The phrase "a poor starting point" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an initial idea, plan, or situation that is not ideal or effective for achieving a desired outcome.
Example: "While the proposal has some merit, I believe it is a poor starting point for our project and needs further development."
Alternatives: "an inadequate foundation" or "a weak beginning".
This process might be impossible for the optimization algorithm to reach due to either a poor starting point or a not so wise process set-up.
In the European elections it took just 23%, a poor starting point for a party that aspires to snatch back power from Mariano Rajoy's conservative People's Party (PP .Mr Sánchez may be unknown, but he is hardly a risky choice.
The third catch is that the Senate bill is a poor starting point for conference discussions with House Republicans, whose bill is geared more toward permanently weakening the Endangered Species Act than any drought relief or sustainable water solution.
This deterioration came from a poor starting-point, for Greece in particular.
That is a very poor starting-point for a national run.
Greece may have improved its ranking the most, but that was from a desperately poor starting-point.
Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio made 14 new signings this summer but they have got off to a poor start, with just one point to show from their opening three games and sitting 19th in the league.
After a poor start, with a sole point in an entire championship, Napoli was readmitted to Serie A's forerunner National Division by the Italian FA, and began to improve thanks in part to Paraguayan-born Attila Sallustro, who was the first fully fledged hero to the fans.
Shawn Kemp overcame a poor start to score 22 points and grab 14 rebounds, leading the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-103 victoverover the Boston Celtics last night.
Back to this match, Monfils makes a poor start to this game, losing the first point.
Otamendi was shown a straight red card six minutes from time for a dangerous tackle on Mikel San José before Aduriz pounced on a loose ball in the 90th minute to rescue a point for the Basque club, who have recovered well from a poor start and are eighth on 40 points.
