[eBook] Problem Solving Techniques for IT

Problem Solving
Problem solving techniques for the SMO.
Achieve the extraordinary.
ENGAGE. TRANSFORM. SUCCEED. AMERICAS.G2G3.COM

The
challenge
of
the
scien/fic
method
is
managing
the
difficulty
of
making
progress,
while
retaining
the
skep/cism
necessary
to
ensure
the
correctness
of
your
results.
Francis Bacon

What’s
A
Problem?
Webster’s
Defini/on:
▶ “a
ques/on
raised
for
inquiry,
considera/on,
or
solu/on”
▶ “a
source
of
perplexity,
distress,
or
vexa/on”
Photo: Digital Sexton via Creative Commons

What’s
A
Problem?
IT
Service
Management
(ITSM)
Context
–
An
ITIL
Defini:on:
▶ A
cause
of
one
or
more
Incidents.
The
cause
is
not
usually
known
at
the
/me
a
Problem
Record
is
created,
and
the
Problem
Management
Process
is
responsible
for
further
inves/ga/on.
Managing
Problems
in
ITSM
–
Problem
Management
in
ITIL:
▶ The
Process
responsible
for
managing
the
Lifecycle
of
all
Problems.
The
primary
Objec/ves
of
Problem
Management
are
to
prevent
Incidents
from
happening,
and
to
minimize
the
Impact
of
Incidents
that
cannot
be
prevented
Photo: felixtsao via Creative Commons

You know you’ve got a
problem.
But how do you tackle it?

Some figure it out as
they go.

We propose that you’re
more effective with a
structured approach.
It’s true.

You can do it.
HERE ARE A FEW METHODS TO GET YOU
ORGANIZED.

Flowcharts
It feels like a map…with arrows.

Flowchart
Snapshot of iRunIT™, our process documentation library tool.

FLOWCHART RESOURCE
The ASQ (American Society for Quality) has a flowchart creator at the bottom of
this page:
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/process-analysis-tools/overview/flowchart.html

Brainstorming
No, it’s not raining brains.

Brainstorming is great for
…generating as many leads as possible.

For Starters
Start with a clear understanding of what the problem
is, write it on a white board or flip chart.

Storm it out.
Allow participants to put forth any idea they have,
encourage an open atmosphere. Write down every idea,
do not filter ideas until brainstorming is done. Don’t
stop too soon - often new ideas will come up after a
pause. Evaluate and sort ideas after no new ideas come
up.
Vector by Alex Sheyn

Nominal Group
Technique
Must be for a group!

When to Use
Groups of any size
Need a decision made quickly

Steps
• Each person generates ideas and writes on a card
• Team lead assigns each a letter per idea and records on flip
chart
• Group discusses and eliminates similar ideas
• Team members individually rank the ideas
• Team lead collects and totals the points
• Solution with highest score is the prioritized idea or solution
– provides starting point for root cause analysis

Benefits of Nominal Group Technique
• Minimizes the influence of dominant voices or groups.
• Quick

Is - Is Not Matrix
Like The Matrix. But easier.

Use When
You need to separate lots of information to
determine what is trivial from what is important.

Steps
• Start with an empty table of four rows and six columns.
• In the upper left corner, state specifically the problem.
• Fill in the top row and left column as outlined.
• Fill in each row and column with information about what is
related to the problem and what is not, and determine what
the differences are between the two.
• For each element in the table, analyze how it could be a cause
of the problem.
àHere comes the sample.

Sample Is-Is Not Matrix
Problem:
Missing
Email
Is
Is
Not
Dis:nc:ons
What
occurs?
Email
from
outside
of
the
company
are
not
being
delivered
Internal
email
is
func/oning
fine
Only
external
email
is
affected
Where
does
it
occur?
In
the
Chicago
branch
office
Headquarters
and
all
other
branches
Only
Chicago
is
affected
When
does
it
occur?
Con/nually
since
last
Friday
Before
last
Friday
Something
may
have
changed
on
Friday
Extent
of
problems
MicrosoW
and
Unix
mail
are
both
affected
Reported
outside
of
Chicago
Only
Chicago
is
affected
Who
is
involved?
All
users
in
all
departments
in
Chicago
branch
Any
other
users
Only
Chicago
is
affected

5 Whys
Stop repeating yourself. Or don’t.

What is “5 Whys?”
A simple, yet very effective tool to ensure that you
get to the root cause of a problem rather than a
superficial cause.

To Start
Write down the specific problem.
• Writing the issue helps you formalize the problem and
describe it completely.
• It also helps a team focus on the same problem.

The Process
You guessed it. You’re going to ask WHY. 5 times.
Ask WHY the problem happened and write the answer down below the
problem. If the answer doesn’t identify the root cause of the problem, ask
WHY again and write that answer down. Keep asking until the team is in
agreement that the problem's root cause is identified. This may take fewer
or more times than five WHYS.

Sample 5 Whys

Logic Tree
Sometimes called an “Issue Tree.”

Great for identifying root
cause.
Visually effective, as well.

