Troubleshooting Tips: The General Steps for Effectively Repairing Any Device

Sometimes things go wrong in life, but that’s okay because not all is lost. You have to learn to troubleshoot and resolve problems with grace! If there are troubles on the horizon, the first step is to identify the problem so you can move on with identifying its possible solutions.

Troubleshooting is not only used when dealing with industrial problems but also in every aspect of your life. From fixing a car to fixing an appliance, from fixing a relationship with a friend or family member to getting your finances together, troubleshooting is applicable everywhere.

The various standard industrial troubleshooting techniques share one thing in common. They need you to work backward from the problem at hand and trace every step taken immediately before encountering it so you can figure out what happened at some point along the way that could have led to this result.

Here are the basic steps to troubleshooting equipment breakdowns:

1. Identify the problem
2. Make a list of possible causes
3. Fix the problem
4. Verify repair
5. Prevent recurrence
6. Document findings, actions and outcomes

Steps to Effective Troubleshooting

The below simple steps to effective troubleshooting hold for any problem, not just technical ones.

Identify the problem

Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there. Identify what you think the problem is. One way to do this is to search for that problem using Google, using phrases or words that describe your own experience. Many user communities on the Internet like Reddit and StackExchange allow people to post and ask questions and get immediate and thorough responses about technical troubleshooting problems, hotfixes, and how-tos.

Make a list of possible causes

After identifying the problem, list all the possible reasons that could have led to this particular problem. It is essential because you might overlook some possible solutions if you do not think about or list all possible causes of a problem.

An excellent example of this would be if your computer is locking up often; one of its most probable causes could be RAM issues. If it turns out that your computer’s RAM is not the issue, aside from looking at other possible causes, you would have to get another solution for it because you did not look into every possibility before finding the actual cause.

Fix the problem

Once you have narrowed down your possible causes, the fun part comes where you solve the actual problem. It might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if it is a technical problem, but the key is to not start with a wrong or incomplete diagnosis.

Verify repair

Once you have fixed the problem, it is time to verify your solution. It is vital to test that the solution worked and make sure you did not overlook any possibilities.

Prevent recurrence

Now that all problems are solved, it is time to prevent them from happening again.

Document findings, actions and outcomes

Once you have completed the steps listed above, it’s time to document what you found and what you did about it. Whether your documentation is in a word document or your custom software, ensure that the document stays up-to-date and accurate by periodically checking its contents.

Troubleshooting tips

While there are many valuable tips for effective troubleshooting, the most important thing is to have a positive attitude. The tips below are generally valid for any trouble you might experience with any device.

1. Don’t give up too quickly: It is easy to lose hope in a situation when things are not working out the way you expected them to be, but if something has gone wrong once, that doesn’t mean that it will continue to not work in your favor.
2. Trust your gut: There are times where even the experts won’t be able to solve what they thought was an unsolvable problem, but if something feels wrong or seems off, don’t hesitate to investigate further.
3. Be patient: Do not get mad or frustrated that things are taking so long; try again in a little bit.
4. Look at the big picture: When trying to solve a problem, it is easy to look at a tiny little aspect of the problem and want to fix it while overlooking the potential causes. If you’re going to fix a problem properly, you have to look at all of its aspects and treat it like a systematic process. It is also vital for you to understand that there is no such thing as an isolated issue because nothing exists in isolation.
5. Call in for help when problems get too hard: This way, you can keep your sanity and avoid breaking down and having a nervous breakdown.
6. Take pictures of each step of the troubleshooting process: You can keep track of what you are doing this way. Also, if things go wrong, you can go back to your steps and see what went wrong.