Troubleshooting Workflow

Overview

Our troubleshooting workflow provides systematic approaches to identifying, diagnosing, and resolving issues across our development ecosystem, from technical problems to workflow bottlenecks.

Troubleshooting Philosophy

  • Systematic Approach: Methodical problem identification and resolution
  • Documentation First: Record problems and solutions for future reference
  • Root Cause Analysis: Address underlying causes, not just symptoms
  • Knowledge Sharing: Build collective troubleshooting knowledge
  • Continuous Improvement: Learn from each issue to prevent recurrence

Problem Classification System

Issue Categories

Technical Issues:
  - Code/Logic Errors: Bugs in code or content
  - Build/Deployment Failures: Pipeline and deployment issues
  - Performance Problems: Slow builds, loading, or execution
  - Configuration Issues: Tool or system misconfigurations
  - Dependency Problems: Package or tool dependency conflicts

Workflow Issues:
  - Process Bottlenecks: Inefficient workflows or procedures
  - Communication Gaps: Misaligned expectations or requirements
  - Tool Limitations: Inadequate tools for specific tasks
  - Resource Constraints: Time, skill, or system limitations
  - Integration Problems: Tool or system integration failures

Environmental Issues:
  - System Configuration: OS or hardware-related problems
  - Network Connectivity: Internet or service connectivity issues
  - Authentication: Access and permission problems
  - Storage Issues: Disk space or file system problems
  - Security Concerns: Security-related restrictions or vulnerabilities

Severity Classification

# Issue Severity Levels

## Critical (P0) - Immediate Action Required
- Production systems down
- Security vulnerabilities exposed
- Data loss or corruption
- Complete workflow blockage
- **Response Time**: Immediate (< 1 hour)

## High (P1) - Urgent Resolution Needed
- Major functionality broken
- Deployment pipeline failed
- Significant performance degradation
- Multiple users affected
- **Response Time**: Same day (< 8 hours)

## Medium (P2) - Important but Not Urgent
- Minor functionality issues
- Workflow inefficiencies
- Single user affected
- Workarounds available
- **Response Time**: Within 3 days

## Low (P3) - Enhancement or Minor Issue
- Cosmetic issues
- Nice-to-have improvements
- Documentation gaps
- Process optimizations
- **Response Time**: Next sprint/iteration

Troubleshooting Methodology

Systematic Problem-Solving Process

# 7-Step Troubleshooting Process
1. Problem Identification
   - Gather detailed problem description
   - Reproduce the issue consistently
   - Document error messages and symptoms
   - Identify affected systems and users

2. Information Gathering
   - Collect relevant logs and error messages
   - Document system configuration
   - Identify recent changes or updates
   - Check related systems and dependencies

3. Hypothesis Formation
   - Brainstorm potential root causes
   - Prioritize hypotheses by likelihood
   - Consider multiple possible causes
   - Document assumptions and reasoning

4. Testing & Validation
   - Test each hypothesis systematically
   - Implement minimal test cases
   - Document test results
   - Eliminate confirmed non-causes

5. Solution Implementation
   - Implement the verified solution
   - Test solution thoroughly
   - Document implementation steps
   - Verify problem resolution

6. Verification & Monitoring
   - Confirm issue is fully resolved
   - Monitor for recurrence
   - Validate no new issues introduced
   - Update affected documentation

7. Documentation & Learning
   - Document problem and solution
   - Update troubleshooting guides
   - Share knowledge with team
   - Implement prevention measures

Common Issue Categories & Solutions

Development Environment Issues

# mdBook Build Failures
# Problem: mdBook build fails with unclear errors
# Solution: Check common causes

# 1. Check mdBook version
mdbook --version
# Update if needed: cargo install --force mdbook

# 2. Validate book.toml syntax
mdbook build --dry-run

# 3. Check for broken links
mdbook test

# 4. Verify file permissions
find src -name "*.md" -exec ls -la {} \;

# 5. Clean and rebuild
mdbook clean
mdbook build

# 6. Check for special characters in filenames
find src -name "*[^a-zA-Z0-9._-]*"

Git & GitHub Issues

# Git Authentication Problems
# Problem: Git operations fail with authentication errors
# Solution: Fix SSH/authentication setup

