Troubleshooting Strategies
Two methods of reasoning are used predominantly when troubleshooting complex equipment. They are functional analysis, and differential diagnosis – and the two methods complement each other.
“Functional Analysis” is a method of systematically evaluating the function of system components in order to determine which is not performing its function correctly. If you ask design engineers to describe troubleshooting, most will describe functional analysis. It is also the method that expert technicians will use when they encounter a problem that they have never seen before. Its success requires a deep understanding of the structure and function of the equipment, and skill in devising an effective test strategy.
“Differential Diagnosis” is a method of recognizing the cause of a problem by its symptoms. This is the method used by your family doctor, and it is also the method used first by expert troubleshooters. When presented with a complaint, your doctor will first recall problems that could possibly cause the reported complaint. He (she) will ask intelligent questions and perform selective tests whose results serve to support or refute those candidates, progressively differentiating among the possible causes until one stands out from the others. Its success relies upon the individual’s knowledge of potential causes and their symptoms.
These two strategies are complementary in the following way. Functional Analysis is often used in solving the original occurrence of a problem, and Differential Diagnosis is used to recognize subsequent instances of that problem.
- The first time that a new problem (failure mode) is encountered, someone needs to find the cause. That person is likely to use the Functional Analysis method. Once solved, that experience is added to the problem-solver’s personal knowledge – and he (she) is one step closer to becoming an expert.
- Now, if the following week he encounters a similar complaint, he will be able to think of several possible causes of that complaint, including the cause he identified just last week. He will ask questions and conduct tests to verify the sets symptoms that confirm or refute each of the possible causes he has in mind. If it is one of these causes, he finds the answer very quickly. This is Differential Diagnosis in action.
- However, if the root cause of today’s problem happens to be unknown to him, he soon realizes that and he will revert to the lengthier functional analysis method in order to resolve the problem.
©2008 CaseBank Technologies Inc.
The aircraft guided diagnostic service is ideal for users at all levels of expertise. Experienced technicians unfamiliar with an aircraft can be fully up to speed in very little time. It's as if they have an expert on their shoulder asking discriminating questions.
You can free your resident experts from solving routine problems that can be handled by others, allowing your most experienced people to focus on the never-before-seen problems that can best use their knowledge and expertise. And of course, once a new problem gets solved, it is seamlessly added to the knowledgebase where everyone has access to the new knowledge.
CaseBank has made it easy for your technicians to work with the aircraft guided diagnostic service. First of all, it's intuitive. A technician simply enters one or two visible symptoms, and then a dialogue begins with point-and-click ease. The software presents a series of discriminating questions that lead the troubleshooter directly to the most relevant situations.
With its Hybrid Reasoning engine, you are able to work around areas where knowledge is incomplete and, using Fuzzy Logic, can find all relevant solutions even where the information provided is similar to but not exactly the same as what is in the stored knowledgebase.
The aircraft guided diagnostic service's unique ability to discriminate between multiple configurations of aircraft, from fleet down to an individual aircraft, ensures that a troubleshooter is presented with relevant information only. SpotLight - your own private expert guide to solving problems.
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