Shark Tank Thursday!
Shark Tank: It’s Not A Bug, It’s A Feature – Really!
Flash back to the early 1980s and a major upgrade for this wholesaler: At all 11 remote locations, the minicomputers are being swapped out for the latest models, says a pilot fish on the scene.
“We’re also rewriting the software that links everything to our central mainframe,” fish says. “The minis run the order replenishment system that keeps the stock in all the retail stores in their areas.”
The new hardware and software go live, everything works, and after a few weeks, the company brings in a few local business reporters to show off its new pride and joy — along with a high-level VP to make sure everything goes smoothly and pose for the press.
“We do the $10 tour at one of the locations, with operations in full swing and all the order clerks running the system,” says fish.
“The VP is impressed and stands behind one of the clerks for a photo op. Then, before we know what’s going on, he orders the system shut down, everything placed on hold.
“Then the VP leaves the room without telling anyone what’s going on.”
Fish and his cohorts have the 50 clerks clear all their current calls, put a message on the phones and leave for an early lunch.
Then they try to think what could be so wrong that the VP has pulled the plug on the system — and who’s likely to lose their jobs over the situation.
Twenty minutes later, the minicomputer sales rep marches in, along with four technicians. When everyone is assembled, the VP points to the screen he saw while he stood behind the clerk as their picture was
taken.
“Some of the words on this computer screen are misspelled,” the VP says. “And if the equipment can’t spell these simple words right, then what is it doing with the math operations?
“We have too much invested in this project to have it running on hardware that can’t spell or even add or subtract right.”
Everyone in the room looks at the screen. And fish sighs.
“The data entry screens for order replenishment had tons of information to display,” he says. “So our programmers used a lot of creative abbreviations to make everything fit on the screens.”
