All for the want of a nail

refrigeratorMany years ago, we bought a new computer. It was bigger than a large side-by-side refrigerator and cost as much as a small house. The hard disk, a separate cabinet the size of a washing machine, weighed in at just under one thousand pounds. Not to worry, it had a large capacity – eighty megabytes (considerably less than a dumb phone has today).

washing machineWe already had a good printer (dot matrix, black and white) and the computer manufacturer was to make a special interface so that the computer and printer could communicate.

But when it was all set up, the printer would not work on the new computer. We called the salesman who had sold us the computer and reminded him we had purchased, from him, a special interface board so that we could use our existing printer. The next day, he called back and said the problem must be in the printer and we should contact the printer manufacturer.

I knew the problem wasn’t with the printer.

Next, he decided we needed a new cable connecting the computer to the printer. Cables back then were more complicated than they are today, and cost about $100, perhaps $300 in today’s dollars. After giving it some thought, I dismissed that and called him back. I was not going to make the final payment until the company had the printer working properly.

Finally, they sent out the man who had designed the interface. After studyingwire cutters the situation for about five minutes, he pulled a pair of wire cutters from his pocket, clipped out a small resistor (cost: fifty cents) from the interface board and dropped it in the trash.

The printer worked perfectly.

This longwinded story illustrates two important facts. First, if you’ve got a problem, call an expert. You can get all sorts of free advice and it is usually worth about what you paid for it – nothing. He’s called an expert because he has special knowledge or skill in an area. If that’s the area where you’re having problems, that expert is the person to call. Even though a person is smart, he may have little or no knowledge of your problem. An expert eye doctor is of little help if you have colon cancer. The salesman was a terrific salesman. He didn’t know jack about special interfaces.

Second, even the smallest component in a complex system can bring the entire project to a grinding halt.   So you must pay attention to the small things. Ignore them and the major components may not be able to do their job. It’s like the old proverb: for nailthe want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for the want of a horse, the rider was lost; for the want of the rider, the message was lost; for the want of the message, the battle was lost. All, for the want of a nail.

If you have a problem, get help from an expert on that problem. And pay attention to the small details.

 

 

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