Bruce Crozier
Business Software Analyst
Background
I began my career in 1972 doing systems installations
for a teleprocessing company that provided
order processing, inventory and accounting services for wholesale
distribution companies. In those days very few companies were computerized so
the job entailed converting their manual operations to automation. I learned
every step of the business process, why it existed and how the new tools of
information technology could be used to improve it…or make it worse.
Over
the next fifteen years I did just about every job there was in the business
software industry. When the company expanded I moved to management. When I got
tired of the constant travel I wrote documentation. When I wanted more income I
sold systems. Actually I sold systems and then installed them, something very
few business software salespeople do. When I joined a small startup software
company I continued doing sales and installations. But when the programming
staff was stretched thin, I taught myself debug and the rudiments of
programming as well so that I could keep my clients business operations
running. When the company was sold I was asked to become Vice President of
product development and support, responsible for all product design and repair.
I also began to develop methods for the cost effective production of software
demonstration and training media to cut our sales and education costs.
In
the late Eighties our company was sold again, and I decided that I had had
enough of the corporate executive lifestyle. So my wife and I moved to the
mountains and for the past twenty years I’ve been self-employed, producing
marketing and training media, contracting as a technical writer, quality assurance
analyst and applications designer, and consulting to software companies on
business strategy and end-user companies on software selection and
implementation. I still do a lot of travel, but it’s mostly by foot.
