IT problem solving methods

[surferdude949]

What methods do you use when tackling a challenging IT problem?

I'm referring to resolving complex issues.

I found these four principles

1. First, you have to understand the problem.
2. After understanding, then make a plan.
3. Carry out the plan and test.
4. Look back on your work. How could it be better?

 

[kmcferrin]

Actually, I think it looks more like this:

http://xkcd.com/627/

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCTS:Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[PaulBricker]

what they tend not to do is hold a 'finished' meeting

There are times I'd give my eye teeth for this type of meeting. Unfortunately there is never enough time or egos are too touchy to take this type of information and actually apply it forward. It's a great idea.

Paul

 

[stackdump]

I have the exact problem today. We have a plotter which was a big headache to get working on our system, we solved it after a long struggle. A year later and its misbehaving again (because it was recently moved and switched off in the process), but nobody can remember what we had to do to get it going.

So the jobs not finished until the paper works done and such a meeting would have been the right place to action someone to write down the solution. In the meantime, it's back to playing around with different drivers, testing different CUPS configs, phone calls to HP etc. etc. etc.

 

[Welshbird]

Fight for the end of project meeting guys! We called it the 'winge and boast'. It really makes such a huge difference.

Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[Craig0201]

Re: Plan, Do, Check, Learn.

More commonly Plan Do Check Act, the classic Deming quality cycle.


Re:

1. First, you have to understand the problem.

2. After understanding, then make a plan.

3. Carry out the plan and test.

4. Look back on your work. How could it be better?

You're missing 1a. Generate and evaluate options. More than one way to skin a cat (and an IT problem, or any problem for that matter)

C

 

[kjv1611]

This thread, if nothing else, has been a good laugh for me - particularly gbaugma's post and kmcferrin's following post. However, the more I think about it, I definitely think that willif's post about the final meeting is pertinent... even if you just meet with yourself... or possibly something that I've sort of started, but didn't finish... was creating my own database.... something like "issues I've fixed."... So I can later query issues for resolutions I used, since I know I won't remember them all. And that way, if I end up finding say 5 different solutions for the seemingly same problem, I can go back, and go through those files instead of:

Google...
No, I do not want to buy any of that stuff...
Google different....
Um, hmmm... 15 posts of same question with no responses in various forums...
Hmm... now THAT product looks interesting, even though it won't really fix my/their issue...
Brainstorm - hmm, maybe if I unplug this or uninstall that
Wow! It worked!
Bring back PC to customer/friend/end user...
Here ya go, it's all fixed.
What did I do? Uhh, I don't remember anymore, but it's fixed!

Well, yeah, that's just a teeny weeny bit o' sarcasm and stretching, but I know that's what I feel like sometimes. If I could make myself document everything and enter it into a database or at least a notebook or something, I really would be a lot better off for it after a few years... and then I'd end up changing careers, or dropping tech altogther... or Y2something would happen.