information technology problem solving

What Is Problem Solving? How Software Engineers Approach Complex Challenges

From debugging an existing system to designing an entirely new software application, a day in the life of a software engineer is filled with various challenges and complexities. The one skill that glues these disparate tasks together and makes them manageable? Problem solving . 

Throughout this blog post, we’ll explore why problem-solving skills are so critical for software engineers, delve into the techniques they use to address complex challenges, and discuss how hiring managers can identify these skills during the hiring process. 

What Is Problem Solving?

But what exactly is problem solving in the context of software engineering? How does it work, and why is it so important?

Problem solving, in the simplest terms, is the process of identifying a problem, analyzing it, and finding the most effective solution to overcome it. For software engineers, this process is deeply embedded in their daily workflow. It could be something as simple as figuring out why a piece of code isn’t working as expected, or something as complex as designing the architecture for a new software system. 

In a world where technology is evolving at a blistering pace, the complexity and volume of problems that software engineers face are also growing. As such, the ability to tackle these issues head-on and find innovative solutions is not only a handy skill — it’s a necessity. 

The Importance of Problem-Solving Skills for Software Engineers

Problem-solving isn’t just another ability that software engineers pull out of their toolkits when they encounter a bug or a system failure. It’s a constant, ongoing process that’s intrinsic to every aspect of their work. Let’s break down why this skill is so critical.

Driving Development Forward

Without problem solving, software development would hit a standstill. Every new feature, every optimization, and every bug fix is a problem that needs solving. Whether it’s a performance issue that needs diagnosing or a user interface that needs improving, the capacity to tackle and solve these problems is what keeps the wheels of development turning.

It’s estimated that 60% of software development lifecycle costs are related to maintenance tasks, including debugging and problem solving. This highlights how pivotal this skill is to the everyday functioning and advancement of software systems.

Innovation and Optimization

The importance of problem solving isn’t confined to reactive scenarios; it also plays a major role in proactive, innovative initiatives . Software engineers often need to think outside the box to come up with creative solutions, whether it’s optimizing an algorithm to run faster or designing a new feature to meet customer needs. These are all forms of problem solving.

Consider the development of the modern smartphone. It wasn’t born out of a pre-existing issue but was a solution to a problem people didn’t realize they had — a device that combined communication, entertainment, and productivity into one handheld tool.

Increasing Efficiency and Productivity

Good problem-solving skills can save a lot of time and resources. Effective problem-solvers are adept at dissecting an issue to understand its root cause, thus reducing the time spent on trial and error. This efficiency means projects move faster, releases happen sooner, and businesses stay ahead of their competition.

Improving Software Quality

Problem solving also plays a significant role in enhancing the quality of the end product. By tackling the root causes of bugs and system failures, software engineers can deliver reliable, high-performing software. This is critical because, according to the Consortium for Information and Software Quality, poor quality software in the U.S. in 2022 cost at least $2.41 trillion in operational issues, wasted developer time, and other related problems.

Problem-Solving Techniques in Software Engineering

So how do software engineers go about tackling these complex challenges? Let’s explore some of the key problem-solving techniques, theories, and processes they commonly use.

Decomposition

Breaking down a problem into smaller, manageable parts is one of the first steps in the problem-solving process. It’s like dealing with a complicated puzzle. You don’t try to solve it all at once. Instead, you separate the pieces, group them based on similarities, and then start working on the smaller sets. This method allows software engineers to handle complex issues without being overwhelmed and makes it easier to identify where things might be going wrong.

Abstraction

In the realm of software engineering, abstraction means focusing on the necessary information only and ignoring irrelevant details. It is a way of simplifying complex systems to make them easier to understand and manage. For instance, a software engineer might ignore the details of how a database works to focus on the information it holds and how to retrieve or modify that information.

Algorithmic Thinking

At its core, software engineering is about creating algorithms — step-by-step procedures to solve a problem or accomplish a goal. Algorithmic thinking involves conceiving and expressing these procedures clearly and accurately and viewing every problem through an algorithmic lens. A well-designed algorithm not only solves the problem at hand but also does so efficiently, saving computational resources.

Parallel Thinking

Parallel thinking is a structured process where team members think in the same direction at the same time, allowing for more organized discussion and collaboration. It’s an approach popularized by Edward de Bono with the “ Six Thinking Hats ” technique, where each “hat” represents a different style of thinking.

In the context of software engineering, parallel thinking can be highly effective for problem solving. For instance, when dealing with a complex issue, the team can use the “White Hat” to focus solely on the data and facts about the problem, then the “Black Hat” to consider potential problems with a proposed solution, and so on. This structured approach can lead to more comprehensive analysis and more effective solutions, and it ensures that everyone’s perspectives are considered.

This is the process of identifying and fixing errors in code . Debugging involves carefully reviewing the code, reproducing and analyzing the error, and then making necessary modifications to rectify the problem. It’s a key part of maintaining and improving software quality.

Testing and Validation

Testing is an essential part of problem solving in software engineering. Engineers use a variety of tests to verify that their code works as expected and to uncover any potential issues. These range from unit tests that check individual components of the code to integration tests that ensure the pieces work well together. Validation, on the other hand, ensures that the solution not only works but also fulfills the intended requirements and objectives.

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Evaluating Problem-Solving Skills

We’ve examined the importance of problem-solving in the work of a software engineer and explored various techniques software engineers employ to approach complex challenges. Now, let’s delve into how hiring teams can identify and evaluate problem-solving skills during the hiring process.

Recognizing Problem-Solving Skills in Candidates

How can you tell if a candidate is a good problem solver? Look for these indicators:

• Previous Experience: A history of dealing with complex, challenging projects is often a good sign. Ask the candidate to discuss a difficult problem they faced in a previous role and how they solved it.
• Problem-Solving Questions: During interviews, pose hypothetical scenarios or present real problems your company has faced. Ask candidates to explain how they would tackle these issues. You’re not just looking for a correct solution but the thought process that led them there.
• Technical Tests: Coding challenges and other technical tests can provide insight into a candidate’s problem-solving abilities. Consider leveraging a platform for assessing these skills in a realistic, job-related context.

Assessing Problem-Solving Skills

Once you’ve identified potential problem solvers, here are a few ways you can assess their skills:

• Solution Effectiveness: Did the candidate solve the problem? How efficient and effective is their solution?
• Approach and Process: Go beyond whether or not they solved the problem and examine how they arrived at their solution. Did they break the problem down into manageable parts? Did they consider different perspectives and possibilities?
• Communication: A good problem solver can explain their thought process clearly. Can the candidate effectively communicate how they arrived at their solution and why they chose it?
• Adaptability: Problem-solving often involves a degree of trial and error. How does the candidate handle roadblocks? Do they adapt their approach based on new information or feedback?

