Just got some hard feedback on my diagnostic notes

A senior tech I respect looked at my work order for a tricky laptop power issue and said my notes were 'just symptoms, not a story.' He meant I wrote 'won't turn on' but didn't link the new SSD install from two days before. Now I force myself to write a short timeline for every device, even if it seems obvious. It's saved me from missing the cause at least twice this month. How do you guys structure your notes to keep them useful?

2 comments

2 Comments

dianab6812d ago

Hot take: Timeline is everything. My old boss drilled this into me. Every note starts with "Customer reports..." and then I write what they said in their words. Then I add my own findings in order. It feels slow but saves so much time later. What does your timeline template look like?

michaelnguyen12d ago

My old mentor Frank had a rule. He said every repair note should answer "what changed before it broke." I used to just list what was wrong. Now my first line is always "Working until [date] when [event]." Like last week, a printer stopped after a office move. I wrote "Working until Tuesday when relocated to new cubicle." Found a bent pin in the port.