I have a love/hate relationship with my garbage disposal. When it’s functioning, it works like a champ. But when things aren’t quite right, it can easily go from hero to zero.
I’ve lived through many mishaps with this dastardly device, most notably when our 13-year-old daughter thought it was logical to stuff a pound of lost-in-the-back-of-the-fridge rotini pasta down the drain, causing the spiraled noodles to surface in the drain of a sink in our basement, leading to the dethroning of our Waste King L-1001 (an event of which we rarely speak). So, when the disposal recently made a grinding noise, then came to a full stop, I was near a PTSD moment as I surveyed the situation.
Because I have a wonderful handyman in the list of contacts on my phone, I have been able to call him in the past, often arriving at a simple fix (a power switch under my sink had accidentally gotten flipped…who knew?). However, 11pm is not an optimal time to contact anyone for the purposes of troubleshooting my device. That left me one option as a mechanically challenged individual: Figure it out myself.
The search began with Google and quickly transitioned to their November 2006 acquisition, YouTube. Using these handy resources, I was able to determine that I needed to locate and press the reset button on the disposal as my first action. Fortunately, the troubleshooting gods bestowed grace upon me as this was the fix for my problem. In no time at all, it was grinding away on the small bits of food wiped from our evening dinner plates.
But what if a problem you’re facing isn’t that simple, has multiple steps or you want to track where you’ve been or where you’re going in the process? Situation Expert’s troubleshooting tool allows you to easily visualize the flow of your options and choices, ask questions and reply “Yes” or “No.” It is easily integrated into the flow of work and can provide a sound path forward in what can become a maze of decisions.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go clean out my fridge to ensure there isn’t any more pasta lurking in the shadows…
Author
Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
“Helping Learners Learn Their Way”
Vignettes Learning Workshops
1. Developing Critical Thinking for Modern Learners
2. Microlearning for Disruptive Results
3. Instructional and Experience Design for Workflow Learning
4. The Masterful Virtual Trainer Online Workshop
5. Hyper Story-Based eLearning Design Workshop
6. Training Frontline Leaders as Learning Accelerators
7. HYBRID Remote and Hands-on Training
8. Advanced Skills in Webinars