“Effective troubleshooting starts before the trouble does.” – Buck Woody
Effective troubleshooting is about choices since it is a protean activity that helps in diagnosing and cogitation enabling a thorough analysis leading to corrective action. Simply put troubleshooting cannot be done without making the appropriate choices that will lead to problem resolution. The two basics that need to be remembered by anyone involved in troubleshooting is that it starts with eliminating what is most certainly not the cause of the problem and two that you can never rely on past knowledge of the technology and your analysis could be incorrect. Of course both these rules seem obvious but as anyone in the realm of troubleshooting knows, it is not that simple.
Addressing rule one – being able to pick correctly what to eliminate would be the difference between success and failure. Knowing what to eliminate and why it needs to be eliminated takes practice and a sharp level of skill. The possible ‘eliminations’ require in-depth reasoning and evaluation which will take one closer to the most apt resolution of the problem. The choice for elimination requires the person to ask the right questions, construe the answers and make a decision. This process may be required to be done a number of times before the right ‘eliminations’ can be made.
For rule two – assuming you can be wrong allows you to keep an open mind. All the relevant experience you have in troubleshooting should not cloud your decision making for the current problem. A clean slate is always most receptive and the options are more easily identifiable. Troubleshooting is about choices and you could be making them based on help from troubleshooting guides, past experience, knowledge, a colleague’s knowledge on the subject or any other relevant source. The thing to remember is not to assume you know but rather that you don’t.
“Even the most analytical thinkers are predictably irrational; the really smart ones acknowledge and address their irrationalities.”- Dan Ariely
Avoiding the seemingly irrelevant and commonplace snags and asking pertinent questions is the shorter and more effective route to finding effective solutions while troubleshooting. The more skilful troubleshooters know that troubleshooting is about choices and so there are few points they would cover:
– This one sounds obvious and simple and that is why it is probably ignored. A troubleshooting expert would know that if a ‘fix’ is working but the reason for it to work cannot be determined then it really isn’t a fix but a problem that is lurking. A seasoned troubleshooting person, who remembers rule two, would know that a fix is something that the person initiates. Something that happens by fluke is not a fix but a workaround and which will sooner or later manifest in to some other problem. Such ‘flukes’ will present inconsistencies and troubleshooting cannot be effective with such irregularities. Also for a troubleshooter to assume that something is not working because there is problem, will find this person looking for a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. Instead all that is probably required is a minor tweak to the system to sort it out. Troubleshooting is challenging but it can be fun too especially when you can logically figure out why something is not working. Gathering the necessary information and asking the relevant questions will enable the troubleshooter to understand how to fix the problem.
– There is a three pronged approach to troubleshooting which is why we know that troubleshooting is about choices. The three prongs to make the choices are ask, specify and validate. By asking a number of obvious questions, the troubleshooter can first ascertain what are not problems and eliminate those. This narrows down the possible problems to a few and by make an analysis of the remaining problems and then through an informed decision the troubleshooter can pick the one problem. Post making that choice, the troubleshooter must validate their understanding of the problem before going on to decide on the most accurate fix. It would be vital for the troubleshooting staff to first listen to the user since the information the user can provide could be very valuable. Use this information and verify it against the knowledge base you have of troubleshooting. Never assume that the user’s information cannot be of help especially since the user is probably a ‘layman’ and does not have the requisite technical knowledge.
Great troubleshooting is about choices and an adept troubleshooter would use every piece of information gathered and apply the rules and knowledge that they have to it, and come up with a comprehensive and effective solution. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert on every specific problem but the process of approaching will remain the same. Apply rule one and two, use a methodical, logical and analytical approach to come with a specific and smart solution to the problem facing you. Every problem faced by the user can be approached in the same way and is quite similar to other types of problem solving. As a troubleshooter, you know all too well that when you do arrive at a solution, it is imperative to first test it. Only after thoroughly checking and ascertaining, that the ‘fix’ will not create other problems or even solve the current problem, should it be applied. Understand the fix, the reason for it to work, test it and then finally apply it. Only then can you be sure that you have been successful in troubleshooting.
No amount of troubleshooting skills or a logical process will help if as a troubleshooter you don’t take suggestions and have an open mind to understand and consider a solution that seems simple. Learning never stops and is an important part of any job and although technical troubleshooting skills can be substituted by any other skill, it would help to be flexible enough to take help and ask the right questions before diving headlong in to solving the problem. Good troubleshooting is about choices and the need to apply logic to those choices to arrive at a concrete solution to the problem at hand.
Troubleshooting may be a complicated and laborious process but it doesn’t need to be harder than it is simply because the troubleshooter is overly confident and reliant only on past experiences and knowledge. To reiterate, troubleshooting begins from the root cause analysis and eliminating any incidents that are not contributing to the given problem. The most obvious, recurring and incident trends that would lead to high maintenance and corrective costs should be the focus of troubleshooting first. Customers – both internal and external come to trust the troubleshooting staff more when they can perceive a reduction in their own workload and saving of time due to timely and effective troubleshooting intervention. This encourages team work and also enhances the overall level of customer service. Before closing the troubleshooting process, it is essential to get the feedback of those involved as to not just the resolution but also the handling of the entire process. The troubleshooting process should be as hassle free and efficient as possible to not disturb the working of the organization or the customer’s work.
Efficient troubleshooters can make troubleshooting an art as much as it is a science. The application of a logical analysis and methodology significantly improves the productivity of the troubleshooting process. The procedures within troubleshooting are essential in dealing with the complex nature of technical problems and help the troubleshooter to avoid missing out on any important details of the process. Troubleshooting is about choices and solving problems often in very challenging and complex environments that could differ significantly from each other. The value of troubleshooting lies in being able to master each situation and problem as they present themselves. Once the problem has been mastered, providing the most efficient solution in the least possible time, is effective troubleshooting.
