MuggsTech · Course 2: IT Support Technician · Day 2
Lab: Broken on Purpose
NameDatePeriod
Your teacher broke four computers before class. Each one comes with a help-desk ticket written the way real users talk, which usually means it does not say what is actually wrong. Your job is to work the six-step method, fix the problem, and write notes good enough that another technician could read them and know exactly what happened.
The six steps
- Identify the problem. Ask the user questions, find out what changed, and back up data before you make changes if you can.
- Establish a theory of probable cause. Question the obvious.
- Test the theory to determine the cause. If it is wrong, form a new theory or escalate.
- Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem, and implement the solution.
- Verify full system functionality and, if it applies, put preventive measures in place.
- Document findings, actions and outcomes.
At every station
- Read the ticket card. Your teacher is the user, so ask them questions before you touch anything.
- Write your theory down before you test it. If the first theory is wrong, write the next one.
- When it works, check everything works, not just the thing the user mentioned.
- Fill in the ticket notes. Write them for a technician who was not there.
Ticket 1 · Station 1
- User says
- Questions I asked
- Theory 1
- Tested by / result
- Theory 2 (if needed)
- Fix
- Verified by
- Ticket notes
Ticket 2 · Station 2
- User says
- Questions I asked
- Theory 1
- Tested by / result
- Theory 2 (if needed)
- Fix
- Verified by
- Ticket notes
Ticket 3 · Station 3
- User says
- Questions I asked
- Theory 1
- Tested by / result
- Theory 2 (if needed)
- Fix
- Verified by
- Ticket notes
Ticket 4 · Station 4
- User says
- Questions I asked
- Theory 1
- Tested by / result
- Theory 2 (if needed)
- Fix
- Verified by
- Ticket notes
Think about it
Which step did your group want to skip, and what would have gone wrong if you had? Answer in two or three sentences.
At the internet station, the user said "the internet is down." What was actually down? Answer in one or two sentences.
Words to know
- Ticket
- The record of a support request: who asked, what is wrong, what was done.
- Theory of probable cause
- Your best guess at what is causing the problem, before you test it.
- Escalate
- Hand a problem to someone with more access or experience, with your notes.
- Preventive measure
- Something you do so the problem does not happen again.