Hiring managers play a crucial role in identifying and fostering problem-solving skills within their teams. By focusing on these abilities during the hiring process, companies can build teams that are more capable, innovative, and resilient.

Key Takeaways

As you can see, problem solving plays a pivotal role in software engineering. Far from being an occasional requirement, it is the lifeblood that drives development forward, catalyzes innovation, and delivers of quality software. 

By leveraging problem-solving techniques, software engineers employ a powerful suite of strategies to overcome complex challenges. But mastering these techniques isn’t simple feat. It requires a learning mindset, regular practice, collaboration, reflective thinking, resilience, and a commitment to staying updated with industry trends. 

For hiring managers and team leads, recognizing these skills and fostering a culture that values and nurtures problem solving is key. It’s this emphasis on problem solving that can differentiate an average team from a high-performing one and an ordinary product from an industry-leading one.

At the end of the day, software engineering is fundamentally about solving problems — problems that matter to businesses, to users, and to the wider society. And it’s the proficient problem solvers who stand at the forefront of this dynamic field, turning challenges into opportunities, and ideas into reality.

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An effective problem solving process for IT professionals

1. what is the actual problem.

This should be the first question an IT professional should ask when it comes to troubleshooting various IT related issues – even if only to verify the information that has already been provided. Typically this will mean having a conversation with the individual or group of individuals that reported the problem in the first place. It’s certainly not unheard of for the reported problem to get muddied or distorted when going through multiple people or channels before you first hear of it.

People often rephrase things when dictating what someone else previously said, so it’s quite possible for the original complaint to turn into something completely different as it passes through different people:

“The Amazon website tends to lock up my web browser whenever I add items into my Cart.” Mary, Sales Department.

“Helpdesk? Mary’s internet isn’t working when she’s online shopping.” CASE STUDY This Wisconsin manufacturer needed to modernize its IT infrastructure to support rapid business growth. Discover what they did Mary’s Boss

“Please help Mary so she can browse shopping sites. I think the internet filter is probably blocking that category.” John, creating Helpdesk ticket

We’ve all encountered these types of scenarios in the past and they can be really frustrating, even more so when the issues are much more important than whether a single employee is capable of adding items to their Amazon shopping cart.

The point here being,  don’t take what’s being told to you for granted . Spend the time necessary to verify that what is being reported to you is actually what’s occurring and the original reason the issue was raised in the first place. Furthermore, taking the time to speak with the source, in this case, Mary, allows you to ask important follow-up questions that can further aid in diagnosing the problem as its being reported.

2. Who is experiencing the problem?

Without knowledge of who is experiencing the problem, your ability to focus your troubleshooting efforts into a precise area will be diminished and you might wind up going off in a direction that’s not even necessary or even remotely related to the source of the problem. One of the questions that should be asked is, who exactly is experiencing the problem?

Is it (for example):

• A single user
• A group/department of users
• The entire remote branch office location
• The entire main office location –and- remote branch offices

Every organization is different as it relates to the “Who”, but there are stark differences in the following scenario and what could be the underlying issue relating to the company’s IP Phones when the IT professional called in to solve the problem has a clearer understanding of “Who” is actually affected:

Single User

• Jerry’s IP phone isn’t working
• This is likely an issue with Jerry’s phone specifically

A group/dept. of users

• The entire 2nd floor is having problems with IP phones
• This might be an issue specific to a network switch/VLAN on the 2nd floor

Remote/branch office

• All users in the remote/branch office are having problems with IP phones
• This might be an issue specific to the VPN connection between offices

Main and remote offices

• All users in the main and remote offices are having problems with IP phones
• This might be an issue specific to the core switch or IP Phone System itself

The point here is, when the IT professional starts to  understand “Who” is really affected , they can eliminate having to navigate down unnecessary paths while troubleshooting and can instead work towards narrowing down their troubleshooting efforts to a more specific and concise area. In the case of the single user above, why waste time troubleshooting the VPN tunnel when only Jerry is affected by the issue? This is why  knowing the “Who” is extremely important.

Here’s another example of something an IT Professional or Wireless Engineer hears from time to time.   “Help!  Wireless is completely down in the entire building.  Everyone is reporting problems” .   In these situations, do yourself a favor and pay special attention to words or phrases such as “entire”, “everyone”, and “completely down” when problems are reported.  These “all-inclusive” phraseologies tend to exaggerate what’s really happening and have the potential to lead you astray.

It’s not uncommon that while investigating the problem, the IT Professional or Wireless Engineers quickly learns that the “entire” building, or “everyone”, or that the wireless network being “completely down” (which, for example, in a school, might affect 3,000+ users) turns out to be a single wireless Access Point being down in one small office that is affecting 5 actual users (not, 3,000+ users as “everyone” seems to imply).

Bear in mind,  problems can sometimes be overblown and overstated , especially when a user, or group of users, is regularly frustrated with or intimated by technology (any IT professional has likely experienced those high-maintenance users that cry wolf over just about anything!).

3. When did the problem start?

Knowing when the problem actually started (with attention to finite details such as the exact day and exact time) can often provide a better understanding of the problem and help trigger more definitive ideas and potential solutions relating to the underlying root cause that a given IT professional is expected to solve. Imagine being brought into a new customer to resolve critical problems with their Internet Services and being told,

“The internet pipe is a problem. People are randomly seeing spotty performance and oddball issues whenever web surfing and we don’t know why.”

Now, a less-experienced IT professional might just start diving headfirst into firewall logs, bandwidth monitoring, opening up a trouble-ticket directly with the ISP and trying to figure out what is going on, but someone with more experience will first pause to ask additional questions , wanting more specifics as to “When” the problem started happening.

• Has this ALWAYS been a problem?
• WHEN were these random internet browsing issues first reported?

Certainly looking back into firewall logs and bandwidth utilization metrics over the last 2 week period makes sense knowing the issue presented itself within the last 10 days, but it hardly warrants spending much time at all looking back at logs and bandwidth utilization metrics from 3+ months ago. That being said, once again, try to VERIFY the information being told to you . Perhaps the person giving you the answer vaguely remembers that it was 10 days ago, but in truth, it’s only been 3 days!

In this particular situation where the internet is being reported as sporadic, it’s altogether possible that roughly 11 days ago, another on-site computer technician decided to enable the UTM (Unified Threat Management) functionality within their firewall to allow for additional Antivirus inspection, IDS (Intrusion Detection Services), Geo-IP Filtering, and a plethora of other goodies typically included in UTM feature-sets.

Unfortunately, as a direct result, the firewall’s processors/CPUs have become overloaded and cannot move traffic through it quickly enough to keep up with the additional processing demands required when the firewall’s UTM feature-set was enabled.

