IT Troubleshooting Methodology

Objective

Systematically diagnose and resolve IT issues using proven troubleshooting frameworks.

Troubleshooting Framework

1. Problem Identification

Information Gathering:

• •What is the exact symptom?
• •When did it start?
• •What changed recently?
• •Who is affected?
• •Is it intermittent or constant?

Scope Definition:

• •Single user vs multiple users
• •Single system vs multiple systems
• •Single application vs platform-wide

2. Hypothesis Generation

Common Categories:

• •Configuration change
• •Resource exhaustion
• •Network connectivity
• •Authentication/authorization
• •Software bug
• •Hardware failure
• •External dependency

Prioritization:

• •Recent changes (most likely)
• •Known issues (check KB)
• •Common failure modes
• •Environmental factors

3. Testing and Validation

Isolation Testing:

• •Can you reproduce the issue?
• •Does it happen in isolation?
• •What conditions trigger it?

Comparison Testing:

• •Working vs non-working system
• •Before vs after
• •Different users/permissions

4. Resolution Implementation

Change Control:

• •Document current state
• •Make one change at a time
• •Verify after each change
• •Have rollback plan

Verification:

• •Confirm issue resolved
• •Check for side effects
• •Test edge cases
• •Get user confirmation

5. Documentation

Required Documentation:

• •Root cause
• •Resolution steps
• •Time to resolution
• •Prevention measures

Domain-Specific Checklists

Network Issues

• • Check physical connectivity
• • Verify IP configuration
• • Test DNS resolution
• • Check firewall rules
• • Trace network path
• • Review recent changes

Database Issues

• • Check connection count
• • Review slow query log
• • Check disk space
• • Verify replication status
• • Review recent schema changes
• • Check backup status

Security Issues

• • Review access logs
• • Check authentication systems
• • Verify permissions
• • Scan for vulnerabilities
• • Review recent access changes
• • Check compliance status

Cloud Issues

• • Check service health
• • Review resource limits
• • Verify IAM permissions
• • Check network configuration
• • Review recent deployments
• • Check billing/quotas