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Process Integration

seek to understand before seeking to solve

Process Integration – Technique 6.1: Structured Problem Solving (Exam Only)

Purpose of Structured Problem Solving

  • Provides guidance on how to use Solve Loop practices
  • Solve Loop is not linear
  • Practices are used as needed
  • A little structure improves outcomes
  • KCS article is created as a by-product

Solve Loop and Evolve Loop Context

  • Solve Loop = individual request handling
  • Evolve Loop = organizational learning
  • Evolve Loop encompasses the Solve Loop
  • Each Solve Loop task contributes to Evolve Loop value

Core Concepts Used

  • Seek to understand before seeking to solve
  • Search early, search often
  • Capture context first, then look for existing knowledge

Structured Problem Solving Flow (Exam Logic)

1. Preserve the Requestor's Perspective

  • Capture the issue literally
  • Use requestor's words
  • Do NOT jump to diagnosis

2. Search the Knowledge Base

  • Search early
  • Refine search as understanding improves
  • Look for:
    • Exact matches
    • Similar issues
  • Link and improve if found

3. Refine Understanding

  • Ask clarifying questions
  • Capture additional environment details
  • Continue searching as context improves

4. Diagnose (Only If Needed)

  • Begin diagnostics after searching
  • Use experience and tools
  • Continue asking questions
  • Check KB frequently

5. Collaborate or Escalate

  • If unresolved:
    • Collaborate with peers
    • Escalate for deeper research
  • Knowledge capture continues

Different Skills at Different Points (Exam Important)

Different Skills at Different Points

  • Early phase:
    • Listening
    • Capturing context
    • Searching
  • Later phase:
    • Diagnosis
    • Technical analysis
  • Jumping to diagnosis too early causes:
    • Missed articles
    • Wrong assumptions
    • Lost learning

Managing the Conversation

Managing the Conversation

  • Minimize system switching
  • Handle:
    • Admin tasks at start (contact initiation)
    • Admin tasks at end (wrap-up)
  • Do NOT interrupt problem solving with admin work

Enabling Collaboration

  • Problem solving is collaborative
  • KCS encourages collaboration by design
  • Move from escalation → collaboration

Intelligent Swarming (Conceptual – Exam Recognize)

  • Connect people to people for new issues
  • Complement to KCS connecting people to content
  • Based on relevance, not hierarchy

Why Traditional Escalation Fails

  • Skills-based routing:
    • Hard to maintain
    • Quickly outdated
  • Expertise changes frequently
  • Static profiles do not scale

People Profiles (Emerging Concept)

  • Capture:
    • Experience
    • Interests
  • Maintained programmatically
  • Tunable by individuals
  • Improves collaboration relevance

Examples of Enabling Collaboration

  • Built-in chat / messaging
  • Find people based on:
    • Incident data
    • WIP articles
  • Directed swarm:
    • Team owns resolution
    • Individual owns response
  • Visibility into open incidents
  • Opt-in help model

Key Exam Traps

  • Solve Loop is linear ❌
  • Diagnose first ❌
  • Work alone ❌
  • Escalation-only model ❌
  • Admin tasks throughout call ❌