTBD due to its inherent complexity, long procurement cycles, high stakes, and the critical need for innovation that truly addresses evolving threats. Traditional defence procurement often focuses on specifying product features, which can...
Why This Strategy Applies
A methodology for understanding the functional, emotional, and social 'job' a customer is truly trying to get done, which leads to innovation opportunities.
GTIAS pillars this strategy draws on — and this industry's average score per pillar
These pillar scores reflect Defence activities's structural characteristics. Higher scores indicate greater complexity or risk — see the full scorecard for all 81 attributes.
What this industry needs to get done
When facing evolving geopolitical threats, I want to reliably project an undeniable strategic deterrent capability, so I can safeguard national interests and prevent hostile aggression.
The rapid evolution of global threats often outpaces the long development and deployment cycles of advanced defence systems, creating windows of vulnerability due to temporal synchronization constraints (MD04: 4/5).
- time to deploy new capabilities
- adversary's perceived risk of engagement
- national security incident frequency
When deploying forces to remote and challenging environments, I want to ensure continuous operational readiness for all personnel and equipment, so I can execute missions effectively without logistical interruptions.
Maintaining complex systems and delivering timely support in logistically challenging environments with deep value-chain depth severely restricts operational flexibility and readiness (MD05: 4/5, MD04: 4/5).
- equipment uptime percentage
- mean time to repair (MTTR)
- mission success rate
When engaging in multinational military or security operations, I want to seamlessly integrate information and capabilities with partner forces, so I can achieve synchronized efforts and enhance collective mission effectiveness.
Divergent national systems, security protocols, and cultural norms create significant friction and normative misalignment, hindering true data and command integration across coalition forces (CS01: 4/5, CS04: 4/5).
- cross-platform data exchange latency
- coalition decision-making cycle time
- joint exercise performance scores
When seeking to operate and innovate highly advanced defence technologies, I want to consistently attract, develop, and retain specialized technical and strategic talent, so I can maintain a competitive advantage and adapt to future challenges.
The competitive landscape for highly skilled professionals, coupled with specific demographic dependencies, makes it challenging to maintain an elastic and skilled workforce capable of handling complex systems (CS08: 3/5).
- voluntary separation rate of skilled personnel
- time to fill critical roles
- average proficiency rating of new recruits
When acquiring critical defence components and services, I want to ensure absolute integrity, resilience, and ethical compliance across the entire global supply chain, so I can mitigate vulnerabilities and guarantee strategic autonomy.
The deep and interdependent nature of global defence value chains introduces significant risks related to counterfeiting, cyber intrusion, and labor integrity, making comprehensive oversight difficult (MD05: 4/5, CS05: 3/5).
- supply chain cyber breach incidence
- critical component lead time variation
- third-party ethical audit compliance score
When planning and executing defence activities, I want to rigorously adhere to all national and international laws, regulations, and ethical standards, so I can maintain legitimacy and avoid legal or reputational repercussions.
The extreme rigidity of ethical and religious compliance frameworks, coupled with high cultural friction in international operations, necessitates meticulous and complex adherence processes (CS04: 4/5, CS01: 4/5).
- legal violation incident rate
- ethical audit pass rate
- regulatory fine exposure reduction
When making decisions or conducting operations, I want to clearly communicate defence objectives and outcomes, so I can ensure public understanding, maintain national support, and mitigate social activism risks.
Public perception is highly sensitive to social activism and potential community friction, requiring careful management of information and clear communication to prevent de-platforming risks (CS03: 3/5, CS07: 3/5).
- public approval rating for defence spending
- negative media sentiment score
- community engagement success metrics
When engaging with the international community, I want to consistently project an image of strategic competence, reliable partnership, and principled strength, so I can solidify alliances and effectively deter potential adversaries.
Navigating complex cultural frictions and heritage sensitivities in international diplomacy requires nuanced and consistent projection of national identity and strategic intent to build lasting trust (CS01: 4/5, CS02: 3/5).
- ally confidence index score
- diplomatic influence ranking
- adversary strategic posture shift
When faced with ambiguous and rapidly escalating threat intelligence, I want to feel absolutely confident in the accuracy of my strategic assessments and the viability of my response options, so I can make swift, impactful decisions with minimal regret.
The overwhelming volume and often conflicting nature of intelligence, combined with severe temporal synchronization constraints, makes it inherently difficult to achieve complete certainty before committing to irreversible actions (MD04: 4/5).
