Troubleshooting Methodology

Question 1

What are the 6 steps of the troubleshooting methodology?

6/ I Eat The Eggs Very Deligently

Answer 1

1. Identify the problem
2. Establish a theory
3. Test the theory
4. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution
5. Verify full system functionality
6. Document the finding, actions, and outcomes

Question 2

1. Identify the problem

11

Answer 2

• What is wrong?
• What are the symptoms?
• What happened before, during, and after the issue began?
• How long has the issue been occurring?
• Did you notice any errors, unusual noises (e.g., clicking or grinding indicating hardware failure), or specific changes in behavior?
• Have there been any recent updates, software changes, or user modifications?
• Have there been any environmental or infrastructure changes?
• Is anyone else nearby experiencing the same problem?
• Have you tried anything to resolve the issue?
• If applicable, ensure a backup is performed before making further changes.
• Ask detailed questions to clarify symptoms and causes.

Question 3

2. Establish a theory of probable cause

7

Answer 3

Note: also if applcable conduct external research (google) or internal research (computer help guide) based of the symptoms

• Rough guess of what you think the problem is based on the symtoms
• Probable cause: most likely
• Question the obvious: is Device turned off, not enough power, internet, service is down, etc.
• observe physical device (Smell (Processor or motherboard, Clicking/ grinding failing hard drive, no fan spinning (power issue or broken fan)
• reproduce the problem if it went away

Question 4

3. Test the theory

4

Answer 4

• theory confirmed (fix it)
• theory is not confirmed (Come up with new theory and test again)
• Lack skills or authority (escalate) (Expensive solution or not enough knowledge
• Unable to solve (Escalate)

Question 5

4. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution

6

Answer 5

• How are you going to solve the problem
• Repair (what is the cost),
• replace (Buy a new one - cheaper to replace entirely),
• workaround (Takes to long or too expensive - temporary solution)
• hows it going to be done
• whats the impact

Question 6

5. Verify full system functionality

8

Answer 6

• Solve root cause
• prevent future issues by implementing preventative measures (Especially with malware)
• check system as a whole
• check that the problem has been solved
• inspect other components to ensure nothings damaged, broken, disconnected
• checked the disabled or uninstalled programs
• check logs and diagnostic tools to confirm everything is working
• software and device drivers are updated

Question 7

6. Document the findings, actions, and outcomes

7

Answer 7

• What was wrong
• what you did
• what can be done about it in the future
• trouble ticketing system (Freshdesk, Jira, Help Scout, Intercom, etc.)
  
  • trend analysis (reoccuring problems)
  • Password reset system
• knowleged base (FAQ)
• document as you go
• symptoms, errors, etc.