Troubleshooting Techniques

How to Troubleshoot – CompTIA A+ 220-902 – 5.5

• This topic matters as it relates to what we're studying in this module because it's going to be important to efficiently troubleshoot. We will come across many more folks like Bob from Lab 03.

Summary

I like how they highlighted that the first step is identifying the information. They stated, "With technology, these problems often come with multiple symptoms. It’s never just one thing. It’s often an error message, the system is slow, and the screen turns blue. And you need to be sure to document all of these so that you can understand what the total issue might be." It reminded me of how important our last lab was in identifying Bob's technical issue. Although the person we're working with might have informed us of what was happening, in reality, it could be multiple issues and/or an issue that wasn't quite comprehensible. It makes me recall times when I would tell my partner to buy soap from the store. My mind is specifically thinking of hand soap and my partner is asking, "WELL, what kind of soap? Dish soap, body soap, bath soap, cat soap!?". I'm using this example because it reminds me that although someone might be telling you something through their lens, it could mean something completely different from what you're initially thinking.

Overall, I think this article and video provide great information on how to efficiently troubleshoot by: identifying the information/issues establish, establishing the theory, testing the theory, evaluating results, establishing a plan, implementing the plan, verifying functionality, and documenting findings. This step process will help assist us with a troubleshooting scenario within IT but can also help or has helped us in our daily lives. It reminds me of a few times we've come across a unique situation within admissions that we have not dealt with before. For example, BFET funding is still a relatively new form of funding for students. Therefore, we continue learning new things about it and what it's like working with WA State. We recently found out that once a student fails a class, they're unable to utilize BFET moving forward. Therefore, we've acknowledged this information. We've explored the different options that these students might be able to utilize like scholarships and worker retraining. We have also recently come across using WIOA as a resource in addition. I only learned about WIOA when someone an Advisor from WIOA scheduled a Zoom call with me to discuss information with one of my BFET students. As a result, these pieces of information have been documented so that when I'm not in the office, they can be referred back to these notes and documents. It is now communicated to prospective students moving forward during initial communications also.