Four Basic Attributes
▶ Consistently answers “WHY”
▶ Progress from the key question to the analysis as it moves to the right
▶ Have branches that are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (MECE)
▶ Use an insightful breakdown

Sample Logic Tree
Bank profit
declining
Revenues
decreasing
Sales volume
decreasing
Market share
declining
Product-related
problems
Product quality
poor
Product mix
problems
Inadequate
product line
breadth
Inadequate
depth of
product line
Service-related
problems
Distribution-related
problems
Overall market
size decreasing
Prices
decreasing
Transaction fee
level declining
Interest rates
decreasing
Expenses
increasing
Non-interest
expenses
increasing
Variable costs
increasing
Fixed costs
Interest increasing
expenses
increasing

Fault Tree Analysis
Where did things go wrong in the process?

Attributes
To determine how an “undesired state”
occurred.
Uses Boolean logic.

Steps
Identify a failure or a POTENTIAL failure.
▶ Identify the specific problem and write it at the top of the diagram.
▶ Generate ideas for causes of that event and put them in at the next
level down.
▶ For each cause, identify if there could be lower level causes and repeat
the process until there are no lower level causes.
▶ For each area where more than one cause leads to an upper level
cause determine whether they operate together (and) or on their own
(or).
When complete, you will have an understanding of all the potential
causes and their relationships with each other.

Sample Fault Tree

Ishikawa Diagram
Sometimes referred to as a fishbone
diagram or a cause-and-effect chart.

When to use.
Used to analyze relationships between a
problem and its causes.

Steps
▶ Clearly state the problem and write it on the right edge
of a whiteboard.
▶ Draw an arrow pointing to the problem.
▶ Next write main categories of causes as branches from
the main arrow.
▶ For each category, use brainstorming techniques to
identify as many possible causes that you can.
▶ Finally, analyze the causes to determine the most likely
root cause.

Ishikawa Diagram
Not
well
documented
High
Rate
of
Failed
Changes
People
Cumbersome
Tools
Process
Confusing
No
management
support
Environment
Lack
of
Training
Overworked
Outdated
Lack
of
accountability

Histograms &
Pareto Charts
Sometimes referred to as a fishbone
diagram or a cause-and-effect chart.

Histograms
Histograms are used in statistics to give a visual representation of the distribution of a
data set.

Pareto Chart
A Pareto Chart is a special type of histogram, used to view causes of a problem in
order of severity from largest to smallest.
It contains both bars and
a line graph, where
individual values are
represented in
descending order by
bars, and the cumulative
total is represented by
the line.
Image source: Wikipedia

Decision Matrix
When you must pick one.

When to use.
Best when you have a small list of items
from which you must pick the “best” choice.

Steps
▶ Regarding a problem which you are trying to solve, select a list of criteria against
which you’ll make the decision.
▶ Weight each criteria. Use a multiplier, such as 1-3. 3 representing the most
influencing criteria and 1 indicating the least.
▶ Assign a ranking to each criteria, using a simple number system such as 1-5 (5
being the score that most reflects the criteria, and 1 being least)
▶ Multiply the weight multiplier times the rank score. This gives you the final score,
and ultimately, the best choice.

Sample Decision Matrix
IdealAJob
Job*Opportutnity
JobAA JobAB JobAC JobAE JobAF
Evaluation*Criteria Weight Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final
Location 3 5 15 5 15 4 12 5 15 3 3
Pay 3 3 9 3 9 3 9 3 9 3 3
Benefits 2 5 10 3 6 4 8 4 8 2 2
TravelARequirement 1 5 5 2 2 5 5 4 4 1 1
OpportunityAforA
Advancement 1 5 5 1 1 4 4 4 4 1 1
CompanyACulture 1 5 5 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1
HappyAFactor 1 5 5 2 2 4 4 4 4 1 1
Final 54 38 46 49 12 12

Learn how a Service Management Office strengthens
your problem solving skills.
http://bit.ly/SolveProblemsWithSMO

About G2G3
G2G3 uses consulting, simulations, game science and
communication programs to engage, educate and enable people
towards better business outcomes. We design gamification
solutions supported by compelling communications campaigns
which help architect positive behavior and drive significant benefit
for our clients.
With strengths in IT transformation, IT service management, ITIL®,
IT Governance & Compliance, ISO Standards, COBIT®, CMMI®,
software selection and project management, we arm IT to drive,
motivate and guide the business. We are rock stars at:
• Organizational change management due to ITSM initiatives and
tool deployments.
• IT Service Management Office design and implementation,
including process, policies & procedures, roles &
responsibilities, service catalogs, service level agreements and
service-based costing.
• ITIL®, Project Management, ISO 20000 and other best practice
formal training or awareness training events.
G2G3 Americas Headquarters
16479 Dallas Parkway, Suite 140
Addison, Texas 75001
Phone: +1.972.381.0077
Fax: +1.972.381.8150
Web: americas.g2g3.com
E-mail: info@plexent.com
Twitter @G2G3Americas
This material is Confidential Information and was produced utilizing intellectual property of G2G3 (or through third party Copyright material) and
contains subject matter that comprises intellectual property of G2G3 (or the third party Copyright material) including work(s) that are Copyright
[dates(s)], G2G3 Reproduction, distribution or use without the express written consent of G2G3 is prohibited
Third Party Copyright References:
The Rational Manager: A Systematic Approach to Problem Solving and Decision Making, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1965.
Ishikawa, Kaoru (1968). Guide to Quality Control. Tokyo: JUSE.

[eBook] Problem Solving Techniques for IT

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[eBook] Problem Solving Techniques for IT