4. Is the problem intermittent or constant?

Another key element to an effective problem solving process is finding out if the reported issue is occurring constantly or whether it’s only occurring intermittently? Problems that are constant, or fixed , are generally (though not always) easier to troubleshoot . Whereas problems that are intermittent and seemingly random, are generally more difficult to troubleshoot.

How many times have we as IT professionals been called in to troubleshoot a problem, only to find that upon our arrival, the issue suddenly doesn’t seem to exist anymore yet no one did anything specific to actually resolve the problem!? Those situations can be really frustrating, not only for the IT professional but for the end-user as well because the likelihood of the issue reappearing is rather high (and most likely reappears just a few short moments after the IT professional has left!)

The best thing to do in these scenarios is document WHEN the issue occurred and how LONG it lasted before it miraculously “fixed itself”, so the next time that same problem is reported, you might be able to piece together some crude and basic assumptions or theories based on WHEN it happened previously and how LONG it lasted each time.

Wireless chaos only at lunchtime?!

5. What changed recently?

This is one question that is unfortunately not asked often enough, is just plain overlooked, or in other cases is just completely disregarded (shame on you if you fall into that category!). Technology is a very touchy and hypersensitive beast , and more often than not, it doesn’t take too kindly to introducing changes. Even the changes that are supposed to solve and prevent other known problems, often result in the introduction of new and unexpected problems.

It’s not unheard of that sometimes even routine maintenance on equipment can cause problems .

Take for example, updating firmware on a network switch . This should be a relatively trouble-free routine operation, but suddenly users are reporting that they’re occasionally having problems logging into their desktops. It’s happening to more than one user, in fact, it’s being reported sporadically throughout the building early in the morning hours when most employees arrive for the start of their shift.

“What Changed” recently? Over the weekend you decided to update the firmware on your edge switches and now the port security that was set up on the switches using AAA authentication with Radius, isn’t behaving as expected. Unfortunately, it looks like the new firmware update might have introduced a random bug! What’s the solution? Back rev your switches , or look for ever newer firmware code that might resolve the problem.

You haven’t changed anything with the VMWare software itself, still running on the same trusted vSphere 6.0 Update 1 release that has been rock solid and problem-free in your environment. So “What Changed” recently? Wait a minute, come to think of it, the host server that is regularly crashing recently had an additional 64GB of memory added to it one week ago! Might be worth removing that extra 64GB of memory and seeing if the problem goes away. Certainly wouldn’t be the first time new or additional hardware was the result of the underlying issue .

6. Can the problem be recreated?

Another helpful step for effective problem solving is trying to recreate the actual problem. As discussed before, reported problems can either be of a constant or intermittent nature. Taking the time to re-create the problem can be beneficial and especially helpful in cases where you might need to break out tools such as Wireshark to capture packets and network traffic for future analysis and evaluation. IT professionals have to make use of such tools in more complex technical support issues especially when the flow of network traffic is in question or when there’s a need to examine whether the traffic is making it from the source to destination devices.

If possible, take advantage of any sandbox or test environments that are available. Having these environments gives you the flexibility to recreate the issue and effectively “break” things on purpose, without putting your production network or systems at risk and without interrupting services that end-users are relying on during standard business hours.

Recreating the problem is also advantageous in situations where the IT professional may need to involve 3rd party technical support from a vendor as well. Often, these vendors will have the means to establish remote sessions to take control of your desktop (or the machine in which you’ve successfully recreated the problem on), which gives the vendor the ability to actually see the issue while it’s occurring to further help diagnose what is happening.

7. Are benchmarks and logs available?

Having some kind of benchmarking tool available to track and record network and server performance is beyond measure in terms of its overall value when helping an IT professional track down challenging technical issues. One of the key areas worth checking when problems are being reported is looking at the actual METRICS over a historical period of time. Metrics can prove to be invaluable when trying to figure out: Whether the problem reported actually exists or is a false positive

Maybe you’ve been in a situation where someone reports, “The file server is really slow today!” Without historical benchmarks available, taking a look at the current server performance may not yield any fruitful results because the CPU, disk, network, and memory counters all SEEM to be operating at a reasonable level, but based on and compared to what exactly?

With historical benchmarks available, there is a foundation to actually compare today’s performance on the server as it relates to the CPU, Disk, Network, and Memory (and any other metric/counter you want) VERSUS what the server has been utilizing for the past days, weeks, or months prior.

What historical benchmarks might help you discover is, that according to the historical data, perhaps there is absolutely NO difference in the server performance today versus previous days, weeks, or months? The complaint of “The file server is really slow today” turns out to be a false positive in that case, proven by the metrics an historical benchmarks. Finding the real cause and resolution to the user’s complaint is going to require you to start looking into other areas aside from the server itself. Perhaps it’s a client-side issue or networking issue.

Having benchmarks available is crucial in taking out illogical guess-work and assumptions, and replacing them with hard evidence and facts to back up your problem solving process. There are countless software options available that will give you the data you need for metrics, though we often recommend using PRTG from Paessler, which is a wonderful utility for acquiring benchmarks on your network and servers.

Logs are another important thing to consider during the troubleshooting process. Going back into log history can give a stumped IT Professional some additional clues as to what is going on, especially in cases where the question of “ When did the problem start?” remains unanswered.

Having network devices (switches, routers, firewalls, wireless, etc.) sending their log information to a dedicated syslog server (for example, Kiwi Syslog Server from SolarWinds) gives someone the opportunity to search for entries related to particular devices (by IP address) for specific warning messages or error messages.

Syslog messages and the historical information gathered here can sometimes help point the IT Professional in the right direction, not to mention, the logs themselves can be extremely valuable to the vendor of the product as well when they are involved in troubleshooting what is happening.

8. I’m officially stuck – now what?

Alright, so you find yourself in one of those rather unpleasant circumstances where you’ve asked all the right questions, dug into your resourceful bag of tricks, and find that you’ve exhausted all your technical knowledge and ability to track down the source of the problem. What do you do now? The first step is DON’T PANIC . Effective problem solving is, more often than not, substantially reduced when the IT professional is stressed out and under pressure (although in some rare cases, people tend to flourish under these “trial by fire” scenarios). Keeping panic at bay will help a person to remain calm, focused, and continue to allow them to logically walk through the problem solving process.

This is however, easier said than done, when there are countless emails and phone calls coming in demanding an update as to when the source of the problem will be fixed (and let’s not forget, potentially angry bosses that might be clueless as to why the problem is taking more than 10 minutes to resolve!).

The second step is just that, call in the cavalry! Let’s face it, there will always be instances where even the most seasoned IT professional needs assistance from peers, vendors or other resources . None of us are capable of knowing absolutely everything. When you find yourself struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out for help! What does that mean?

