The Art of Troubleshooting: Building a Structured IT Process

At the MilCIS 2024 session “The Art of Troubleshooting – Practical Advice for a Repeatable, Disciplined Approach to Proactive and Pre-emptive IT Troubleshooting,” I shared my insights on improving IT service quality and reducing the time required to resolve issues. The session offered actionable strategies for IT professionals striving to streamline troubleshooting processes in increasingly complex environments. Troubleshooting: art, science or both? Troubleshooting IT issues is often seen as an art due to the creativity required to navigate unfamiliar challenges. However, it’s equally a science. By balancing art and science, organizations can significantly improve their approach to IT troubleshooting. The art of troubleshooting involves intuition, creativity, and experience. IT professionals rely on these qualities to adapt to unforeseen problems and explore innovative solutions. On the other hand, the science of troubleshooting demands a disciplined, repeatable process. Preconfigured tools, dashboards, and workflows ensure consistency and efficiency. Why troubleshooting takes so long Two key factors often delay IT troubleshooting: Complexity: Modern IT ecosystems involve diverse users, locations, platforms, and protocols, such as Zero Trust architectures. These elements add layers of intricacy, create gaps in visibility, and complicate root cause analysis. Lack of preparation: Organizations frequently lack updated documentation, sufficient telemetry, or preplanned workflows. New applications may be deployed without comprehensive visibility or performance management strategies. A structured approach to troubleshooting To address these challenges, I recommend adopting a scientific, repeatable process built on four key pillars: Preparation and onboarding: Monitor assets and onboard applications to ensure visibility from deployment. Maintain updated architectural documentation for quick reference during incidents. Instrumentation and telemetry: Define key performance