Abstract: A request is transmitted to a computer operated by an approver, to respond with approval or disapproval for an employee to work on a project, before a bid identifying that employee can be accepted. Requests for approval or disapproval are transmitted based on one or more employees identified in a bid, by looking up a database, to identify the approver of each employee. To facilitate the look up, each employee to be identified in a bid is required to have a profile in a set of profiles of employees in an organization. After responses of approval are received for employees identified in bids, those bids are transmitted to a computer operated by a project manager. Obtaining approval(s) before a bid can be accepted increases the likelihood of work being done in a timely manner, thus improving the functioning of a computer system that facilitates distribution of work.

Abstract: Quickly synchronizing adjustable delay circuits for a multiple channel tester by using a timing pulse that has reached the end of a given path in the tester to trigger the following timing pulse of a timing generator, thereby providing oscillating timing pulses having an associated frequency related to the propagation delay associated with the particular path, comparing the associated frequency with a reference frequency and adjusting a delay provided in the path until the associated frequency matches a desired frequency.