• Open a case with, for example, Cisco TAC support
• Open a case with, for example, Microsoft PSS support
• Involve a co-worker, professional colleague, or peer
• Partner with a local and trusted IT vendor
• Google can be your friend (be careful of “quick-fix” solutions you find)
• Look into vendor specific forums (most large-vendors have them)

The problem solving process in summary

Be sure to give yourself the absolute best chance to combat those dreaded technical support issues. The next time someone contacts you and yells in a panic, “Email is broken!” understand that you can more quickly deduct what is actually going on and help minimize the amount of time necessary to resolve the problem by simply asking the right questions :

• What is the Actual Problem?
• Who is Experiencing the Problem?
• When did the Problem Start?
• Is the Problem Intermittent or Constant?
• What Recently Changed?
• Can the Problem be Recreated?
• Are Benchmarks and Logs Available?
• I’m Officially Stuck – Now What?

Keep in mind, however, that not only do you need answers to those questions, but you need answers that are accurate .

As stated earlier, this means the IT professional may need to take the necessary time to validate the answers being provided to them. Inaccurate answers and misinformed facts will send you down the wrong troubleshooting path and unnecessarily prolong the amount of time necessary to resolve complex technical support issues. So get your facts straight!

Having the answers to these questions will allow you to immediately narrow down the scope of the problem and the potential areas at fault, conduct tests, formulate conclusions, and resolve problems even faster than you may have anticipated.

You should also read:

5 practical steps to avoid a cyber attack

Understanding the e-rate process [download primer].

Jesse is the owner of Source One Technology and has been providing IT consulting services to Enterprises , SMBs , schools , and nonprofits in Waukesha , Milwaukee , Dane , Washington , Jefferson , Ozaukee , Kenosha , Racine counties and across Wisconsin for over 18 years.

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Microsoft deployment toolkit and windows deployment services, 2 thoughts on “an effective problem solving process for it professionals”.

Found your article very interesting. I can definitely identify with all of the points you made, especially troubleshooting. Either you can or cant troubleshoot and think logically through an issue or problem. You are right in mentioning that its something you really cannot teach. One other thing that helps with a logically stepping through the process is documentation. There should always be a repository where network diagrams, server builds, OS versions etc., are kept. I understand that a lot of times these documents cannot be relied upon due to being out of date and it seems most people scoff at the idea of keeping good documentation. But I believe it to be important to help with any troubleshooting. You also mentioned the question, Did anything change? or What changed? A big issue when attempting to troubleshoot. Every place I have worked at, always used a change management process that documented every single change, no matter how small. Of course these places had to by law (SOX audits) because they were publicly traded companies. Just wanted to say, good article!

That is a great article with some excellent questions. Working with students and teachers, I’d throw in a few extra suggestions.

1. What is a reasonable timeline for solving the problem? Often times a lack of communication to this question leads to frustration and long term mistrust regarding the reliability of technology. Asking what needs to be done from the end user’s perspective, and knowing their timeline for completion is helpful. Giving them a reasonable amount of time in which they can expect the issue to be resolved sets everybody up for success around reasonable expectations.

2. Suggest potential work-arounds when necessary — Standing in front of a group of adults and attempting to present when the technology is not working is overwhelming and frustrating. The same tech failure when you are working with a group of students and you start to lose their attention — it’s a nightmare! Knowing what tools your district provides for staff and their general purpose may allow you to offer some potential work-around ideas until the problem is resolved. There is not a fix for everything, but when you can suggest a reasonable alternative in the moment, you offer more than just tech support — you offer customer service.

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Critical thinking and problem solving with technology.

Brief Summary: Critical thinking and problem solving is a crucial skill in a technical world that can immediately be applied to academics and careers. A highly skilled individual in this competency can choose the appropriate tool to accomplish a task, easily switch between tools, has a basic understanding of different file types, and can troubleshoot technology when it’s not working properly. They can also differentiate between true information and falsified information online and has basic proficiency in data gathering, processing and interpretation. 

Learners with proficient skills in critical thinking and problem solving should be able to: 

• Troubleshoot computers and mobile devices when issues arise, like restarting the device and checking if it requires a software or operating system update 
• Move across tools to complete a task (for example, adding PowerPoint slides into a note taking app for annotation) 
• Differentiate between legitimate and falsified information online 
• Understand basic file types and know when to use them (for example, the difference between .doc and .pdf files) 

Market/Employer Trends: Employers indicate value in employee ability to problem solve using technology, particularly related to drawing information from data to identify and solve challenges. Further, knowing how to leverage technology tools to see a problem, break it down into manageable pieces, and work toward solving is of important value. Employers expect new employees to be able to navigate across common toolsets, making decisions to use the right tool for the right task.  

Self-Evaluation: 

Key questions for reflection: 

• How comfortable are you when technology doesn’t work the way you expect?  
• Do you know basic troubleshooting skills to solve tech issues?  
• Do you know the key indicators of whether information you read online is reliable? 

Strong digital skills in this area could appear as: 

• Updating your computer after encountering a problem and resolving the issue 
• Discerning legitimate news sources from illegitimate ones to successfully meet goals 
• Converting a PowerPoint presentation into a PDF for easy access for peers who can’t use PowerPoint 
• Taking notes on a phone and seamlessly completing them on a computer

Ways to Upskill: 

Ready to grow your strength in this competency? Try: 

• Reviewing University Libraries’ resources on research and information literacy  
• Read about troubleshooting in college in the Learner Technology Handbook 
• Registering for ESEPSY 1359: Critical Thinking and Collaboration in Online Learning  

Educator Tips to Support Digital Skills: 

• Create an assignment in Carmen prompting students to find legitimate peer-reviewed research  
• Provide links to information literacy resources on research-related assignments or projects for student review 
• Develop assignments that require using more than one tech tool to accomplish a single task 

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7 Steps for Effective Problem Management in IT

Information technology (IT) is a broad field that encompasses anything related to computer technology. That can include networking, hardware, software, the internet and the people that work with these things. Teams that work in IT are there to support these technologies and the people who use them. However, teams that work in IT management are not waiting around for systems to go down before they respond.

IT project management teams are tasked with preventing problems from occurring—and certainly from regularly occurring. This is called problem management, which has been detailed into best practices within the services management framework ITIL, or the information technology infrastructure library.

What Is Problem Management?

Problem management is the methodology related to responding to IT problems, especially those that are recurring, to make sure that they are resolved and don’t return.

This involves the quick detection of an issue and then providing a viable solution, or at least some workaround to reduce the impact on the organization and stop the problem from reappearing.