# 1. Test SSH connection
ssh -T git@github.com

# 2. Check SSH key
ls -la ~/.ssh/

# 3. Add SSH key if missing
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "email@example.com"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# 4. Update remote URL to use SSH
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:user/repo.git

# 5. Verify configuration
git config --list | grep user

GitHub Actions Failures

# Deployment Pipeline Debugging
# Problem: GitHub Actions workflow fails

# Common Solutions:
1. Check Workflow Syntax:
   - Validate YAML syntax
   - Check action versions
   - Verify required permissions

2. Debug Steps:
   - Add debug output to workflow
   - Check action logs in detail
   - Verify environment variables

3. Resource Issues:
   - Check runner resource limits
   - Verify storage availability
   - Monitor build timeouts

# Debug Action Example:
- name: Debug Information
  run: |
    echo "Runner OS: ${{ runner.os }}"
    echo "GitHub Event: ${{ github.event_name }}"
    echo "Branch: ${{ github.ref }}"
    echo "Working Directory:"
    pwd
    ls -la
    echo "Environment Variables:"
    env | sort

Performance Issues

# Slow Build Times
# Problem: mdBook builds are taking too long
# Solution: Optimize build process

# 1. Profile build time
time mdbook build

# 2. Check file sizes
du -sh src/
find src -name "*.png" -o -name "*.jpg" | xargs du -sh | sort -hr

# 3. Optimize images
# Install image optimization tools
brew install pngquant jpegoptim

# Compress images
find src -name "*.png" -exec pngquant --ext .png --force {} \;
find src -name "*.jpg" -exec jpegoptim --max=85 {} \;

# 4. Enable build caching
# Add caching to GitHub Actions workflow

# 5. Reduce unnecessary rebuilds
# Check for unnecessary file changes triggering rebuilds

macOS System Issues

# Development Tool Problems
# Problem: Homebrew or development tools not working

# 1. Update Homebrew
brew update
brew doctor

# 2. Fix common Homebrew issues
brew cleanup
brew autoremove

# 3. Reset command line tools
sudo xcode-select --reset
xcode-select --install

# 4. Check PATH configuration
echo $PATH
# Verify tools are in PATH

# 5. Reset shell configuration
source ~/.zshrc
# Or restart terminal

Diagnostic Tools & Commands

System Diagnostics

# macOS System Information
system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType
system_profiler SPHardwareDataType

# Disk Usage Analysis
df -h
du -sh ~/Projects/*

# Process Monitoring
top -o cpu
ps aux | grep mdbook

# Network Connectivity
ping google.com
curl -I https://github.com

# Memory Usage
vm_stat
memory_pressure

Development Tool Diagnostics

# Git Diagnostics
git config --list
git status
git log --oneline -5

# GitHub CLI Diagnostics
gh auth status
gh repo view

# mdBook Diagnostics
mdbook --version
mdbook build --dry-run

# Rust/Cargo Diagnostics
rustc --version
cargo --version

Issue Tracking & Documentation

Problem Documentation Template

# Issue Report Template

## Issue Summary
- **Title**: Brief, descriptive issue title
- **Date**: When the issue was discovered
- **Reporter**: Who discovered the issue
- **Severity**: Critical/High/Medium/Low
- **Status**: Open/In Progress/Resolved/Closed

## Problem Description
### Symptoms
- What exactly is happening?
- What error messages appear?
- When does the problem occur?

### Impact
- Who is affected?
- What functionality is broken?
- What's the business impact?

### Environment
- Operating System: macOS version
- Tools: Versions of affected tools
- Configuration: Relevant configuration details
- Recent Changes: What changed recently?

