1% Solutions – Moving forward

Every so often while working on a problem, it is easy to find yourself stuck on a particular issue. It may seem insurmountable and nothing you try will get it fixed. I know I’ve been the victim of this, and it became more apparent when I managed a support team. Quite often I’d had staff come up asking for help on a problem, and that they were ‘stuck’.  I have a few methods for dealing with such problems and how to move forward.

Search the internet
One of the great things about the internet is if you receive some obscure error, this is a strong chance that someone else has had a similar problem. But what about if the problem is for a custom application, or a closed piece of technology?  This is something I have commented on before (Could we survive without Google?).  Hopefully anyone asking you how to help will already have done this as a first step, but this is not always the case.  Developing good search technique can also help.

What is the smallest, most atomic step I should do next?
This is my favourite question to pose to others (and ask myself).  When you are up against a brick wall, step back and work out what is the most smallest, most trivial step you can take next.  Essentially its part of breaking the problem into its components, and again, and again until you’re left with a series of steps to start with.  I find this works a lot of the time.

Take a break
There is nothing better than taking a break from a problem and coming back to it at later time, so long as the severity of the problem permits it.  Even if it is working on something else in the interim, it gives your brain a break and allow it to process it at a sub-conscious level.  Ideally, large problems can be solved with a good night’s rest, although business priority rarely permits that kind of luxury.

The 1% Solution: When stuck, look how to move forward. Work out what the absolute next thing you can do is, or at least take a break and refocus later.

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