When asking an end user questions, it is important to follow a specific
sequence to allow the troubleshooter to gain the knowledge necessary to attain
a solution. A typical format for interviewing an end user concerning their
problem is:
- What does not work?
- What does work?
- Are the things that do and do not work related?
- Has the thing that does not work ever worked?
- When the problem was first noticed?
- What has changed since the last time it did work?
- Did anything unusual happen since the last time it worked?
- When exactly does the problem occur?
- Can the problem be reproduced and if so, how can it be reproduced?