November 17, 2002

five steps of four truths

We use this process at work to resolve customer’s issues. It’s called Five Step Troubleshooting. It’s not unique to our call center, in fact, it’s not unique to technical support. It can be used for anything. Often when it is being explained in class the analogy of troubleshooting a cassette player or a common cold is used. It never ceases to amaze me how far ahead of his time the Buddha was. Compare the Four Noble Truths with Five Step Troubleshooting:

Step One — Symptom Recognition
Gather information about the basic problem. Collect all technical and environmental information:
Why is the customer calling?
What model unit does the customer have?
What OS is in use?

Step Two — Symptom Elaboration
Identify the issue. Get as much information as needed to isolate the problem:
Has the unit ever worked?
What, if anything, changed when the unit became disabled?
Has any new software or hardware been added?

First Noble Truth — There Is Suffering
The Buddha broke this down into the “Eight Sufferings” and the “Three Sufferings”. He recognized the symptom then elaborated on what each of the symptoms are combining the first two Steps into one Truth.

Step Three — List Possible Causes
List things that could contribute to the problem. For example, for communication issues look at connections, cable information, peripherals (present and past), BIOS, drivers, etc. For a unit making grinding noises, address the unit itself.

Second Noble Truth — Suffering Has Causes
Buddha lists off all of the causes of suffering such as attachment to physical desires and objects.

Step Four — Isolate the Fault
Check each possible variable one at a time:
Does the unit work in standalone mode?
Does anything else work with that cable?
Does anything else work on that port?

Third Noble Truth — Suffering Can End
Eliminating your attachment will eliminate your suffering. The fault has been isolated.

Step Five — Repair, Functionality, Logging
Make the necessary repairs, reloads, reboots, etc., required to return the equipment to operational status. Test and prove functionality of the unit, to verify that the issue has been isolated and resolved. Document your case.

Fourth Noble Truth — The Eight-Fold Path
The Buddha then lists off the following: right view, right thinking, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. Now you must repair your life. Do so by documenting your progress and testing the functionality of your “new life”.

posted @ 8:49 AM

« training | home | rejection »