Most product managers spend months on roadmaps that never ship. Requirements get misunderstood. Features get built that nobody uses. Projects deliver late and over budget.
Allen Eskridge, Unosquare’s Senior Product Manager, delivered 120% of expected value at 10% of the cost on recent projects. His approach differs fundamentally from traditional product management and the results prove why observation beats assumptions every time.
The Problem Most Product Managers Face
Traditional product management often fails because teams operate on assumptions rather than reality.
Common pitfalls include:
- Roadmaps built on stakeholder assumptions rather than user needs
- Features designed without observing actual user workflows
- Requirements gathered through filtered communication channels
- Projects that deliver technically but fail to solve real problems
The result? According to a study only 29% of software projects succeed fully. Most fail due to misaligned requirements, not technical inability.
The Genchi Gembutsu Approach: Go and See for Yourself
Genchi Gembutsu (現地現物) is a core principle of the Toyota Production System. It translates to “go and see for yourself”, meaning decisions must be based on direct observation of reality, not reports or assumptions.
In manufacturing, this means going to the factory floor to observe problems firsthand. In product management, it means observing users in their actual environment before designing solutions.
Why It Works in Product Management
- Reveals problems users don’t articulate: People can’t always explain their pain points clearly, but observation shows the real friction.
- Uncovers workflow realities: What users say they do versus what they actually do often differs dramatically.
- Prevents over-engineering: Direct observation helps teams build exactly what’s needed, nothing more.
- Builds stakeholder trust: When teams demonstrate deep understanding of user reality, confidence increases.
Case Study 1: Evans Group Custom Sales Platform
The Challenge
Evans Group, a Texas-based construction services company, needed a custom sales platform to improve representative efficiency. Their existing process involved manual data entry, disconnected systems, and time-consuming workflows that prevented sales reps from focusing on what mattered: closing deals.
The Genchi Gembutsu Approach
Rather than gathering requirements through stakeholder meetings alone, unosquare’s team observed sales representatives during actual client interactions. They watched the complete sales cycle, from initial contact through contract signing; noting every friction point, workaround, and manual process.
Key observations revealed:
- Sales reps spent 40% of their time on data entry rather than client relationships
- Critical client information lived in three separate systems
- The real bottleneck wasn’t proposal generation, it was information retrieval
- Reps created workarounds using spreadsheets, indicating system gaps
The Solution
unosquare built a custom sales platform from scratch that unified data sources, automated repetitive tasks, and presented information exactly how sales reps needed it during client conversations. The interface design directly reflected observed workflows; not generic sales software patterns.
Measurable Results
- Sales rep time spent on data entry reduced from 40% to under 10%
- Increased rep confidence during client meetings due to instant access to information
- Delivered at 10% of estimated cost due to precise scope understanding
- Zero feature bloat, every capability directly addressed an observed need
Case Study 2: Solid Lives Church App
The Challenge
Solid Lives, a growing church community, needed a scalable platform for discipleship and community engagement. Traditional church management software existed, but nothing addressed their specific needs around connecting members, facilitating small groups, and tracking spiritual growth journeys.
The Genchi Gembutsu Approach
The product team attended church services, small group meetings, and leadership sessions. They observed how members naturally connected, what barriers prevented engagement, and how church leaders currently facilitated discipleship relationships.
Critical insights:
- Members wanted connection but found existing tools too complicated
- Church leaders needed visibility into engagement without being intrusive
- The key metric wasn’t app usage, it was real-world relationship formation
- Simplicity mattered more than features
The Solution
unosquare developed a user-friendly global app focused on genuine community building. The interface prioritized ease of use over feature richness, with clear pathways for members to connect and leaders to support. Built for global scalability from day one, the platform grew alongside the church community.
Measurable Results
- Member engagement increased 300% compared to previous systems
- Small group participation grew by 45% in first six months
- Church leaders reported better visibility into community health
- Platform scaled successfully across multiple church locations
Case Study 3: Document Crunch AI Integration
The Challenge
Document Crunch, a construction contract intelligence platform, needed to integrate AI capabilities into their existing product. The challenge wasn’t just adding AI features, it was ensuring AI solved real problems rather than creating technological complexity for its own sake.
The Genchi Gembutsu Approach
The team analyzed how construction professionals actually used contract documents. They observed review processes, noted which information users searched for repeatedly, and identified where human analysis created bottlenecks.
Key findings:
- Users didn’t want AI to replace analysis, they wanted AI to surface relevant clauses faster
- The value was in pattern recognition across thousands of contracts, not individual document analysis
- Trust in AI outputs depended on showing source references, not just answers
- Speed mattered more than comprehensive analysis
The Solution
unosquare integrated AI to streamline specific, observed friction points in the contract review process. Rather than building generic AI features, the team focused on precise use cases where AI delivered measurable value: clause identification, risk flagging, and comparative analysis across contract databases.