ITIL & Problem Management

One of the aspects of problem management is pinpointing the issue in the IT infrastructure that is the root cause of the problem, which is where the ITIL comes in. ITIL was first started in 2000 and is presently the most popular IT service management framework for best practices. It is used as a protocol when aligning IT services with business needs.

ITIL follows a process that starts with identifying the problem, which has caused one or more incidents but is not known why at the time. This becomes defined as an error when it’s identified as a design flaw or malfunction. It becomes a known error as a root cause if found and a workaround is documented. The root cause is the underlying reason for the incident.

Types of Problem Management & Related Processes

Problem management can be broken down into two distinct groups. There is reactive problem management, which is reacting to a problem when it occurs. The other is proactive problem management. This is the act of identifying and solving an issue before it results in an incident or problem in the IT system.

Problem management falls under the larger umbrella of ITIL processes. ITIL service operation processes include problem management, incident management, request fulfillment, event management and access management.

Incident Management vs. Problem Management

“Incident” and “problem” might seem like similar words, but in the realm of problem management, they have different meanings. According to ITIL, an incident refers to “an unplanned interruption to a service, or the failure of a component of a service that hasn’t yet impacted service.”

A problem, on the other hand, is made up of more than one related incident, or those that have common issues. Therefore, a problem is more severe than an incident. It requires more follow-up. A problem is not an incident, but an incident can create a problem if it’s recurring.

Managing an incident means fixing it and restoring the system as fast as possible. A problem is resolved by discovering its root cause to make sure that new incidents don’t occur.

Therefore, incident management is getting the system back in order quickly. Problem management is working to find and resolve the underlying cause of the error that has resulted in several incidents.

Problem Management Team

There are roles and responsibilities in problem management to make sure that the process, which is outlined below, is carried out properly. There is a problem manager, who is the owner of the problem management process and is a liaison for all team members, manages the known error database, closes problems and coordinates review.

The problem-solving team can be an internal technical support team or a group of external suppliers or vendors. Sometimes, if the problem demands special attention, the problem manager will assemble a special team , with the expertise needed to solve the problem, dedicated to that specific problem and its resolution.

The Problem Management Process

Now that we know what problem management is, how does it work as a successful process? First of all, it’s not just about problem-solving. At the highest level, yes, problem management resolves problems. But it’s more about the entire life cycle of that problem.

The process for problem management then is a structured way to manage problems in IT projects after they are first reported by users or service desk technicians. The problem management process can be broken down into these seven steps.

1. Detection

To resolve a problem, first, you have to identify it. This can be done in several ways. One is that there’s a problem that is reported or one that has undergone an ongoing analysis. There are also event management tools that can automatically detect a problem, or you might get a notification from a supplier.

A problem can be defined as when the cause of the problem report remains uncertain. For example, an incident can occur and get resolved but then reoccur. The underlying cause for this recurrence is unclear. Sometimes a problem is a known problem, one that has occurred before and is part of an existing record.

In the last example, when a problem is already recorded once and has happened again, this historical data is known because it had been logged. This is a crucial step in any problem management life cycle process. The log must have all pertinent details, such as the date and time of the problem, any user information, equipment details and a description.

Once the problem has been logged, then it must be categorized to better assign and monitor, as well as given a priority. This helps to determine how important the problem is and when it should be addressed by the team.

3. Diagnosis

Once the problem is identified and logged, then comes the search for its root cause. This can be done by investigating the known error database to find other problems that match the one you’re trying to diagnose and see if there are any recorded resolutions.

4. Workaround

If it’s possible to temporarily fix the problem with a workaround, then this might be the best and fastest course of action. It is not a permanent change and should not be used in exchange for resolving the issue, but it can set the technological ship back on course and reduce downtime and disruption until a permanent change resolution is available. Just be careful not to accrue too much technical debt .

5. Known Error Record

After you’ve identified, logged and diagnosed the problem, it’s important to collect that information in a known error record. This is where you can go back and look up problems when others arise in your IT and see if it’s one you’ve already handled.

This makes resolving the problems faster and easier, resulting in less downtime and disruption.

6. Resolution

When you have a resolution for the problem, implement it with standard change procedure and test the resolution to make sure it in fact is working. Sometimes this process is carried out through a request for change document, which then must be approved before being implemented.

Once resolved and tested, the problem can be closed. The final bit of paperwork is usually completed by the service desk technician, who makes sure that the details are accurate for future reference.

Why Is Problem Management Important?

Successful problem management results in less downtime and fewer disruptions in the business. It also improves service availability and quality. Problem management helps companies to reduce the time they spend having to resolve problems and also the number of problems that occur.

This all leads to an increase in productivity and reduces costs. The final step in the problem management journey is that it leads to improved customer satisfaction.

Technology is changing all the time, faster and faster with each passing quarter, and problem management is one way to mitigate the chaos often associated with these changes. Problem management keeps services running and increases quality.

ProjectManager Helps Problem Management

Problems need solutions and solutions come from people with the right tools. ProjectManager is an online project management software that organizes projects, including when those projects are dealing with IT problems.

Log Problems & Build Projects

When a problem has been identified by the help desk or a user, it becomes more than just an IT problem. It is now a project to resolve it. One way ProjectManager helps is by structuring its resolution in a kanban board .

By logging the identified problem in ProjectManager you can now archive the work to resolve it. This now becomes a piece of historical data to reference if and when the problem shows up again. Once the problem has been diagnosed, it can go on a kanban card and move through the kanban as it is being worked on and completed. Adding tabs can list them as bugs, so they’re easy to find. You can even prioritize them.

Track Progress

Managers are going to want to progress reports. Kanban boards are transparent, so they can see the work getting done, but for more details project reports are fast and thorough. The real-time dashboard can even give managers a high-level overview.

Next time your IT department is struggling with resolving a problem, give them ProjectManager. It has the tools IT professionals want.

ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software that can be used as a problem management tool. Our software can collect and categorize your problem as a project, so the problem management process can be controlled. You can track the resolution of your problem in real time, assign team members to resolve the problem and give them a platform to collaborate and work more effectively. Solve your problems by trying ProjectManager free with this 30-day trial offer.

Deliver your projects on time and under budget

Start planning your projects.

14 Major Tech Issues — and the Innovations That Will Resolve Them

Members of the Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the past year’s most pressing technology concerns and how we should address them.

The past year has seen unprecedented challenges to public-health systems and the global economy. Many facets of daily life and work have moved into the digital realm, and the shift has highlighted some underlying business technology issues that are getting in the way of productivity, communication and security.

As successful business leaders, the members of the  Young Entrepreneur Council understand how important it is to have functional, up-to-date technology. That ’ s why we asked a panel of them to share what they view as the biggest business tech problem of the past year. Here are the issues they ’ re concerned about and the innovations they believe will help solve them.

