BEST PRACTICES Perseverance is the Hinge of Success! SR handling When there are two or more high priority items in the marquee it can sometimes be difficult to prioritize and focus on one. Things can get tougher if there are action items in addition to the "respondimmediately-killer-priority" case! It is important that at such times you do not lose your cool. The key to handling such a situation is prioritizing and doing it the right way. Try and attend to action items which are direct and straightforward- be it P2 or P3. Put them to rest and then resume work on the P1 items. Cogitate on the time that you want to spend on solving the priority items. If you are unable to solve it in the estimated time, then request for a reassigning of the issue. It is important that the work is delegated at the right time so there can be a quick closure to the case. Don’t let the number of SRs and priority items in your queue worry you. After all, a P1 is a P2escalated item and P3 is a P2escalated one. The ubiquitous PS Review and Handoff Handing off and sending a case for review does not mean your work has come to an irreversible end. It just means that the case is being worked upon simultaneously by two people - one with all the historical data related to the case and the other with a better understanding of the source code. Together they can collaborate and solve the case faster. This is analogous to "pairprogramming" in Agile Development
methodology where two people brainstorm in developing a piece of functionality. One can make use of this process to learn how a seemingly-puzzling problem is broken into pieces for analysis. Maintaining Audit trail for a case Follow the mantra be transparent! Ensure that all information you have gathered related to the case is available for others to see. If the case is reassigned to another engineer then your researched material should be readily available for the engineer to jump start. This way, you can also avoid the "not-so-heartening-questions" from your manager! Audit trail will make your work available for all to see and if you are not headed in the right direction your manager can guide you further, with expert review or handoff, if required. Sharing knowledge It is very important that you share what you have learnt. Writing 'solution-oriented' articles, scripting a whitepaper on a particular topic etc. will help other engineers facing the same issue troubleshoot faster. Solving a problem, then, becomes a comparatively non-laborious task and will result in quicker closure of a case. Apart from writing articles, giving feedback for a published-article, attending sessions on current topics, participating in forums and DL: Help, can all be considered as knowledgesharing. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained!
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Constantly hone your technical skills Regularly checking CRs, SRs and KBs related to your domain expertise, will make you aware of the latest developments/issues related to a product. In due course of time, you can become a specialist for that Volume product. 1 By following CR trails, you can understand fixes provided by the development team– this will help you provide faster workarounds to an issue. Interacting with your juniors, peers and seniors In short, befriend your peers, juniors and seniors. Be an inspiration for all. Motivate and guide the juniors in the team. Respect your peers and seniors- take suggestions from them and provide constructive criticism. Have regular meetings with your leads and managers to get feedback. Also, use the forum to discuss issues which are technical or otherwise. Talking helps- you can de-stress and unburden if there is something bothering you. Always keep your manager aware of what you are working on. If you find yourself in no-man's land, working on a issue, let him know of it - this can reduce future escalations and bristles. Enjoy what you do Last but not the least, enjoy the work you do. Come to work with a clear, unwavering mind and retire cheerfully. At all times, stay positive and never give up. Always spread a positive energy around you. Remember, Perseverance is the hinge of success!
-Krishna Kumar