TCMG 272 Ch 4
Use a Module Replacement Strategy
a problem solving strategy that involves replacing a hardware or software component whose operational status is unknown with a component that is known to be operational
Scripts and Checklists
falls under info resources done to aid in troubleshooting also ensure that agents ask a standard set of questions and provide uniform responses to user questions
Creativity
a problem solver may discover a unique solution to a problem he or she has never seen before by thinking about how a similar hardware device or software app operates
Analogy
a comparison of the way in which the current problem is similar to other problems that have been solved previously
Contradiction
a fact established through investigation that rules out a potential solution
Hardware Diagnosis Software
PC Diagnostics PC Doctor Seatools Ultimate Boot Disk CheckIt Diagnostics
Troubleshooting
defining, diagnosing, and solving computer problems
Personal Experience
- Have I seen this problem before? - How is this problem similar to or different from the problem I worked on last week? - What did I do last time to unlock swipe failed to start a smartphone? - Do I have a good mental model of this problem situation? (usually happens almost automatically) (make notes after you solve a problem to get successful)
Ways to approach troubleshooting
- predefined sequence of steps that are followed until a problem is solved; sometimes moves TS towards a resolution and sometimes it doesn't - a hit or miss strategy (often doesn't work, sometimes make matters worse)
Tools Troubleshooters Use
-Communication skills -Information resources -Diagnostics and repair tools -Problem-solving strategies -Personal characteristics
Critical Questions
-Has the problem system or component or feature ever worked? -Have you ever had this problem before? When? -Can the problem be replicated? -What were you doing on your devices just before you first noticed the problem? -Have you made any recent hardware or software changes to your device?
Software Problem Diagnosis
Advanced SystemCare WIndows Registry Cleaner Windows Repair Toolwiz Care System Mechanic
Iterative process
Applies to troubleshooting is a process that involves several paths or approaches a troubleshooter may follow one sequence of steps for a while and then loop back and perform other, perhaps similar, steps along a different path
Restore Base Configuration
Camera will not operate correctly when connected to a USB port, you remove one or more other USB components to see if the camera will operate correctly in a stripped down system configuration
Verification
Communication Skill (at the end of troubleshooting) is a statement in which a troubleshooter confirms their perception that a problem is fixed if troubleshooter and user's perception is different this can help resolve the differences
Explanations
Communication Skill (at the end of troubleshooting) statements in which an agent describes the solution to a problem so the user understands why the problem occurred and what steps are required to resolve it can reduce repeated callbacks explain at a level a user can understand
Metacognition
Critical Thinking Skill ability to think about thinking ability to step back from a problem solving situation and analyze their thought process
Hypothesis testing
Critical Thinking Skill involves formulating a guess or prediction based on experience about the case of a problem and then designing a test that will prove or disprove it often made based on a mental model or prior experience with other problems
Mental Model
Critical Thinking Skill is a conceptual picture that a problem solver builds in order to understand how things work often based on education and experience
Creativity
Critical Thinking Skill the ability to find a novel or innovative solution to a problem ability to see a problem from a new or different perspectives
Probes
Follow-up questions intended to elicit more information from a user about a problem
Problem-Solving Strategies
Fourth category of tools used by tech troubleshooters includes one or more common strategies to solve problems Eight commonly used approaches 1. Look for a simple obvious solution 2. attempt to replicate the problem 3. examine the configuration 4. Initiate a root cause analysis 5. View a system as a group of subsystems 6. Use a module replacement strategy 7. Apply a hypothesis testing approach 8. Restore a base configuration
Contradiction
If this memory card doesn't operate in one digital camera but works in another, the problem is unlikely to be a defective memory card
Network Diagnostic Tools
OpManager OpUtils Smarts Network Protocol Manager SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor PRTG Network Monitor
Information Resources
Second category of troubleshooting tools Troubleshooter can't possibly have had prior experience with every problem situation they come across
Decision Making
The process of selecting one alternative from among a number of alternatives, based on predetermined evaluation criteria if its effective several effective alternatives will be defined, pros and cons weighted for each alternative against predefined criteria
Personal Characteristics of Successful Troubleshooters
They are patient and persistent They enjoy the problem solving process they like working with people they enjoy continuos learning
Metacognition
Troubleshooter may realize that they are assuming that an observed problem is hardware related, when, in fact it may be software related
Knowledge bases
Vendor manuals trade books trade publications and journals Online help websites search engines
Metacognition
What assumptions did I make that led me in the wrong direction? Where did I get off track in solving this problem? Why did one problem-solving approach work well in this situation when another one didn't? How could I have thought differently about this problem to solve it more effectively or efficiently?
