What I learned about techniques for faster problem solving

I was recently introduced to the idea of “heuristics” as a valid(?) problem-solving technique.

Common Faults — A Heuristics Approach

The concept itself is quite simple — for any given fault, compile a list of known root-causes and/or solutions, and sort your list by decreasing frequency.

As a demonstration (with made-up data), if your problem is that the light(s) are not illuminated, the possible cause might be:

50% — The power is off at the light switch 25% — The bulb is blown 12% — The circuit breaker has tripped 6% — Someone left the main power…