Problem Context
A mixed hardware + software product was entering beta testing.
- 15 prototype units
- High per-unit cost
- International shipping
- Customs forms and payments
- Tracking numbers
- Hardware assembly variability
- Software version variability
- Installation variability
We were running an A/B test:
- Different parts
- Different assembly processes
- Units were intentionally not identical
There was:
- No serialization of units or components
- No tracking of which version was in which customer’s hands
- No structured shipping or customs tracking
- No separation between pre-ship issues and post-install issues
- No structured feedback intake
- No version control
- No ownership mapping
All information lived in:
- Slack threads
- Personal notes
- Fragmented conversations
I was assembling the units while trying to absorb:
- Customer contact details
- Software developer updates
- Manufacturing adjustments
- Shipping status
- Customs documentation
There was no shared operational picture.
Management’s instruction was: Ship the units.
Without structure, every shipment multiplied uncertainty:
- Financial risk
- Experimental invalidation
- Customer confusion
- Engineering ambiguity
No meaningful decision could be made because no one could clearly see what was happening.