- decision-making cycle time
- post-action confidence score (self-reported)
- strategic error rate
When operating interconnected defence networks and systems, I want to be assured that they are fully impenetrable to all known and emerging cyber threats, so I can focus on mission execution without constant anxiety over data compromise or operational incapacitation.
The constant and rapidly evolving nature of cyber threats, requiring continuous temporal synchronization in defense, means achieving absolute security is an elusive and anxiety-inducing goal.
- cyber incident detection time
- successful intrusion attempt frequency
- cybersecurity team stress levels (survey)
When serving in defence activities, I want to genuinely feel that my personal sacrifice contributes to a greater, honorable mission and that I am a valued member of a cohesive community, so I can maintain high morale and personal resilience.
Despite existing support structures, the demanding nature of defence work, coupled with potential social displacement and public scrutiny, can erode individual purpose and community ties (CS07: 3/5, CS08: 3/5).
- personnel morale index
- retention rate of experienced personnel
- reported sense of belonging (survey)
Strategic Overview
The Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework offers a profound lens for the Defence activities industry to move beyond traditional product-centric procurement towards understanding the true, underlying 'jobs' that military and security forces need to get done. This framework emphasizes identifying the functional, emotional, and social needs that drive demand, enabling the development of more effective, adaptable, and innovative solutions. For an industry characterized by high costs, long development cycles, and rapidly evolving threats, shifting focus to 'jobs' rather than just 'products' can unlock new pathways for strategic advantage and resource optimization.
By adopting a JTBD perspective, defence entities can better articulate requirements, foster genuine innovation, and reduce the risk of investing in capabilities that quickly become obsolete. It encourages an outcome-oriented approach, pushing stakeholders to define success in terms of mission accomplishment, deterrence effectiveness, or personnel readiness, rather than merely acquiring the latest hardware. This framework is particularly relevant given the challenges of maintaining technological edge (MD01) and adapting to strategic capability gaps (MD04), as it drives a deeper understanding of underlying needs which can be met through novel, sometimes non-traditional, solutions.
Applying JTBD in Defence activities allows for a re-evaluation of existing systems and future investments. It helps identify unmet needs or 'pain points' in operational contexts, leading to more targeted R&D, improved interoperability, and greater value from procurement. Ultimately, it fosters a culture of problem-solving centered around the warfighter's or national security's true objectives, leading to more resilient and effective defence postures against a backdrop of increasing geopolitical complexity and technological disruption.
4 strategic insights for this industry
Beyond Hardware: The 'Job' of Strategic Deterrence
Defence organizations often procure specific weapon systems. JTBD reveals the deeper 'job' is often 'maintaining strategic deterrence' or 'projecting national power.' This insight can lead to innovative solutions beyond traditional platforms, potentially involving cyber capabilities, space assets, or integrated information warfare systems, addressing 'Maintaining Technological Edge' (MD01) by ensuring relevance.
Sustainment as a Service: The 'Job' of Operational Readiness
For logistics and sustainment, the 'job' isn't merely to supply spare parts, but 'to keep forces operational and mission-ready in remote and austere environments.' This understanding drives innovation in predictive maintenance, additive manufacturing at the point of need, or modular system designs, directly impacting 'High Lifecycle Costs & Upgrade Burden' (MD01) and reducing 'Supply Chain Inefficiencies' (PM01).
Interoperability as a Core 'Job' for Coalition Operations
The 'job' in multinational operations isn't just 'communicating data,' but 'ensuring seamless, secure, and resilient interoperability for effective coalition force projection.' This necessitates a focus on open architectures, common data standards, and adaptable communication protocols, rather than stove-piped national systems, addressing 'Operational Errors and Safety Risks' (PM01) and 'Geopolitical Constraints on Market Access' (MD02) through collaborative design.
Talent as a 'Job' to Attract and Retain Expertise
From a human capital perspective, the 'job' is not just 'recruiting soldiers,' but 'attracting, developing, and retaining highly skilled personnel to operate complex systems and adapt to evolving threats.' This can lead to innovations in training methodologies, career progression, and quality of life initiatives, directly tackling 'Talent Shortages in Critical Areas' (MD08) and 'Recruitment Shortfalls & Retention Issues' (CS08).
