Fault Diagnosis

A fix that is not aimed at the root cause is a guess, and guesses pile up: each one adds a change, hides a symptom and makes the next failure harder to read. Diagnosis runs in four phases (reproduce, isolate, find the root cause, fix with a regression test) and each phase leaves evidence behind. No fix until you can say what is broken, where, and why.

The Prime Directive

NO FIX WITHOUT A REPRODUCED FAILURE AND A ROOT CAUSE YOU CAN STATE

No exceptions. No workarounds. No shortcuts.

When to Use