As an information technology professional, you may encounter various technical issues that require your attention and resolution. However, not all issues are equally urgent, important, or complex. How can you prioritize and triage technical issues effectively, without wasting time, resources, or customer satisfaction? Here are some tips and best practices to help you.
The first step to prioritize and triage technical issues is to assess the impact of each issue on the business, the users, and the system. You can use a simple matrix to rank the issues based on their severity and frequency. Severity refers to how much damage or disruption the issue causes, while frequency refers to how often or how many users are affected by the issue. For example, a high-severity, high-frequency issue would be a critical priority, while a low-severity, low-frequency issue would be a low priority.
When there are technical issues, it's critical that technology & cybersecurity professionals focus on two things: 1. Impact to business operations. Downtime can lead to negative impacts such as financial losses, the inability to deliver to customers, and reputational damage 2. The CIA (confidentiality, integrity, availability) triad as it applies to a company/org's intellectual property (IP) and customer data. In today's digital ecosystem, IP data and customer data are attractive targets for bad actors. IP data represents a company's "secret sauce". Loss or compromise of IP data can impact a company's ability to compete in the market. Customer data loss or compromise can result in fines, penalties, and reputational damage
Imagine you're managing a company's IT support. An issue with the email server is affecting only one department, but it's preventing them from communicating with a crucial client. Although it's low in frequency, the high-severity nature of this problem catapults it to top priority. Conversely, a low-severity, high-frequency issue like a minor software glitch on an employee's personal workstation, while annoying, can be addressed later, given its limited impact on critical operations. This approach ensures that you allocate resources where they matter most.
The next step is to define the scope of each issue, which means identifying the root cause, the affected components, and the dependencies. You can use various troubleshooting methods and tools to narrow down the scope, such as logs, diagnostics, tests, or simulations. By defining the scope, you can determine the level of effort, the resources, and the time needed to resolve the issue. You can also communicate the scope to the stakeholders and set realistic expectations.
The third step is to assign the roles and responsibilities for each issue, based on the skills, availability, and authority of the team members. You can use a ticketing system or a workflow tool to assign, track, and update the status of each issue. You can also use a communication platform to collaborate, share information, and escalate issues. By assigning the roles, you can ensure that each issue is handled by the most suitable person or team, and avoid duplication or confusion.
The fourth step is to follow the process and procedures for each issue, based on the best practices, standards, and policies of the organization. You can use a knowledge base or a documentation tool to access and update the relevant information, such as solutions, workarounds, or tips. You can also use a feedback system or a survey tool to collect and analyze the customer satisfaction, the issue resolution time, and the issue recurrence rate. By following the process, you can ensure that each issue is resolved in a consistent, efficient, and effective way.
The final step is to learn and improve from each issue, based on the lessons learned, the root cause analysis, and the improvement actions. You can use a reporting system or a dashboard tool to monitor and measure the key performance indicators, such as the number of issues, the issue resolution rate, or the issue prevention rate. You can also use a learning system or a training tool to enhance the skills, knowledge, and competencies of the team members. By learning and improving, you can prevent or reduce the occurrence of similar issues in the future.
The line between technical and non-technical issues are often blurred. Is it a non-technical issue that is causing a technical issue. An upstream data source value changes which is within the boundaries of the system but causes errors downstream. Reuse of a three digit code and other examples. Often first line support don’t have the tools to identify these issues which results in non-technical issues being routed as technical issues which triggers a tech team to review and resolve whiteout engaging process changes.