Part 2: The Dozen Parts of a Troubleshooting Mind

In this Part, we’ll go into more depth, with more examples, and more ways of mentally approaching troubleshooting. The idea is to get you to a place where you’re always in that logical, scientific mental space, making you a more effective troubleshooter whenever the need arises.

I’ve noticed, and you probably have to, that some people just seem to have a brain built for troubleshooting. They don’t. They’ve built a brain for troubleshooting by focusing on a dozen key characteristics, and you can do the same thing. Their brains automatically divide and conquer using wolf-proof fences, and you can train your own mind to do the same.

Bear in mind that this Part isn’t meant to be procedural; the procedure is still the one you read about in Part 1. This Part is a more nuanced look at portions of that procedure, with an eye toward making you more effective over the long-haul. Becoming a better troubleshooter is going to take some time, so this Part will also offer some advice about where to best spend that time.

As a note to my Agile Leanpub readers, I’m very much still playing with this section. I’d expect a lot of “churn” in the following chapters, and I certainly welcome your feedback via the “Email the Author” link on the book’s Leanpub home page, or use the “HMU” link on DonJones.com.