## Reproduction Steps
1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3
4. Issue occurs

## Expected vs. Actual Behavior
- **Expected**: What should happen
- **Actual**: What actually happens

## Investigation Notes
### Hypotheses Tested
- [ ] Hypothesis 1: Result
- [ ] Hypothesis 2: Result
- [ ] Hypothesis 3: Result

### Logs & Evidence

Relevant log entries Error messages Screenshots if applicable


## Solution
### Root Cause
Description of the underlying cause

### Fix Applied
Specific steps taken to resolve the issue

### Verification
How the fix was verified to work

## Prevention
### Preventive Measures
- Changes made to prevent recurrence
- Monitoring implemented
- Documentation updated
- Process improvements

### Follow-up Actions
- [ ] Action 1
- [ ] Action 2
- [ ] Action 3

Knowledge Base Development

Common Solutions Database

# Troubleshooting Knowledge Base Structure
common-issues/
├── build-failures/
│   ├── mdbook-build-errors.md
│   ├── github-actions-failures.md
│   └── dependency-conflicts.md
├── authentication/
│   ├── github-ssh-issues.md
│   ├── token-expiration.md
│   └── permissions-problems.md
├── performance/
│   ├── slow-builds.md
│   ├── large-files.md
│   └── memory-issues.md
└── environment/
    ├── macos-setup-issues.md
    ├── homebrew-problems.md
    └── tool-conflicts.md

Solution Validation Process

# Solution Validation Checklist

## Before Implementing Solution
- [ ] Problem clearly identified and documented
- [ ] Root cause analysis completed
- [ ] Solution tested in safe environment
- [ ] Impact assessment performed
- [ ] Rollback plan prepared

## During Implementation
- [ ] Changes implemented incrementally
- [ ] Progress monitored continuously
- [ ] Unexpected effects watched for
- [ ] Documentation updated in real-time

## After Implementation
- [ ] Problem resolution verified
- [ ] System functionality validated
- [ ] Performance impact assessed
- [ ] Solution documented for future reference
- [ ] Team notified of resolution

Escalation Procedures

When to Escalate

Escalation Triggers:
  Time-based:
    - Critical issues not resolved within 1 hour
    - High priority issues not resolved within 8 hours
    - Medium priority issues not resolved within 3 days

  Complexity-based:
    - Issue requires expertise not available on team
    - Problem affects multiple systems or teams
    - Security implications identified
    - Risk of data loss or system damage

  Resource-based:
    - Additional tools or access required
    - External vendor involvement needed
    - Budget approval required for solution
    - Management decision required

Escalation Contacts

# Escalation Matrix

## Internal Escalation
- **Technical Lead**: Complex technical issues
- **Project Manager**: Resource or timeline issues
- **Security Team**: Security-related problems
- **Management**: Business impact or policy issues

## External Escalation
- **Vendor Support**: Tool-specific issues
- **GitHub Support**: GitHub-specific problems
- **Community Forums**: Open source tool issues
- **Professional Services**: Complex integration issues

Continuous Improvement

Learning from Issues

# Post-Incident Review Process
1. Issue Resolution Review
   - What worked well in the resolution process?
   - What could have been done faster or better?
   - Were the right people involved at the right time?

2. Root Cause Analysis
   - Was the true root cause identified?
   - Could this issue have been prevented?
   - What systemic changes would prevent recurrence?

3. Process Improvement
   - What documentation needs updating?
   - What new tools or procedures are needed?
   - How can detection and response be improved?

4. Knowledge Sharing
   - What should the team learn from this issue?
   - How can this knowledge be shared effectively?
   - What training or documentation is needed?

Metrics & Monitoring

# Troubleshooting Metrics Collection
# Issue resolution time tracking
echo "Average resolution time: $(gh issue list --state closed --label bug --json closedAt,createdAt | jq '.[] | ((.closedAt | fromdateiso8601) - (.createdAt | fromdateiso8601)) / 3600' | paste -sd+ | bc) hours"

# Issue recurrence tracking
echo "Recurring issues: $(gh issue list --state all --label recurring | wc -l)"

# Knowledge base usage
echo "Knowledge base articles: $(find troubleshooting/ -name '*.md' | wc -l)"

Integration with Development Workflow

Preventive Measures

  • Code Reviews: Catch issues before they reach production
  • Automated Testing: Identify problems early in development
  • Documentation: Maintain accurate, up-to-date documentation
  • Monitoring: Proactive monitoring and alerting
  • Training: Regular team training on tools and processes

Workflow Integration

  • Issue Tracking: Integrate with GitHub Issues and project boards
  • Documentation: Maintain troubleshooting docs alongside project docs
  • Automation: Automate common diagnostic and resolution steps
  • Communication: Clear communication channels for issue reporting
  • Learning: Regular review and improvement of troubleshooting processes