Current Major Technology Issues

• Need For Strong Digital Conference Platforms
• Remote Internet Speed and Connections
• Phishing and Data Privacy Issues
• Deepfake Content
• Too Much Focus on Automation
• Data Mixups Due to AI Implementation
• Poor User Experience

1. Employee Productivity Measurement

As most companies switched to 100 percent remote almost overnight, many realized that they lacked an efficient way to measure employee productivity. Technology with “ user productivity reports ”  has become invaluable. Without being able to “ see ”  an employee in the workplace, companies must find technology that helps them to track and report how productive employees are at home. — Bill Mulholland , ARC Relocation

2. Digital Industry Conference Platforms

Nothing beats in-person communication when it comes to business development. In the past, industry conferences were king. Today, though, the move to remote conferences really leaves a lot to be desired and transforms the largely intangible value derived from attending into something that is purely informational. A new form or platform for industry conferences is sorely needed. — Nick Reese , Elder Guide

3. Remote Internet Speed and Equipment

With a sudden shift to most employees working remotely, corporations need to boost at-home internet speed and capacity for employees that didn ’ t previously have the requirements to produce work adequately. Companies need to invest in new technologies like 5G and ensure they are supported at home. — Matthew Podolsky , Florida Law Advisers, P.A.

4. Too Much Focus on Automation

Yes, automation and multi-platform management might be ideal for big-name brands and companies, but for small site owners and businesses, it ’ s just overkill. Way too many people are overcomplicating things. Stick to your business model and what works without trying to overload the process. — Zac Johnson , Blogger

5. Phishing Sites

There are many examples of phishing site victims. Last year, I realized the importance of good pop-up blockers for your laptop and mobile devices. It is so scary to be directed to a website that you don ’ t know or to even pay to get to sites that actually don ’t  exist. Come up with better pop-up blockers if possible. — Daisy Jing , Banish

6. Data Privacy

I think data privacy is still one of the biggest business tech issues around. Blockchain technology can solve this problem. We need more and more businesses to understand that blockchains don’t just serve digital currencies, they also protect people’s privacy. We also need Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc. to understand that personal data belongs in the hands of the individual. — Amine Rahal , IronMonk Solutions

7. Mobile Security

Mobile security is a big issue because we rely so much on mobile internet access today. We need to be more aware of how these networks can be compromised and how to protect them. Whether it ’ s the IoT devices helping deliver data wirelessly to companies or people using apps on their smartphones, we need to become more aware of our mobile cybersecurity and how to protect our data. — Josh Kohlbach , Wholesale Suite

8. Deepfake Content

More and more people are embracing deepfake content, which is content created to look real but isn ’ t. Using AI, people can edit videos to look like someone did something they didn ’ t do and vice versa, which hurts authenticity and makes people question what ’ s real. Lawmakers need to take this issue seriously and create ways to stop people from doing this. — Jared Atchison , WPForms

9. Poor User Experience

I ’ ve noticed some brands struggling with building a seamless user experience. There are so many themes, plugins and changes people can make to their site that it can be overwhelming. As a result, the business owner eventually builds something they like, but sacrifices UX in the process. I suspect that we will see more businesses using customer feedback to make design changes. — John Brackett , Smash Balloon LLC

10. Cybersecurity Threats

Cybersecurity threats are more prevalent than ever before with increased digital activities. This has drawn many hackers, who are becoming more sophisticated and are targeting many more businesses. Vital Information, such as trade secrets, price-sensitive information, HR records, and many others are more vulnerable. Strengthening cybersecurity laws can maintain equilibrium. — Vikas Agrawal , Infobrandz

11. Data Backup and Recovery

As a company, you ’ ll store and keep lots of data crucial to keeping business moving forward. A huge tech issue that businesses face is their backup recovery process when their system goes down. If anything happens, you need access to your information. Backing up your data is crucial to ensure your brand isn ’ t at a standstill. Your IT department should have a backup plan in case anything happens. — Stephanie Wells , Formidable Forms

12. Multiple Ad and Marketing Platforms

A major issue that marketers are dealing with is having to use multiple advertising and marketing platforms, with each one handling a different activity. It can overload a website and is quite expensive. We ’ re already seeing AdTech and MarTech coming together as MAdTech. Businesses need to keep an eye on this convergence of technologies and adopt new platforms that support it. — Syed Balkhi , WPBeginner

13. Location-Based Innovation

The concentration of tech companies in places like Seattle and San Francisco has led to a quick rise in living costs in these cities. Income isn ’ t catching up, and there ’ s stress on public infrastructure. Poor internet services in rural areas also exacerbate this issue. Innovation should be decentralized. — Samuel Thimothy , OneIMS

14. Artificial Intelligence Implementation

Businesses, especially those in the tech industry, are having trouble implementing AI. If you ’ ve used and improved upon your AI over the years, you ’ re likely having an easier time adjusting. But new online businesses test multiple AI programs at once and it ’ s causing communication and data mix-ups. As businesses settle with specific programs and learn what works for them, we will see improvements. — Chris Christoff , MonsterInsights

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Digital technologies can make the real world more livable and sustainable. Here's how

Digital technologies can save the world, but we need to make sure it's sustainably used. Image:  Unsplash/Christopher Burns

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Stay up to date:, davos agenda.

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• The world is once again at a turning point and, once again, technology is part of the solution.
• Strong leadership by the business community is necessary to ensure that technology is used in a responsible and sustainable way.
• The focus should be on deploying digital technologies that make the real world much more livable and sustainable.

When I graduated in 1989, I felt the world was my oyster. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War was ending and globalization was accelerating.

At the same time, digital technologies were opening up unlimited possibilities – the World Wide Web was launched that same year; information technology was flourishing; the internet was beginning to connect people.

The dream was to create a global village where everyone was welcome to communicate, to engage in trade, and to exchange knowledge and information. Hopes were high.

Have you read?

As technology advances, businesses need to be more trustworthy than ever, 17 ways technology could change the world by 2027, 'open' technology can tackle the world's biggest problems - here's what's holding it back, how to follow davos 2022.

Now, more than three decades later, we are at a turning point again. Long before the pandemic, a reversal of globalization was in the making. Aided by social media, nationalism and identity politics gained ground in many countries and caused geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts to rise.

Today, the same digital technologies that once helped connect the world divide it. They are used to spread misinformation and propaganda and to amplify extreme views. They have made our societies more vulnerable to manipulation and attacks.

Given these longer-term developments, it was disappointing, but not surprising, that coordinated international strategies for containing the COVID-19 pandemic were rare. And now, the war in Ukraine is intensifying the fragmentation of our world even further.

