Identifying the Problem (New CompTIA A+ Part 3)
“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”
— Charles Kettering (former head of research at General Motors)
CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology
Troubleshooting starts by identifying a problem.
But first, backup the computer.
The data stored on the computer is probably worth more than the computer itself.
Losing all that data would probably really suck, so back it up to the cloud, or an external hard drive, or both.
Gather Intelligence from the User
Typically, problems first come from a user, or another technician.
This person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include:
What are the exact error messages you saw on the screen (or heard from the speaker)?
Is it just you, or is anyone else experiencing the same problem?
How long has the problem been occurring?
What changes have been made recently to the system? Were these changes initiated by you or via another support request?
Were there any changes made by the user, within the environment, or from a change in infrastructure?
What fixes have you (or another technician) already tried?
If you get decent answers to this first round of questions, you will know:
how severe the problem is
how many people were affected
what to investigate (hardware vs. software for example)
what changes were recently made
what got overlooked during the initial computer setup
whether an environmental or mechanical event occurred
Troubleshooting Life Outside of Technology
You can use a version of these questions to troubleshoot life outside of technology as well.
Medical diagnosis can be a painful process because the symptoms can seem confusing, or overwhelming. But once the problem is named, say appendicitis, the decision to go to surgery becomes straightforward. It is not easy emotionally, but the logic is clear.
A struggling company may not be seeing any growth, but once they realize they are targeting the wrong audience, the decision to pivot or rebrand becomes much easier than tweaking things aimlessly.
Product designers like to say “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution,” because once the problem is nailed — like “users can’t find the checkout button” — the design fix becomes straightforward.
Once the problem is clearly defined, you can start on the next two steps, establishing and testing theories, which I will write about in future blogs.
THE TAKEAWAY:
Just like with any problem, the trick is to approach it methodically so that no possible cause is overlooked, and efficiently, so that the problem can be solved quickly.