configuration problem
failure of a scanner to work on a user's system
Root cause analysis
a strategy that requires a troubleshooter to look beyond the visible symptoms of a problem to search for its root cause used primarily for problems that reoccur iterative process that asks a series of "WHY?" questions 1st step identify what apparent problem is 2nd identify the root cause of the problem 3rd ask why again and write answer process continues until root problem is identified
Listservs
an automated email service that distributes all or selected email messages posted to it to every member who is subscribed have largely been replaced by online resources though (such as forums and blogs)
Knowledge Base
an organized collection of information, articles, procedures, tips, and solutions to previous problems that can serve as a resource in problem solving situations support agent's personal troubleshooting notebook of previous problems and solutions
Newsgroups
are Internet discussion groups in which participants with interest in a particular topic post messages electronic bulletin board hosted on a web service called Usenet open to anyone some offer FAQ archive
trade publications and journals
available on a subscription basis now primarily available online many offer searchable article archives
Active Listening
falls under communication skills listener is engaged in the communication process as the speaker; rather than being a passive receiver of information paraphrasing extremely helpful
VPN (virtual private network)
can be adopted by organizations that are concerned about the security of remote access to a user's PC via the Internet uses internet to connect remote users to corporate servers
Remote management software
can help manage the distribution, installation, and configuration of software to a few or hundreds of networked PC's can restore software and configurations on PC that have failed for a variety of reasons
Basic Listening Skills
falls under communication skills needed along with reading skills most important listen to the words user chooses to describe a problem important pieces of info can be missed when you don't pay attention to the user
View a system as a group of subsystems
computer system is actually a group of subsystems linked together to form a complete system one problem solving strategy is to consider the subsystem as sequence of linked components one strategy is to break the sequence in the chain of subsystems at some point and determine on which side the problem occurs
Script
document that lists questions to ask along with appropriate follow up probes often organized in form of a flowchart or a decision tree arranged in a logical sequence and cover many of the possible paths to solve a problem may contain pointers to unusual problems
Variables
factors in a problem solving situation
Personal Experience
falls under info resources Most support agents have a personal store of knowledge (education, career, previous experience etc) that they bring to every situation One of the first steps in any troubleshooting task
Communication Skills
first category of troubleshooting tools most problem situations require at least some interaction with an end user used to get basic description of the problem effectively communication the resolution to the user
Coworkers and Other professional contacts
important resource for problem solving can take place through networks of coworkers, social media, website discussion forums, RSS feeds, Newsgroups, and ListServs
General Purpose and Remote Diagnostic Tool
include software utilities that aid troubleshooters with the diagnosis of varied problems
Hardware Problem Diagnosis
include software utilities that help diagnose common hardware problems can detect some kinds of defective hardware components, identify performance enhancements, recover some types of lost data, fix common configuration problems
Software Problem Diagnosis
include utilities that can identify the software configurations of desktops, laptops, and servers as well as identify and repair various kinds of software installation and configuration problems can detect authorized and unauthorized software installations identify incorrect or incompatible software versions and repair some kinds of problems with the Windows registry
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feed
information service that simplifies access to web resources by aggregating information from several newsgroups, blogs, forums, news, and other websites whose content changes rapidly consolidates and delivers info selected by a user to his or her desktop in a convenient single point of access
Iterative process
may seem repetitious
Online Help
most software application products have this feature may have same info found in a manual BUT may include interactive troubleshooting wizards to provide useful insight into problem solving situations wizards are form of online script or flowchart that guides user or support agent through questions to answer steps to diagnose a problem
Troubleshooting
not always neat, linear and orderly. Often both a logically structured and a creative process that requires flexibility, thinking skills and patience.
Replication
process of trying to repeat a problem, either in the same or a different situation or environment to see if the problem recurs
Outsourcing companies
provide problem solving assistance for a fee can provide support service to handle incidents for products that are beyond support of its help desk staff or to provide backup to internal help desk
Critical QUestions
questions designed to elicit important information from a user serve to challenge common assumptions support agents may make about a problem situation user might reveal information they might not have thought to mention to a support agent
Escalation
referral to a higher support level usually involves referring a problem from a support level 1 or level 2 agent to a higher level of technical support
paraphrasing
restating in your own words what you heard a user say user can then verify you understood him/her correctly extremely helpful to clarify a problem description leads to resolving misunderstandings as you paraphrase a problem statement, user may correct words to clarify the meaning
Restore a base configuration
some tech problems occur when hardware devices or software interact with other parts of a system if problem cannot be traced to configuration you can remove components to "pare back" a system to a base configuration suggested at the end of a list of other strategies strength is to eliminate variables
Trade books
some vendor product manuals are poorly written developed to fill the vacuum for accessible information about popular hardware and software products
Examine configuration
sometimes problems with computer technology occur because a particular combination of hardware, operating system, and application software doesn't work well together don't interoperate well
Critical thinking skills
the cognitive skills a problem solver uses to analyze a situation, search for the underlying logic or rationale for it, and seek out alternative ways to explain it
Diagnostic and Repair Tools
third category of troubleshooting tools and support agents often use to detect and repair many correspond to those used by other professionals purpose is to provide troubleshooters with information, problem diagnosis, and even repair common technology problems
Network Problem Diagnosis
tools include network monitoring, remote management, and performance management utilities. Software runs on a local area network and searches for network connectivity problems, configuration problems, unauthorized access, and performance problems.
Remote Access
type of utility software that permit support agents to control the operation of a user's computer remotely over a network connection economical way to provide support for users in distant locations
or
use to expand a search
and
use to narrow a search
Escalating and Team Problem Solving
use when other problem-solving attempts and resources fail referral to escalation some support organizations de-emphasize staff levels and organize their support agents into teams (where they encourage mutual assistance and group problem solving is encouraged)
Problem-Solving Skills
used in business and mathematics to describe a process of moving from the current state of events X to a future, desired state of events Y (GOAL STATE) like from equipment not working to equipment working If its good it will be accurate quick and efficient may use analogies or contradictions
Support Vendors and Contractors
useful information resource may have seen a baffling problem before and be able to offer suggestions on how to resolve it
module replacement
when a bluetooth keyboard fails to work correctly, the problem may be the keyboard itself or the tablet PC to which it is connected
Discussion Forums
www.techguy.org www.computing.net/forums www.5starsupport.com TechRepublic Cyber Tech Help Computer Hope PC Help Forum
