Startup Experience

I once worked at a startup. It failed. I found another job and moved on.

But while I was employed at Grubic Associates I did a number of good things.

My primary effort was to translate data entry information into a useful internal format. Although I spent a ton of time getting our OS ready to work with a low-frequency wireless radio link transceiver terminal it never made it past a hard-wired demonstration unit.

Grubic Associates supported a “smart” terminal. Such a terminal could accept a data entry form and allow the operator to enter data without involving the attached computer. When the operator hit send the various data fields were sent to the host.

My part started the show. The show included the ability to do everything from inventory and Bill of Materials explosion to MRP and semi automatic Purchase Order adjustments. Now put your mind in the “Way Back Machine” and imagine all this working on a small computer BEFORE the advent of the IBM PC. Our Computer Automation “Naked Mini” could do all that with its expensive 5MB hard drive.

Yes, Times HAVE changed. But was has not changed is the requirement for expertise and hard work to accomplish a difficult but reasonable task. In addition to some very good software people we had a guy with expertise in shop floor control and inventory management. ‘Tiz a pity that the owner, L. Richard Grubic, offended the very people he needed to impress. Still, the 10 people who worked their butts off produced a well working system.

I remember one specific event where I put my debugging skills to the test. At our only customer the system was hanging. In order to find out more I went to the customer’s office and sat in the back watching the data entry ladies enter data. It may have taken two hangs but I saw what was happening. She hit “send” and the “next transaction” keys in rapid sequence. But upon hitting send the computer first had to validate the data and return it to the screen. My data going back to the terminal and her request for the next transaction collided.

I went back to the office and took the rest of the day off. After dinner I returned and by the time everybody arrived Saturday morning I had the thing fixed. I went home and slept. Monday the fix was delivered to the customer.

Precognition?

When I defined the driver structure I allowed for 6 driver entry points. I had only used 4. I used one of the spares as a hook to poll the terminal. When this collision occurred I could detect it and fix it. And I could do this without a bunch of internal reorganization.

Reflection...

The only thing more expensive than a really good sales force is a really bad sales force.

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