Getting it fixed is another challenge entirely. Many IT organizations turn problem resolution into a scavenger hunt, scattering clues for the user as to where in the bureaucracy a solution might be found. More than once I’ve seen this scenario play out:

“Hey, Tom, what’s the status of the email outage?”
“I dunno. Wasn’t the mail server, though.”
“So…what’s the status on the trouble ticket?”
“I dunno. I passed it off to the network admin.”
“What’s he doing about it?”
“I dunno. Check with him.”

I call this the “fire-and-forget” method of problem resolution, and it’s far too common. Trouble tickets flow like packets through the network: Each IT specialist is a router, intercepting the problem, inspecting it, and if it’s not their responsibility, passing the problem to the next router on the grid. It’s elegant, efficient, and effective, but – like a real network – it’s also a fire-and-forget process. Once the ticket’s been sent down the line, the sender can all but forget about it.

Does your organization work this way? Has problem resolution become so automated, compartmentalized and regimented that following the process takes priority over solving the problem?