Prioritized actions for this industry
Integrate JTBD into Requirements Definition
Shift from specifying technical features to defining the 'job to be done' during the initial phases of defence acquisition. This involves conducting extensive ethnographic research and interviews with warfighters and operational planners to uncover latent and explicit needs, ensuring that procurement efforts are aligned with mission outcomes.
Establish Cross-Functional 'Job' Teams
Form interdisciplinary teams comprising operational users, engineers, logisticians, and acquisition specialists. These teams would be mandated to define, analyze, and innovate around specific 'jobs,' fostering a holistic understanding of requirements and enabling more agile and integrated solution development.
Adopt Outcome-Based Contracting Models
Transition from traditional fixed-price or cost-plus contracts, which often incentivize feature delivery over outcome, to contracts that reward providers based on how effectively their solution helps the defence organization achieve a defined 'job.' This incentivizes true innovation and efficiency.
Leverage Dual-Use Technologies for Civilian 'Jobs'
Investigate how civilian technologies addressing similar 'jobs' (e.g., resilient communication, autonomous logistics, data analytics) can be adapted for defence. This can accelerate innovation cycles and reduce costs by tapping into commercial R&D, addressing 'High Development Costs & Risks' (MD04) and 'Limited Market Access for New Entrants' (MD06).
From quick wins to long-term transformation
- Conduct JTBD workshops with frontline personnel for specific mission sets (e.g., urban warfare, humanitarian aid) to identify unmet functional, emotional, and social needs.
- Pilot a JTBD-focused requirements gathering process for a small, non-critical procurement project.
- Train acquisition personnel and program managers on JTBD principles and methodologies.
- Incorporate JTBD analysis into the formal doctrine for capability development and R&D prioritization.
- Develop 'job stories' or 'job cards' as part of the initial program documentation, supplementing traditional requirements specifications.
- Establish dedicated 'job innovation cells' or task forces within defence R&D to explore unconventional solutions to defined 'jobs'.
- Institutionalize JTBD as a core strategic framework for all major defence procurements and capability development programs.
- Shift organizational culture towards outcome-centric thinking, rewarding innovation that solves 'jobs' efficiently rather than just delivering new products.
- Develop robust data analytics to track how well new capabilities fulfill their intended 'jobs' over their lifecycle.
- Confusing 'jobs' with 'solutions' or 'product features,' leading to superficial application of the framework.
- Resistance to change from established bureaucratic processes and traditional acquisition mindsets.
- Difficulty in translating abstract 'jobs' into concrete, measurable defence requirements and technical specifications.
- Over-reliance on internal perspectives without sufficient external validation from commercial or allied defence sectors.
Measuring strategic progress
| Metric | Description | Target Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Operational Effectiveness Index (OEI) | A composite score measuring how effectively new capabilities contribute to achieving specific mission 'jobs' (e.g., success rates in simulated exercises, speed of response). | 15% improvement in OEI within 3 years for new systems compared to legacy. |
| Capability Realization Time (CRT) | The time taken from identifying a 'job' to deploying a validated solution that addresses it, focusing on agility and responsiveness. | 20% reduction in CRT for critical capabilities over 5 years. |
| Lifecycle Cost-per-Job Fulfilled | Total lifecycle cost (acquisition, sustainment, upgrades) divided by a quantifiable measure of the 'job' delivered (e.g., per-unit deterrence capability, per-hour operational availability). | 10% cost reduction per unit of 'job' delivered compared to previous generations. |
| Innovation Pipeline Diversity Score | Measures the breadth of different solution types (e.g., hardware, software, services, process improvements) being explored to address key 'jobs,' indicating non-traditional thinking. | Increase solution diversity by 25% within pipeline initiatives. |
Software to support this strategy
These tools are recommended across the strategic actions above. Each has been matched based on the attributes and challenges relevant to Defence activities.
Capsule CRM
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HubSpot
Free forever plan • 288,700+ customers in 135+ countries
CRM and NPS/CSAT tooling gives companies visibility into customer sentiment before it becomes a reputation event — and the infrastructure to respond with targeted, personalised messaging at scale
All-in-one CRM and go-to-market platform used by 288,700+ businesses across 135+ countries. Connects marketing, sales, service, content, and operations in one system — free forever plan to start, paid tiers to scale.
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Other strategy analyses for Defence activities
Also see: Jobs to be Done (JTBD) Framework