GEARS – The Systematic Approach to
Defining, Diagnosing and Solving Problems
1. Gather Information
• Information reported by the customer
• Information observed by you
• Establish the what, where and when of the issue
2. Evaluate Potential Causes
• Consider possible causes of the problem to develop a hypothesis
• Narrow down the focus of the problem
3. Assess Performance
• Ensure you have all the necessary tools for testing
• Test all potential causes of the failure
• Reevaluate and create a new hypothesis if necessary
4. Repair
• Return the unit to service by repairing, rebuilding or replacing
5. Solution Confirmation
• Did the issue go away
• Was the root cause of the issue correctly repaired
• Are there any other new symptoms
Troubleshooting: GEARS – The Systematic Approach to
Defining, Diagnosing and Solving Problems
Page 3–2 4520P
09.40003Rev 00
To Next Page
