[eBook] Problem Solving Techniques for IT

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Problem Solving Problem solving techniques for the SMO. Achieve the extraordinary.

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

ENGAGE. TRANSFORM. SUCCEED. AMERICAS.G2G3.COM

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?

Photo: felixtsao via Creative Commons

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

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.

HERE ARE A FEW METHODS TO GET YOU ORGANIZED.

You can do it.

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

•  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.

•  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.

àHere 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 increasing Interest

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.

▶  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

High Rate of Failed Changes

People

Process

Environment

Lack of Training

Confusing Not well

documented

Overworked

Cumbersome

Outdated Lack of

accountability

No management support

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.

Image source: Wikipedia

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.

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.

▶  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

Evaluation*Criteria Weight Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw Final Raw FinalLocation 3 5 15 5 15 4 12 5 15 3 3Pay 3 3 9 3 9 3 9 3 9 3 3Benefits 2 5 10 3 6 4 8 4 8 2 2TravelARequirement 1 5 5 2 2 5 5 4 4 1 1OpportunityAforAAdvancement 1 5 5 1 1 4 4 4 4 1 1CompanyACulture 1 5 5 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1HappyAFactor 1 5 5 2 2 4 4 4 4 1 1

Final 54 38 46 49 12 12

IdealAJob

Job*Opportutnity

JobAA JobAB JobAC JobAE JobAF

Learn how a Service Management Office strengthens your problem solving skills.

http://bit.ly/SolveProblemsWithSMO

About G2G3

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.

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.

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[eBook] Problem Solving Techniques for IT

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