The conversation circled hour by hour.

 Meeting by meeting.

 Week over week.

Everyone agreed the technology could work.

 Everyone agreed the problem was worth solving.

 And still…nothing happened.

We were stuck in the observability gap.

The Gap Is Real

The observability gap is that stretch between seeing the potential of a solution and having enough lived proof to commit to the change it demands.

It’s not a technical problem.

 It’s an organizational one.

In theory, a new system can save money, reduce errors, and speed things up. In practice, those benefits only appear if:

• Processes are rewritten to match the new capability
• People actually adopt the new workflows
• There’s discipline in measuring and iterating over time

The technology may open the door—but the organization still has to walk through it.

How We Get Stuck

In a project mindset, success is defined by delivery: on time, on budget, requirements met. The benefits are assumed to follow.

In a product mindset, success is defined by sustained, measurable outcomes. That requires process change, behavior change, and cross-functional ownership—forever, not just at launch.

That’s where hesitation creeps in:

 Are we ready to own the outcome?

 Are we ready to enforce the change?

 Are we willing to be accountable for the ROI?

It’s far easier to wait for “perfect certainty” than to commit and learn our way forward.

How We Get Unstuck

You can’t think your way across the observability gap—you have to test your way across.

Here’s how:

Make the outcome explicit — Say exactly what you’re trying to achieve.

Bake process changes into daily work — Don’t leave compliance or adoption to chance. (Think accountability)

Instrument for feedback — Measure in real time, not in quarterly retrospectives.

Commit to iteration — Adjust processes and technology together.

PS: Testing your way in is essential—but don’t use it to dodge the real decision.

 You can’t test one isolated feature and declare victory or failure. That’s not testing; that’s pretending.

 The point is to test the system—technology, process, and behavior—together. That’s the only way to see the real outcome you’re deciding on.

The Question to Answer

When you hit the observability gap, the question isn’t:

“Do we trust the technology?”

The question is:

“Are we willing to change how we work to capture the value?”

Because without process discipline, ownership, and feedback loops, even the best tech will underdeliver.

Crossing the observability gap isn’t about the tool—it’s about becoming the kind of organization that captures value on purpose, not by accident.

Image Credit: Photo by Miki Czetti