Digital technologies can be a power for good

With all that in mind, is it foolish to believe that technology can once more spark high hopes and drive progress, as it did in 1989? Can technology save the world again?

I say, yes! If we needed any reminder of the power of technology, the recent pandemic provided it. We saw how digital technology enabled people to stay in touch and reach out to others, companies to continue operations, and innovators like BioNTech and Moderna to develop and mass-produce COVID-19 vaccines in record time .

These developments, during the pandemic, demonstrate that digital technology is still a key enabler for a better future. But they also show how vital strong leadership in business is to progress – in particular in a crisis.

While business leaders should not try to be politicians, they can and should address the big, urgent challenges humanity faces. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once called them “challenges without a passport”.

All of us are affected by these challenges, regardless of nationality and geopolitical constellation. And they are outlined by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals .

They include no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, climate action, peace, justice and strong institutions, responsible consumption, and production – to name just a few.

Meeting these goals by 2030 will require a steady stream of innovations and the deployment of advanced digital technologies on a massive scale over a long time. Fortunately, this is exactly what business is good at.

The private sector is the main driver of innovation and technology. In the US, for instance, it accounts for nearly three quarters of the country's total R&D spending . And, of course, it also plays a key role in providing jobs, upskilling the workforce and creating economic value.

SDGs should act as guidance for business models

The SDGs should serve as guidance as far as business models and their impact on society are concerned. In this regard, the Digital Services Act recently enacted by the European Union is a major step in the right direction.

Currently, a number of companies are making substantial investments in the so-called ‘metaverse’ – to further strengthen the virtual world. However, the digital world should not be an end to itself.

Our focus must be on using the digital world to make the real world much more sustainable and liveable. I’m talking about developing and deploying technologies that reduce CO2 emissions, that provide cleaner and more reliable transportation, that deliver affordable and individualized healthcare, and that reduce energy consumption and waste in industrial production.

In other words, harnessing the power of digitalization not just for entertainment and consumerism in the virtual world, but to effect tangible progress at scale in the real world.

Digital technologies can drive positive change

Throughout my career I’ve had the privilege to experience firsthand what a formidable force for positive change digital technologies can be. I began my career at SAP, which at that time was a fast-growing provider of business software, and then later joined IBM, a global leader in software and services.

Yet, it was only in recent years that I fully understood that it was never about digital technology per se, but about the progress we can make collectively when we use it to improve the real world. It’s about combining the real and digital worlds with purpose.

The World Economic Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Digital Economy and New Value Creation helps companies and governments leverage technology to develop digitally-driven business models that ensure growth and equity for an inclusive and sustainable economy.

• The Digital Transformation for Long-Term Growth programme is bringing together industry leaders, innovators, experts and policymakers to accelerate new digital business models that create the sustainable and resilient industries of tomorrow.
• The Forum’s EDISON Alliance is mobilizing leaders from across sectors to accelerate digital inclusion . Its 1 Billion Lives Challenge harnesses cross-sector commitments and action to improve people’s lives through affordable access to digital solutions in education, healthcare, and financial services by 2025.

Contact us for more information on how to get involved.

This became even more obvious to me when I joined the boards of AP Moller-Maersk and Siemens. Adding digital technologies to transportation makes shipping and travel more sustainable. Adding them to manufacturing makes production circular. Adding them to healthcare improves the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and the patient experience.

Making this happen is a question of leadership. To quote a good friend of mine, Professor Subi Rangan of INSEAD : between knowing and acting there is choosing .

If a business chooses to use technology in a responsible and sustainable way, it can indeed be a powerful force in solving the great challenges we face. It can indeed drive the progress our world so desperately needs. It can indeed save the world – even today.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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• Information Technology

Information Technology Problem Solving – The 6 Principles of Scientific Problem Solving

This paper will explain a scientific approach to problem solving. Although it is written to address Information Technology related problems, the concepts might also be applicable in other disciplines. The methods, concepts, and techniques described here is nothing new, but it is shocking how many “problem solvers” fail to use them. In between I will include some real-life examples.

Why do problem solvers guess in stead of following a scientific approach to problem solving? Maybe because it feels quicker? Maybe a lack of experience in efficient problem solving? Or maybe because it feels like hard work to do it scientifically? Maybe while you keep on guessing and not really solving, you generate more income and add some job security? Or maybe because you violate the first principle of problem solving: understand the problem.

Principle #1. Understand the *real* problem.

Isn’t it obvious that before you can solve, you need to understand the problem? Maybe. But, most of the time the solver will start solving without knowing the real problem. What the client or user describe as “The Problem” is normally only the symptom! “My computer does not want to switch on” is the symptom. The real problem could be that the whole building is without power. “Every time I try to add a new product, I get an error message” is the symptom. Here the real problem could be “Only the last 2 products I tried to add gave a ‘Product already exists’ error”. Another classic example: “Nothing is working”…

You start your investigation by defining the “real problem”. This will entail asking questions (and sometimes verify them), and doing some basic testing. Ask the user questions like “when was the last time it worked successfully?”, “How long have you been using the system?”, “Does it work on another PC or another user?”, “What is the exact error message?” etc. Ask for a screen-print of the error if possible. Your basic testing will be to ensure the end-to-end equipment is up and running. Check the user’s PC, the network, the Web Server, Firewalls, the File Server, the Database back-end, etc. Best-case you will pint-point the problem already. Worst-case you can eliminate a lot of areas for the cause of the problem.

A real life example. The symptom according to the user: “The system hangs up at random times when I place orders”. The environment: The user enters the order detail on a form in a mainframe application. When all the detail is completed, the user will tab off the form. The mainframe then sends this detail via communication software to an Oracle Client/Server system at the plant. The Oracle system will do capacity planning and either returns an error or an expected order date back to the mainframe system. This problem is quite serious, because you can loose clients if they try to place orders and the system does not accept them! To attempt to solve this problem, people started by investigating: 1) The load and capacity of the mainframe hardware 2) Monitoring the network load between the mainframe and the Oracle system 3) Hiring consultants to debug the communication software 4) Debugging the Oracle capacity planning system After spending a couple of months they could not solve the problem.

The “Scientific Problem Solver” was called in. It took less than a day and the problem was solved! How? The solver spends the day at the user to see what the “real problem” was. It was found that the problem only occurs with export orders. By investigating the capture screen and user actions, it was found that with export orders the last field on the form is always left blank and the user did not tab off this field. The system was not hanging, it waited for the user to press “tab” another time. Problem solved. It can be noted that the “Scientific Problem Solver” had very limited knowledge of the mainframe, of the order capturing system, of the communication software, and of the Oracle capacity planning system. And this brings us at Principle#2.

Principle #2. Do not be afraid to start the solving process, even if you do not understand the system.

