The technical diagnostic method
A repeatable way to diagnose any technical problem: define it, scope it, gather evidence, test ranked hypotheses one change at a time, verify, and hand off cleanly.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 45 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 1 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Turn a vague complaint into a precise, testable problem statement
- Scope a problem by who, what, where and when before changing anything
- Rank hypotheses by likelihood and cost to test, and test them one change at a time
- Verify a fix against the original symptom and decide when to escalate
Course outline
- 1.The technical diagnostic methodVideo · 5 min
- 2.From complaint to problem statementLesson · 12 min
- 3.Hypotheses, tests and verificationLesson · 14 min
- 4.Closing the loop: verification, root cause and follow-upLesson · 13 min
- 5.The technical diagnostic method: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 15 questions
- 6.The technical diagnostic method: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 7.One user or the whole floor?Scenario
- 8.Final exam6 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- CompTIA A+ troubleshooting methodology (six steps)
- ITIL 4: Incident and problem management practices
- Microsoft Learn: Troubleshooting methodology for Windows (Windows client troubleshooting guidance)
See it with your own jobs and topics
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