gstack-investigate

Structured issue diagnosis involves defining symptoms precisely, forming rankable hypotheses, and designing experiments with falsifiable predictions. Hypothesis testing evaluates these predictions to systematically identify root causes when information is incomplete.

To diagnose a vague system issue, define the exact symptoms, form multiple hypotheses ranked by probability and cost, and design experiments to test each one. This structured approach systematically isolates the root cause without exhaustive guessing.

Use structured investigation for system debugging when users report recurring symptoms or vague issues like "something is off" without a clear cause. It is specifically designed for scenarios requiring a systematic approach to diagnosis with incomplete information.

The best way to document issue diagnosis is to record the precise symptoms, the confirmed root cause, and an explanation of why the root cause was not initially obvious. This documentation prevents future reinvestigation of the same recurring issue.

Yes, you can use hypothesis testing without prior system logs. The process guides you through precise symptom definition and experiment design, allowing you to systematically generate and falsify predictions to find the root cause.