How many times have you heard “I cannot touch that code, because it was developed by someone else!”, or “I cannot help because I am a HR Consultant and that is a Finance problem”? If you washing machine does not want to switch on, you do not need to be an Electrical Engineer, Washing Machine Repair Specialist, Technician, or whatever specialist to do some basic fault finding. Make sure the plug is working. Check the trip-switch, etc. “I have never seen this error before” should not stop you from attempting to solve. With the error message and an Internet Search engine, you can get lots of starting points.

In every complex system there are a couple of basic working principles. System A that reads data from System B can be horribly complex (maybe a Laboratory Spectrometer that reads data from a Programmable Logic Computer via an RS-232 port). But, some basics to test for: Does both systems have power? Is there an error message in the event log on one of these systems? Can you “ping” or trace a network packet from the one system to the other? Try a different communication cable. Search the internet for the error message.

Once you have established what the problem is, you need to start solving it. Sometimes the initial investigation will point you directly to the solution (switch the power on; replace the faulty cable, etc). But, sometimes the real problem is complex in itself, so the next principle is to solve it simple.

Principle #3. Conquer it simple.

Let’s start this section with a real-life example. Under certain conditions, a stored procedure will hang. The stored procedure normally takes about an hour to run (when it is not hanging). So, the developer tried to debug. Make some changes and then wait another hour or so to see if the problem is solved. After some days the developer gave up and the “Problem Solver” took over. The “Problem Solver” had to his disposal the knowledge under witch conditions the stored procedure would hang. So, it was a simple exercise to make a copy of the procedure, and then with this copy to strip all unnecessary code. All parameters were changed with hard-coded values. Bits of code were executed at a time and the result-sets were then again hard-coded into the copy of the procedure. Within 3 hours the problem was solved. An infinite-loop was discovered.

What the “Problem Solver” did, was to replicate the problem and at the same time tried to isolate the code that caused the problem. In doing so, the complex (and time consuming) stored procedure became something fast and simple.

If the problem is inside an application, create a new application and try to simulate the problem inside the new application as simple as possible. If the problem occurs when a certain method for a certain control gets called, then try to only include this control in the empty application and call that method with hard-coded values. If the problem is with embedded SQL inside a C# application, then try to simulate the SQL inside of a Database Query tool (like SQL*Plus for Oracle, Query Analyzer for SQL Server, or use the code in MS Excel via ODBC to the database).

The moment you can replicate the problem in a simple way, you are more than 80% on your way to solve it.

If you do not know where in the program the problem is, then use DEBUG.

Principle #4. Debug.

Most application development tools come standard with a debugger. Weather it is Macromedia Flash, Microsoft Dot Net, Delphi, or what ever development environment there will be some sort of debugger. If the tool does not come standard with a debugger, then you can simulate one.

The first thing you want to do with the debugger is to determine where the problem is. You do this by adding breakpoints at key areas. Then you run the program in debug mode and you will know between which breakpoints the problem occurred. Drill down and you will find the spot. Now that you know where the problem is, you can “conquer it simple”

Another nice feature of most debuggers includes the facility to watch variables, values, parameters, etc. as you step through the program. With these values known at certain steps, you can hard-code them into your “simplified version” of the program

If a development tool does not support debugging, then you can simulate it. Put in steps in the program that outputs variable values and “hello I am here” messages either to the screen, to a log file, or to a database table. Remember to take them out when the problem is resolved… you don’t want your file system to be cluttered or filled up with log files!

Principle #5. There is a wealth of information on the database back-end that will help to solve a problem.

The “Problem Solver” was called to help solve a very tricky problem. A project was migrating system from a mainframe to client-server technology. All went well during testing, but when the systems went live, all of a sudden there were quite a few, and quite random “General Protection Faults”. (The GPF-error was the general error trap in Windows 95 and 98). It was tried to simplify the code, debugging was attempted, but it was impossible to replicate. In the LAB environment, the problem would not occur! Debugging trace messages to log files indicated that the problem occurred very randomly. Some users experienced it more than others, but eventually all users will get them! Interesting problem.

The “Problem Solver” solved this after he started to analyze the database back-end. Not sure if it was by chance or because he systematically moved in the right direction because of a scientific approach. Through tracing what is happening on the back-end level, it was found that all these applications were creating more-and-more connections to the database. Every time a user starts a new transaction another connection was established to the database. The sum-total of the connections were only released when the application was closed. As the user navigated to new windows inside the same application, more and more connections are opened, and after a specific number of connections, the application will have enough and then crash. This was a programming fault in a template that was used by all the developers. The solution was to first test if a cursor to the database is already open, before opening it again.

How do you trace on the back-end database what is happening? The main database providers have GUI tools that help you to trace or analyze what queries are fired against the database. It will also show you when people connect, disconnect, or were unable to connect because of security violations. Most databases also include some system dictionary tables that can be queried to get this information. These traces can sometimes tell ‘n whole story of why something is failing. The query code you retrieve from the trace can be help to “simplify the search”. You can see from the trace if the program makes successful contact with the database. You can see how long it takes for a query to execute.

To add to Principle#2 (do not be afraid to start…); you can analyze this trace information, even though you might not know anything about the detail of the application.

Remember though that these back-end traces can put a strain on the back-end resources. Do not leave them running for unnecessary long.

Principle #6. Use fresh eyes.

This is the last principle. Do not spend too much time on the problem before you ask for assistance. The assistance does not have to be from someone more senior than you. The principle is that you need a pair of fresh eyes for a fresh perspective and sometimes a bit of fresh air by taking a break. The other person will look and then ask a question or two. Sometimes it is something very obvious that was missed. Sometimes just by answering the question it makes you think in a new directions. Also, if you spend hours looking at the same piece of code, it is very easy to start looking over a silly mistake. A lot of finance balancing problems get solved over a beer. It could be a change of scenery, and/or the relaxed atmosphere that will pop out the solution. Maybe it is the fresh oxygen that went to the brain while walking to the pub. Maybe it is because the problem got discussed with someone else.

After reading this paper, the author hope that you will try these the next time you encounter a problem to solve. Hopefully by applying these six principles you will realize the advantages they bring, rather than to “guess” your way to a solution.

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Choi, YW., Go, Ig. & Gil, YJ. Correlation analysis between sub-element of technological thinking disposition and computational thinking of gifted students in South Korea. Int J Technol Des Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-024-09888-4

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Tripp Mickle and Brian X. Chen wrote about Apple’s practice of pairing iPhone parts last year.

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Tripp Mickle reports on Apple and Silicon Valley for The Times and is based in San Francisco. His focus on Apple includes product launches, manufacturing issues and political challenges. He also writes about trends across the tech industry, including layoffs, generative A.I. and robot taxis. More about Tripp Mickle

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