Troubleshooting: Your Hidden Superpower

Routines, Rest, and Networks: Your Roadmap to Operational Excellence

Successful troubleshooting comes from building the support and context for it

Often when troubleshooting, you're either against the clock or doing it in bad weather. Too often than not, it's both. I'm not gonna lie to you, it's a grueling grind. The only thing that can make it worse is your tools not working or simply missing: missing keys, missing documentation, and some security person making you wait a few hours. Aaarrgh!

By adding up all these small and frustrating hiccups, a tremendous amount of time and stamina are spent which kills first-time fix rate or just the quality of your game. And in some generalized cases, it puts O&M on the brink of bankruptcy. (I'm not joking, 1h = 100EUR). Also, troubleshooting is not exclusively fieldwork, it's a process that usually begins with advanced analytics skills in front of the computer before being transferred to field service. I actually did and still do most of my troubleshooting remotely.

So, what do you do?

As you guessed from the title, you build routines. Processes are good but they are too corporate high level to fully work in the field, however they're your back office, your van full of supplies, your ticketing and documentation system. When you troubleshoot, you need your own routines as an extension of those procedures.

Routines & Deliberate Practice

What's a routine?

It's something one does regularly or every time when faced with a similar context. Such as checking your PPE, cleaning your tools, charging your batteries, etc. It can be as simple as running through a mental or a physical checklist. Professional athletes do this, and let me tell you a secret... professional troubleshooters do it too. Add to it that it's not just about performance, it's also about safety.

How to make it work?

Deliberate practice, my dear reader. Nothing more than designing a routine, and pushing yourself to follow it just like you would do at the gym.

At first, it will be slow, but with practice, it becomes better as it turns into a routine. Take a closer look at your more senior technicians or engineers; they all have something resembling a routine that they have drilled into their workflow.

Prepping your tools and instruments

Let's take a closer look at the example with the measurement instruments. When I was coordinating O&M, I was infuriated every time I heard the work had to stop because an instrument ran out of batteries or the instrument was forgotten in the office. 😡😡😡😡 Made my blood boil in frustration.

It's so simple. Start by reading the assignment before leaving your home or any place with the right amount of supplies, including reserves.

Each assignment comes with a specific set of tools and instruments. String measurements for Riso on 1500v need an MC4 key, PPE, and an instrument capable of 1500V measurements. Remember the instrument needs AA batteries, probes, calibration up to date, memory space.

For someone starting, this will take mental space, it's a new workflow, and it's fine. That's why you should equip yourself with the right software that can relieve you of this burden. For example, SolarNotions OS has this reminder built in when using different equipment or taking on certain assignments. Subscribe here to get first-hand access to 1 free month.

Be connected to your support and knowledge base

Another example is the smartphone and the laptop. Countless times, network troubleshooting was impossible because the technician forgot the laptop at home or in the office. Same story here, check the assignment, check if you have the tools and if they're ready to work.

Simply by following this simple and basic checklist repeatedly, you build healthy routines and you're in a position to actually get trouble.

For someone starting, this will take mental space, it's a new workflow, and it's fine. That's why you should equip yourself with the right software that can relieve you of this burden.

For example, SolarNotions OS has this reminder built in when using different equipment or taking on certain assignments.

Rest and Rotation

Have you ever heard a troubleshooting cowboy say they live for the speed and the rush? That they're always game on?

Let me tell you, that's the fastest and most certain way of burning out! And I mean going out with a bang, being all curled up in a ball with your brain closer to a veggie than to anything else.

What do you do in this case?

The answer here has two vectors: the company and the troubleshooter. Each can act at their level, and coordinated action will lead to a sustainable work pace and volume, keeping talented staff longer and really game on.

If you're leading an O&M service?

Make sure to rotate the technicians that are assigned troubleshooting. These people, for almost 8 hours, are straight in firefighter mode, doing something that is high pace, high intensity, high complexity. In order to keep them longer in your team, after a few weeks of "frontline work", just have them do preventive maintenance, warehouse duty, monitoring. Get them bored and itchy to be back in the arena. This will also allow other colleagues to learn the trade and your service will be more performant and resilient over time.

If you're a troubleshooter?

You need to get your rest. Troubleshooting is Deep Work. It's the best thing you can give, you matter, your contribution is valuable, but you can't push it like this for 8h straight. Let's get real here with numbers.

Professionals who practice Deep Work regularly within the daily 9-5 rhythm can stay in the zone for around 3-4h, only after having built up this skill for years. Going beyond that is pure suicide. Because Deep Work or just Deep Troubleshooting requires also Deep Rest. It's the other side of the coin. You can't be at your A-game unless you take care of yourself.

Practically, it means to push back on too many crammed assignments, shield yourself from distractions and unnecessary calls and meetings, dedicate time for all forms of rest (physical, mental, social, emotional). The most important is to accept when your team lead or manager rotates you in a boring assignment for a few days or weeks. Now you know it's because long-term there is so much you can give, and the team wants to keep it coming.

Develop your support network

In solar, a lone wolf may have some one-hit wonders, but it will wither alone and probably drink away the remainder of sanity with PTSD in a betting bar. So don't be one.

A lot of the success of a troubleshooter comes from the strength and efficiency of the support network. Maybe you've seen one of these tens of medical series, where the main character is a superstar surgeon, but the patient gets prepped, put to sleep, and the instruments are ready by an army of nurses, other doctors, and assistants. Without them, the main character would be totally useless.

Well, troubleshooting is no different.

You need your back office, those that make sure you have your assignment right, your spare parts, your consumables, your fuel or charging pass is working, and that your van is insured.

Then your colleagues who might assist you in holding probes, lifting a module while you measure, carrying heavy equipment together, or even acting like a "rubber ducky" when verbalizing your mental process.

After that comes your expert network. I cannot stress the importance of this, as this is what helped me push the most complicated yet rewarding cases. These are people either working for inverter companies or working for other O&M or independents. It doesn't matter as long as you can help each other out when things get tricky. There is no glory in reinventing warm water when troubleshooting, so by having an extensive and well-maintained network of peers and experts, you take from it and channel all the knowledge and know-how shared just to get to do an excellent job faster and better, without too much dabbling in the dark.

These people you meet in support services, fairs and conferences. LinkedIn is amazing for this, but also testing together the tools or taking the same trainings. Build relationships, it's free and will boost your work immensely.

Follow me here and on LinkedIn to connect with my community and engage with their expertise.

So let's recap.

• Build up routines around your tasks. Be deliberate about it. Use a system and software to help you prep.

• Rest and rotate. Don't do troubleshooting for too much at a time. When you do it, Deep Work needs Deep Rest; otherwise, you'll crash and burn.

• Develop your support network. From your back office, your support team all the way to the network of experts. Using your professional network for knowledge and know-how will boost the quality of your work.

Which part are you missing? Routines, Rest or Network

Drop a comment below with the word. We're all in this together, and misery loves company (but success loves it more).

P.S. Want more brutally honest insights? Follow for weekly notions of solar operations reality checks. Because someone has to tell it like it is.

P.P.S : Just another solar dude who learned these lessons the hard way so you don't have to. You're welcome.