Practical Problem Solving Tips

Introduction This slide set is designed to help us become more effective in problem analysis and problem solving It will: Look at some common approaches Present some interesting challenges to overcome Provide pragmatic, useable tips and techniques to help us refresh and improve our problem analysis and problem solving skills © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Current situation? Problems often take too long to identify and solve? We jump straight in with a solution without assessing the problem properly? Too much time spent fire-fighting? Inconsistent approach? No formal and documented approach/process? Go for the complex solution and ignore the obvious one? © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

If only we KNEW what we KNOW 88% of organisational knowledge is currently not searchable or retrievable Up to 20% of our time is spent finding answers to problems that have already been solved As much as 12% of our time is spent looking for sources of information - Delphi Group © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

The SIX key questions What?  Where?  When?  How?  Why?  Who? “I keep six honest serving men. They taught me all I know: Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.” Rudyard Kipling (The ‘Just So’ stories) © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Known barriers to effective decision-making  Indecision  Stalling  Overreacting  Vacillating  Half measures  Making assumptions © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Problem solving on the ‘phone Simple guidelines Requires a well-structured approach Talk to customers in business language Don’t expect them to be an ‘expert’ in IT Remember they are an expert in their field Ensure you understand their issue Ask questions to confirm your understanding Re-state the ‘problem’ for clarification Document what they are saying © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Problem solving on the ‘phone Simple guidelines NEVER make assumptions Be empathic Think before you speak - customer perception Advise the customer YOU cannot immediately solve their problem - if this is true Ensure the customer feels confident that the team will look after their interests and keep them informed Be professional at all times (not matter what the provocation!) © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Influences on group decisions Peer pressure: Members are reluctant to go against the majority viewpoint Critical reasoning stifled, leading to wrong decisions being made - group think Successful groups are over confident and so take riskier decisions Majority view: Groups make more extreme decisions than each individual's decisions Group polarisation Pulling your weight: Individuals put in less effort into achieving decisions than other members - social loafing © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Find the best solution for the situation  Don't view any alternative as the ‘perfect solution’. If there were such a thing, there probably wouldn't be a problem in the first place.  Suspend judgment and criticism when first collecting ideas  Involve a trusted colleague  Is there something you missed?  Do they see a problem with your approach /solution?  Compromise  Consider compromise when you have a full grasp of the problem and your alternatives  Competing solutions may yield a hybrid solution. © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Knowing when to escalate is essential Many IT specialists mistakenly believe that escalating a problem is an admission of incompetence, so they violate established escalation guidelines. © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Business impact assignment You need an agreed business impact, urgency and priority assignment approach that ensures business critical issues are handled first Ensure you have a clear incident process and procedure in place. This will ensure a structured approach is followed when you are under pressure © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Keep customers informed It’s imperative that the correct people are kept informed  Customers experience major frustration when they have to wait for a status update  Managing customer expectation is the key to success  Customers appreciate knowing what’s been done, the current status of their problem and when to expect a resolution  Don’t forget about your own management team – they won’t like to be embarrassed © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Proactive problem analysis & trending “We never seem to make the time to be proactive, but always have the time to be reactive” Dr Don Page “The Too Busy Syndrome” © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Proactive problem analysis & trending  Identify and resolve problems before new Incidents occur  Identify potential problems quicker  Verify implemented improvements have been successful: • Incidents are being solved faster • The same incidents and problems are not re-occurring © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Questions to drive analysis  Why is it necessary?  When should it be done (e.g. now, after hours, weekly)?  Where is the information for analysis located?  Who should do it?  What should be done?  How should it be done?  How should it bedocumented?  Who should we inform and when?  How should we inform others? © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Analysis should identify/highlight  Request types having the biggest business impact  Request types occurring the most often (and who experiences them most)  Where requests are occurring  When requests are occurring  Who/what is experiencing the most requests  Request types taking up staff time the most  Request types taking the longest time to turn around  If service improvements have been successful  Customer training needs © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Trending focuses  Service affected  Reported symptom  Affect configuration item(s) (Optional)  Identified root cause  Resolution applied  Service agreement used (Optional)  Actual individual time spent  Elapsed time spent  Location  Business impact  Cost/revenue impact (Optional)  Customer satisfaction Ensure all incidents are classified with A ROOT CAUSE and RESOLUTION code © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Proactive perception analysis Proactive perception analysis should primarily focus on: Requests not meeting agreed targets Re-scheduled requests Poor customer satisfaction Incidents being ‘bounced’ around Re-opened requests © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Things we can do to save time in problem solving Record/document everything we do Provide diagnostic scripts, checklists and staff skills matrix Improved testing and release process Provide up-to-date processes and procedures Share knowledge and communicate better Have accurate configuration management database (CMDB) Enter detailed classification into incident records Perform regular analysis and link to KPIs Develop knowledge base with access to known errors, solutions and workarounds Spend more time planning and evaluating risks © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Top tip: ask "Why?" five times  Ask "Why" a problem is occurring - and then ask "Why" four more times. For example... 1. Why has the machine stopped? A fuse blew because of an overload 2. Why was there an overload? There wasn't enough lubrication for the bearings 3. Why wasn't there enough lubrication? The pump wasn't pumping enough 4. Why wasn't lubricant being pumped? The pump shaft was vibrating as a result of abrasion 5. Why was there abrasion? There was no filter, allowing chips of material into the pump Installation of a filter solves this problem From "What a Great Idea" by Chic Thompson © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

200 IT staff surveyed The top 10 common mistakes we make  Making quick assumptions (an assumption is something that is accepted as true without verification)  Not collecting/having/being given the facts  Being supplied with inaccurate/incomplete information  Not properly evaluating/reproducing the condition  Pressure from customer/business to deliver NOW  Agreeing a time frame without understanding the problem, impact, risks and resources required  Trying to fix things beyond our skillset  Not escalating a request early enough  Not involving the right people  Not keeping the customer/business informed © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Summary With a well-defined problem analysis and problem solving process in place, you will realise major business benefits:  Repetitive problems solved permanently  Reduction in the number of incidents and problems  Minimised business impact  Shared knowledge  Reduced resolution time  Improved productivity  Confidence in IT improved/maintained © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

About Marval Marval offers a customer-centric approach to IT service management (ITSM), encompassing ITSM software, consultancy and education People Process Technology © 2016 Marval Software Limited www.marval.co.uk E:info@marval.co.uk

Practical Problem Solving Tips