Measurable Results
- Contract review time reduced by 60% for common analysis tasks
- Users reported increased confidence in identifying contract risks
- AI features achieved 85% user adoption within three months
- Zero complaints about AI complexity — features integrated naturally into existing workflows
The Framework: How to Apply This to Your Projects
Genchi Gembutsu isn’t just a philosophy; it’s a practical framework any product team can implement. Here’s how Unosquare applies these principles consistently:
Step 1: Observe Directly (No Assumptions)
- Spend time in the user’s actual environment
- Watch complete workflows from start to finish
- Note workarounds, they reveal system gaps
- Ask ‘why’ five times to uncover root causes
Step 2: Assemble the Right Expertise
- Include developers, designers, QA, and UX researchers from day one
- Bring technical expertise to observation sessions
- Enable team members to ask questions directly to users
- Scale team size based on project complexity, not arbitrary budgets
Step 3: Iterate Based on Real Feedback
- Build prototypes quickly and test with actual users
- Observe how users interact with prototypes, not just what they say
- Adjust based on observed behavior, not feature requests
- Maintain constant communication channels (Slack, Teams, regular demos)
Step 4: Deliver Beyond Expectations
- Focus on solving observed problems completely, not checking requirement boxes
- Provide expert guidance on implementation approaches
- Suggest improvements based on technical expertise and market knowledge
- Eliminate unnecessary features identified through observation
Step 5: Measure Impact Continuously
- Define success metrics based on real-world outcomes, not feature completion
- Track user behavior post-launch to validate assumptions
- Return to observation when metrics don’t improve as expected
- Use insights to inform future iterations and adjacent projects
How unosquare’s Product Teams Work
unosquare’s product management approach combines Genchi Gembutsu principles with the practical advantages of nearshore collaboration. Here’s what makes the model effective:
Multidisciplinary Squads from Day One
Every project starts with a complete team: product managers, developers, designers, QA engineers, and UX researchers. This prevents the common problem of requirements being ‘thrown over the wall’ to development teams who weren’t involved in discovery.
Nearshore Collaboration Advantages
With teams based in Latin America, unosquare offers overlapping time zones with U.S. clients, cultural alignment, and easier travel for on-site observation. According to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, nearshore partnerships show 35% better project outcomes compared to offshore models due to communication quality.
Flexible Team Scaling
unosquare maintains an experienced bench of specialists who can be added to projects as needs evolve. This flexibility ensures teams have the right expertise at the right time without forcing clients to hire full-time employees for temporary needs.
Constant Communication Channels
Teams use Slack, Microsoft Teams, and regular video demos to maintain alignment. This isn’t just status reporting, it’s continuous collaboration where client feedback shapes decisions in real-time.
What Makes This Approach Different
Traditional product management often treats requirements as fixed specifications to fulfill. unosquare’s Genchi Gembutsu approach recognizes that requirements are hypotheses to be validated through observation.
Not Just Fulfilling Requirements
Teams go beyond what’s written in specifications to understand the underlying problems. This often means delivering solutions that look different from initial requirements — but achieve better outcomes.
Providing Expert Guidance and Innovation
Product teams bring technical expertise and market knowledge to every project. When observation reveals opportunities for innovation, teams proactively suggest improvements rather than waiting for explicit requests.
Understanding Client Goals AND Markets
Successful product delivery requires understanding both what the client wants and what their market needs. Observation sessions with end users ensure both perspectives inform decisions.
Delivering Measurable Value
The 120% value at 10% cost metric isn’t accidental. By eliminating unnecessary features through observation, teams focus resources on high-impact capabilities. This produces better outcomes at lower costs.
Why Product Success Starts with Observation
Most product failures stem from a single root cause: building solutions for assumed problems rather than observed realities. Genchi Gembutsu flips this pattern by requiring direct observation before design decisions.
The results speak for themselves:
- Evans Group: Custom sales platform delivered at 10% of estimated cost
- Solid Lives: 300% increase in member engagement
- Document Crunch: 60% reduction in contract review time
These aren’t exceptional outcomes, they’re what becomes possible when product teams prioritize understanding over assumptions.
Ready to Deliver Product Success?
If your product roadmap isn’t delivering the results you need or if you’re spending months building features nobody uses, it might be time to adopt an observation-first approach.
unosquare’s product management teams combine Genchi Gembutsu principles with nearshore collaboration advantages to deliver measurable outcomes.
Visit unosquare.com to learn how we can help your next project succeed.
About the AuthorAllen Eskridge is Senior Product Manager at unosquare, where he applies Genchi Gembutsu principles to deliver product outcomes that exceed expectations. With experience spanning custom platforms, AI integration, and scalable community applications, Allen specializes in translating observation into innovation.
