What are the symptoms of the problem?

When starting to describe a problem, the most obvious question is What is the problem? This might seem like a straightforward question; however, you can break it down into several more-focused questions that create a more descriptive picture of the problem.

These questions can include:
  • Who, or what, is reporting the problem?
  • What are the error codes and messages?
  • How does the system fail? For example, is it a loop, hang, crash, performance degradation, or incorrect result?
  • What is the business impact of the problem?