How do IT professionals prioritize problems? This is a common question that many people ask, especially when they face multiple issues at work or in their projects. Prioritizing problems is a crucial skill that can help IT professionals save time, resources, and reputation. In this article, we will explore some of the methods and tools that IT professionals use to prioritize problems effectively.
The first step to prioritize problems is to identify what the problem is, how it affects the system or the users, and what the expected outcome is. Identifying the problem requires gathering relevant information, such as error messages, logs, screenshots, user feedback, or system specifications. It also involves asking the right questions, such as who, what, when, where, why, and how. Identifying the problem clearly can help IT professionals narrow down the possible causes and solutions, as well as communicate the issue to others.
IT professionals prioritize problems based on factors like severity, impact on users, and urgency. They often use a system of categorization or ticketing to determine which issues to address first.
Stakeholders set priorities. There are requirements traceability matrix and other tools. You can outline a list of requirements and then put priories next to them.
Some ways to get started include asking questions related to the immediate impact and severity of the problem. while each organization may have guidelines about how to identify issues, IT professionals generally employ a number of tactics to identify problems and root causes. These may involve asking pertinent questions, reviewing logs, observing the problem play out, recreating test scenarios, and or reviewing damage.
There are two ways to prioritize a problem: 1) the scope of the infrastructure that is impacted. A core router outage is a far bigger problem than an edge switch outage. 2) the scope of the user base that is impacted. An authentication server or service going down that prevents multiple departments from logging into the network has a much greater impact than the loss of a departmental server or service that only serves one or two departments.
Imagine a 2x2 grid. Organize the problems into this grid and work from there. Horizontal (left to right): most important/Biggest impact to the least. (1 = most, 2 = least) Vertical (top to bottom): most urgent/time sensitive to the least. (A = most, B = least) ___________ | 1A | 2A | |----------------| | 1B | 2B | ----------------- Items in 1A are your most urgent and most important items to work on, and items in 2B are the least important and least urgent items to work on. Items in 2B may take months before they are considered. Items in 2A are important but we can wait for now to work on those. And so on. It's not perfect but it helps place things into perspective. Items can also shift places over time, so nothing is set in stone.
The next step to prioritize problems is to assess the impact of the problem on the system or the users. Impact can be measured by various criteria, such as urgency, severity, frequency, scope, or cost. Urgency refers to how quickly the problem needs to be solved, severity refers to how much damage the problem causes, frequency refers to how often the problem occurs, scope refers to how many users or systems are affected, and cost refers to how much money or resources are needed to fix the problem. Assessing the impact can help IT professionals rank the problems by their importance and urgency.
The real question here is "what is the cost of the downtime?" That is a combination of the number of people impacted, the scope of operations affected, and the complexity of the restoral process. The first step in problem resolution is always going to be downtime mitigation. The sooner downtime can be mitigated, the less cost there will be for the downtime, which will make scheduling permanent fixes a bit easier.
The third step to prioritize problems is to choose a method that can help IT professionals organize and compare the problems. There are many methods that IT professionals can use, such as matrices, charts, lists, or frameworks. For example, a matrix can help IT professionals plot the problems by their impact and ease of resolution, a chart can help IT professionals visualize the problems by their attributes or categories, a list can help IT professionals sort the problems by their priority or order, and a framework can help IT professionals apply a standardized or consistent approach to prioritize problems. Choosing a method can help IT professionals make informed and rational decisions.
Prioritization is ultimately a question of service delivery to the user base. In the event of a catastrophic systems failure or multiple outages (e.g., ransomware or malware attack), containment is generally the first priority, to minimize service delivery disruption. Beyond containment, a triage model whereby a combination of large problems that impact broad segments of the user base and smaller problems that can be quickly resolved are given higher priority is a good process to follow.
The fourth step to prioritize problems is to use a tool that can help IT professionals manage and track the problems. There are many tools that IT professionals can use, such as software, applications, or platforms. For example, a software can help IT professionals automate or simplify the prioritization process, an application can help IT professionals collaborate or communicate with others, and a platform can help IT professionals integrate or consolidate the information and data. Using a tool can help IT professionals save time and effort, as well as improve accuracy and efficiency.
This is where the IT department's service ticketing system comes into play. Issues that arise and information that is developed as troubleshooting moves forward can get documented there, and IT personnel can assess and set severity levels based on what they learn and what has already been documented within the system. Prioritization is always a moving target so efficient information flow about an issue is essential.
The fifth step to prioritize problems is to review and adjust the priorities as needed. Prioritizing problems is not a one-time activity, but a continuous process that requires monitoring and evaluation. IT professionals need to review the progress and status of the problems, as well as the feedback and results of the solutions. They also need to adjust the priorities according to any changes or new developments, such as new problems, new requirements, new resources, or new deadlines. Reviewing and adjusting the priorities can help IT professionals adapt and optimize their problem-solving skills.
In dealing with problems, someone always needs to be acting as a gatekeeper for new information and resetting severity and priority levels as appropriate. Every outage and every issue is by definition a moving target, so the IT staff should always expect that severity and priority levels will fluctuate as the problems arise and are resolved.
The sixth step to prioritize problems is to learn and improve from the experience. Prioritizing problems is a valuable skill that can help IT professionals enhance their performance and quality. IT professionals need to learn from the successes and failures of their problem-solving process, as well as the best practices and tips of others. They also need to improve their skills by seeking feedback, training, or mentoring, as well as by updating their knowledge, methods, or tools. Learning and improving can help IT professionals grow and excel in their IT careers.