Deductive reasoning and exit strategies

How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?  Arthur Conan Doyle

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song? Sesame Street - Joe Raposo and Jon Stone

A good technician is a basically a good detective. When a problem with any technology pops up, most of us run through a little mental flowchart, eliminating possible causes until we are left with the real reason for the trouble. (It is only on very rare occasion that I consider myself a technician -  I'm not that bright.)

The first question most of us ask is: Is the problem in the chair or on the desk?

It's human nature: If you are a user, you assume the technology is at fault (on the desk); if you are a tech, you assume the user (in the chair) is the problem.

I am guessing that in reality, tech problems can be divided pretty much 50-50 chair-desk.

User error (chair) can again be divided between "the dog ate my homework" excuses and lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, many of us tend to assign some sort of deliberateness to problems when we hear "I didn't get the e-mail telling me the report was due." As the Church Lady would have said, "How convieeee -nient!"

While deep in our heart of hearts we may believe this is the case, such assumptions are unprofessional and accusations are never productive. Remember Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Technology problems (desk) are really much easier and more fun to explicate. If the problem seems to be happening to lots and lots of people on a regular basis, we look at the system. Chances are a simple search of the help forums for the product or service will turn out others who have experienced the problem and in a high percentage of the time, present a fix.

If the problem seems to happen rarely or only to a small percentage of people, then we look to see how these individuals differ from the masses. If the e-mail went to 100 people and did not get to two people, logic tells us that the there is something about the configuration of those individuals' computers or software or e-mail setting that is causing the problem. Or the problem is in the chair.

It's tough, but everyone will be happier if we who provide support eliminate any problem with the desk before we start pointing fingers at the chair. Even when the problems happen to our most incompetent, most unlovable users. Like tech directors.

________________________________________________

It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.

- Donald Rumsfeld

Henry Thiele posted this most excellent post, Exit Strategies and Google, yesterday. He writes:

A question that I am hearing a lot about lately is: with all of these schools jumping on the Google bandwagon what do we do if Google goes rogue and becomes EVIL?

We leave.

and reminds us

To do this we need an exit strategy. ... This isn't a question that just just be asked with a Google product, or a product in the cloud. This is a question that I ask with every piece of software we purchase: "What is the cost of leaving this product".

And I would suggest there are "costs" not just in hardware and software, but in training and morale as well that need to be considered.

Henry, you are a good manager as well as visionary!

Oh, my personal exit strategy, if GoogleApps goes bad here involves a passport in another name, lots of unmarked cash, and a secret passage in my basement to a cave where I have a motorcycle stored. Something I learned as a Boy Scout growing up on the prairie.

Comments

[Bob Follmuth]

I am not the "tech director" - I'm only the teacher librarian. But, in that position, I seem to have become the "first line of defense". There seems to be an unwritten but well-understood directive to all individuals: If you're having a tech problem (especially with your computer), first contact Bob F. I have learned that I must try everything the peson in the chair did first, correct it if possible, and then, very specifically, describe what is happening on the computer. I am expected to include screen shots of the desktop and any error messages that appear and send them to our tech guy before he will make a house call. It's somewhat of a pain in the caboose to me, but it's a system that seems to work pretty well.

Bottom line: Do NOT communicate directly with the tech guy. Get Bob first.

[Carolyn Foote]

LOL, Bob--I appear to be the Bob as well ;)

Doug--Love the distinction you make--desk/chair. Unfortunately it seems too often the "chair" gets blamed before the appropriate level of investigation happens.

We should rise up and defend the "chairs"!

[Jean Tower]

We don't say the problem was in the chair - we say it was a PEBCAK - "problem exists between chair and keyboard."

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Bob and Carolyn,

I think it is often the case that teachers (or anyone) with tech problems will go to the most sympathetic support first. I think this is a credit to you both!

Doug

Hi Jean,

Now that you mention it, I have heard this one before. We tend to use the expression ID.10-T error too!

Thanks for the reminder,

Doug