Every so often, you’re going to hit a problem. Regardless of whether for better or for worse, you will eventually discover something that breaks.
You’ll get a few errors here, a couple of random crashes there and find that not everything in the world goes according to the plan, eventually leading to an “in-production” crash.
While sometimes the best thing to do is just throw in the towel and start wildly guessing, a professional developer has access to a couple of procedures to tackle these issues quickly and effectively.
troubleshooting tips
These are just a couple of troubleshooting tips to use in any situation; Replicate The Problem (RTP); Yes you know something is broken,
but what exactly makes your software freak out? Knowing what’s actually malfunctioning is pretty critical; this prevents you from wasting hours and hours trying to “fix” something that actually isn’t the root cause.
Identify what’s been changed previously: quite often bugs are a result of newly deployed code. Analyse the context where the bug is popping up (specific inputs, under certain load etc); Gather data: check relevant logs, look at monitor metrics etc; Work back from the error message.
Divide and Conquer:
This breaks a large problem into small chunks, making it easier to tackle the problem and reducing the number of possible factors to a minimum.
If a problem appears, focus on the most obvious first (the simple solution). Introduce changes step by step. Work back from the error (this is a much more efficient way to pinpoint an error than working from the beginning).
complex issues you deal
The more complex issues you deal with, the more important it is to approach this process systematically. Rely on Proper Tools; A good tool can be the difference between an hour long fix and hours of debugging hell. Tools can be useful to diagnose the problem: Check logs, Use debuggers, Check the status dashboard, Use your version control history.
Learn Your common problems
Learn Your common problems in your area of expertise; all areas have them – software development is no exception.
Understanding what kind of problems
Understanding what kind of problems to expect in your discipline will make identifying them faster, and finding the right solution quicker.
Common software problems are typically syntax, logic, integration, environment-related and performance related. Best practices for software troubleshooting.
Implement a couple of things that you will help streamline troubleshooting and get you to the fix much faster; document everything you do (even the wild guesses you make along the way), Check the web before inventing the wheel (chances are someone’s already faced this before and solved it). Ask for Help!
If you get stuck for longer than you anticipate, don’t waste your time going around in circles – ask a peer for their thoughts.
Get a second pair of eyes; Post–fix test everything: Make sure your “fix” has not broken another piece of your software. Analise the cause and see if you can do anything to prevent it occurring in the future. WHEN TO ESCALATE SOMEPROBLEMS “A bug too big to manage”.
In Conclusion
Sometimes problems are a lot larger, or require a lot of time to solve, to be left up to a single person. The team needs to have a threshold that, if not fixed after a certain amount of time or with a certain amount of effort, the bug should be escalated; if you believe that your problem relies on external software, it is recommended to create a ticket there; collaborate with the development team.It’s simply a skill that involves patience, an methodical approach, and the proper instruments.
By following this guide, bug fixing won’t feel quite so intimidating anymore.
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