Who, What, Where, When & How:

She was clearly stressed when our consultant started asking questions: When
did this happen? Who is having the problem? What were they doing when this occurred?
Pam fumbled and yelled around for answers. The temperature rose until the last
question yielded the simple fix: There was a loose network cable on the back
of her workstation. Technology problem solved. Back to work.

When we lose something around the house, my family is fond of noting how wondrous
it is that “you found it in the last place you looked.” That always
brings a chuckle. But there’s usually not much to laugh about when you’re
troubleshooting a technology issue, though the outcome is often the same: The
fix is usually in the last place you look.

The challenge for technology providers is to find it quickly, and that’s
where good problem solving skills come into play. And the trick for that, as
Sherlock Holmes proved in solving all those mysteries, is to ask questions.

When the panic call comes from a non-technical user, you’ll want to
start broad because you often have the added element of fear. For those more
comfortable with technology, you can drill deeper quicker. In all cases, listen
to the answers. The goal is a line of questions and answers that leads in the
right direction. Teach these problem solving skills to your clients, colleagues
and the professionals they rely on, and you’ll be the hero!

Where to start?
The folks who study this kind of thing say start at the beginning — define
the problem. This step is vital; it was what enabled us to quiet panicky Pam
so she could stay comfortably on her Payroll schedule. When faced with “an
issue,” many will react to what they think the problem is rather than
taking time to understand why there might be a problem. Stress fuels it. Add
the fact that this is technology, and even the level-headed can’t always
cope.

Start with the facts. You may not always “get to the root of the problem,”
but with this information you will decrease solution time and dispense with
the time-sucking drain of a disorganized approach.

• Is the problem still occurring? It may sound crazy, but
  there have been many times we call someone back and ask them to try the process
  again. Bingo, it works just fine. Sorry.

• Understand the problem. In Pam’s case, what does
  “system down” really mean? Again, be sure to listen. Good communication
  is so important.

• Don’t cloud your opinion. Sometimes you might jump
  to an obvious cause. But be careful that you don’t dismiss other causes.
  Once, a client in the distribution industry complained that his sales rep
  kept losing connection to the network when working remotely. Everything pointed
  to a new Internet provider because the timing of the new service coincided
  with the disconnects. Several weeks had passed before the company realized
  their search for the solution was too narrow. They had blinders on thinking
  it had to be their Internet access; instead, it was an issue with their firewall.
  What did that cost them: Three weeks of frustration and loss of faith in the
  Internet connection even though it was not totally to blame.

• Ask questions. It’s just like you learned in writing
  class: The four Ws: Who? What? Where? When? And, of course, How? Simple questions
  can help narrow the source of the issue.

• Who is having the problem? Is it one user, a group of
  users or everyone? Ask another team member to log in at the problem workstation.
  If they can get in, it could point to a user-related issue such as a corrupt
  user ID or a security issue for that user.

• What were they doing when the problem occurred? Does it
  only happen in a specific program? Does it happen regardless of what program
  is being used? If it is one program, have you changed the steps you normally
  take? (We found many times where someone was “having one of those days”
  and inadvertently changed their process and, surprise, got a different result.)

• Where is it happening? Is it just on one workstation or
  does it happen when they login as themselves at another workstation? Does
  it happen when someone is working remotely, such as through Terminal Server?
  This is often where printer issues arise. Can you successfully print to the
  screen, but not the printer? Can you print out of any program or is it just
  one that won’t let you print? If it is a network printer, are all users
  affected? Are all workstations affected?

• When does it happen? Does it only happen when multiple
  people are logged into the same program? Does it only happen after 5:00 p.m.?

• How does it happen? Is it only happening with people who
  have extensive security rights or those with a lack of rights? Does it really
  shut things down or does it just feel that way?

It may sound like a lot of questions, but each answer eliminates possible
causes and starts to focus on new ones. Be sure to document your findings and
make a log of your answers, which will save you from re-doing steps. Documenting
often helps to bring out the answer because you can see the information more
clearly.

Here are some basics that often get overlooked:

• Before you go too far, reboot your workstation or printer. Often,
  we leave machines on for weeks and months, and sometimes they need to be shut
  down to clear out their memory. You’d be surprised how many clients
  have paid for 15 minutes of time when the answer was, “Reboot.”

• Back-ups! Being proactive can be a lifesaver since certain
  symptoms are the warning signs of equipment or a hard drive failing. You want
  to be able to put yourself back whole after your problem solving. An extra
  backup is pure security and peace of mind.

• Remote Access! If you use outside consultants, grant them
  access to your systems remotely to troubleshoot. Another set of eyes can help.
  There are lots of tools for this: Citrix Go To Assist is one of the most popular
  ones used by software support departments. You can also use Remote Desktop
  Connection through Windows.

• If the problem is overwhelming and complex, try to break it down
  to smaller parts. You will often find it is made up of several related
  problems interacting.

The best teaching is by example
With today’s dependence on technology, it is imperative that we get better
and better at getting to the root of the problem. A calm leader with a good
list of questions to narrow the issues down and help to get them solved is invaluable.
You can be that person. Just spread the word of good problem solving skills
and asking questions. And remember, the best teaching is by example.