The Elements of Troubleshooting

I once found a blue sapphire in Australia. It was imbedded in a gravel bed. It had been buried after a volcanic explosion in the gravel of the old stream bed for 65 million years. It was easy to find. All I had to do was to dig up and sift through 4 tons of gravel. It only took six days. But I knew it was there, so it was easy to find. 

Troubleshooting is like that. Part of every problem, embedded in the problem itself, is the solution. The solution is a component of the problem. Each problem consists of a number of components. And one of these components is the answer you seek. 

The first element of troubleshooting is an absolute belief that the solution exists. An absolute belief that you can find the answer. 

An absolute belief that it s only a matter of time and determination. An understanding that you have to do the job alone. No one can help you because no one else is dedicated enough. No one else cares enough. 

The second element of troubleshooting is direct field observations. There is a piece of data you lack to intellectually grasp the problem. The difficulty is you don t know what that piece of data is. It s like looking for gems in the Australian outback. Often, a client asks me why I so desperately wanted some particular pressure. My answer is that it was physically possible to make the pressure measurement. I want all the data available because I don t know beforehand which piece of data I really need. So I want all of it. How can you tell what samples, temperatures, and pressures are available if you don t go out to the field and look  

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