Qualification
Unit number and title
Level 3 Diploma in ICT Professional
Competence
Unit – 311: Technical Fault Diagnosis
Learner name
Assessor name
Jake Barnell
Date issued
Hand in deadline
Submitted on
Learning
Outcomes
1. Understand the processes, methods and information that are used in the diagnostic process
2. Be able to diagnose faults with a wide range of causes
3. Be able to select remedies for non-routine faults
4. Be able to maintain diagnosis and remedy records
Learning
Outcome
LO 1.1
LO 1.2
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that
the learner is able to:
The learner can:
1. Describe the steps of the diagnostic process
including:
• fault validation
• information gathering
• information analysis
 solution
Describe the types of diagnostic information that are
commonly needed:
• problem description
• problem history
• problem location
• technical information on a specified range of
products including the system under
investigation
Evidence
Portfolio
Portfolio
Portfolio
LO 1.3
Explain the following diagnostic methods and give
examples of their appropriate use:
• substitution
• replication
• performance and functional testing
•
environment change
Explain how the following considerations can affect
fault diagnosis.
• minimisation of service disruption during
diagnostics
• individual responsibility and authority
• escalation procedure
• service level agreements
Portfolio
LO 1.5
Interpret detailed technical information on a range of
products
Portfolio
Portfolio
LO 2.1
The learner can:
Select and correctly use appropriate diagnostic tools to
carry out non-routine diagnosis
LO 1.4
Portfolio
LO 2.2
Select and use given sources of diagnostic and other
technical information
LO 2.3
Identify and interpret relevant information to support
the diagnosis
LO 2.4
Analyse information to diagnose faults with a wide
range of causes, using at least three of the following
approaches:
• trend analysis
• what-if scenarios
• gap analysis
• identification of cause and effect
• flow charts
Portfolio
Portfolio
Portfolio
LO 2.5
Describe possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of
diagnosed faults
LO 3.1
Select a suitable remedy to rectify identified faults
taking into account the following:
• business or service impact
• resource and skill availability
• ease of implementation
• cost effectiveness
• performance
• compatibility
• time
• permanence
Portfolio
Portfolio
LO 3.2
LO 4.1
Identify possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of
diagnosed faults
Portfolio
Accurately document the diagnosis activities
undertaken including:
• fault description
• supporting information
• diagnostic tools etc used
• cause of fault
• remedy selected
Learner declaration
I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. I have clearly referenced any
sources used in the work. I understand that false declaration is a form of malpractice.
Learner signature:
Date:
Assignment brief
Assignment title
Technical Fault Diagnosis Portfolio
Purpose of this assignment
This unit is about the ability to apply processes and techniques designed to diagnose the
causes of faults within a technical context. In most situations this will be followed by the
identification of an appropriate remedy for the identified fault (see Technical Fault Remedy
Selection AOC).
Faults in the context of IT and telecoms, normally relate to the failure of a system or
equipment to act according to normal operating specifications.
Faults can be manifested as complete or intermittent failures to operate; erratic or irregular
operation; or operation below specified capacity.
Scenario
You are the newest member of the Network Helpdesk team at WCC. Your manager wants to
put you through your paces and has set you several tasks, the results of which he will use to
gauge your readiness for the post and identify any areas that require training.
The work you produce and practical tasks you undertake will also provide you with invaluable
resources and experience for your use and development throughout your IT career.
Task 1
Produce a training manual explaining and demonstrating the importance of:
the steps of the diagnostic process including:
o fault validation
o information gathering
o information analysis
o solution identification

the types of diagnostic information that are commonly needed:
o problem description
o problem history
o problem location
o technical information on a specified range of products including the system
under investigation

Explain the following diagnostic methods and give examples of their appropriate use:
o substitution
o replication
o performance and functional testing
o environment change

Explain how the following considerations can affect fault diagnosis.
o minimisation of service disruption during diagnostics
o individual responsibility and authority
o escalation procedure
o service level agreements
The manual should be created in Word, contain appropriate screenshots or images as
examples and laid out in such a way as to be appropriate for a technical document.
This task covers LO1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4
Due: 14th November
Task 2
You have been asked to carry out basic repairs on a computer system but before you begin
you must be able to:

Interpret detailed technical information on a range of products
Once you have done this you must show that you are able to:

Select and correctly use appropriate diagnostic tools to carry out non-routine
diagnosis

Select and use given sources of diagnostic and other technical information

Identify and interpret relevant information to support the diagnosis

Analyse information to diagnose faults with a wide range of causes, using at least
three of the following approaches:
o trend analysis
o what-if scenarios
o gap analysis
o identification of cause and effect
o flow charts
Document your repair ensuring that you:

Accurately document the diagnosis activities undertaken including:
o fault description
o supporting information
o diagnostic tools etc used
o cause of fault
o remedy selected
This task covers LO1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 4.1
Evidence will be gathered by witness statement and video for the practical aspects and as
fault repair logs with regard to the written aspects
Due 5th December
Task 3
Once the repair is complete you must then produce a report:

Describing possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of diagnosed faults
And then in your report:

Select a suitable remedy to rectify identified faults taking into account the following:
o business or service impact
o resource and skill availability
o ease of implementation
o cost effectiveness
o performance
o compatibility
o time
o permanence

Identify possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of diagnosed faults
This tasks covers LO 2.5, LO 3.1, LO 3.2
Due 30th January
Evidence checklist
Describe the steps of the diagnostic process including:

fault validation

information gathering

information analysis

solution identification
Describe the types of diagnostic information that are commonly needed:
• problem description
• problem history
• problem location
• technical information on a specified range of products including the system
under investigation
Explain the following diagnostic methods and give examples of their appropriate
use:
• substitution
• replication
• performance and functional testing
• environment change
Explain how the following considerations can affect fault diagnosis.
• minimisation of service disruption during diagnostics
• individual responsibility and authority
• escalation procedure
• service level agreements
Interpret detailed technical information on a range of products
Select and correctly use appropriate diagnostic tools to carry out non-routine
diagnosis
Select and use given sources of diagnostic and other technical information
Identify and interpret relevant information to support the diagnosis
Analyse information to diagnose faults with a wide range of causes, using at least
three of the following approaches:
• trend analysis
• what-if scenarios
• gap analysis
• identification of cause and effect
• flow charts
Describe possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of diagnosed faults
Select a suitable remedy to rectify identified faults taking into account the
following:
• business or service impact
• resource and skill availability
• ease of implementation
• cost effectiveness
• performance
• compatibility
• time
• permanence
Identify possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of diagnosed faults
Accurately document the diagnosis activities undertaken including:
• fault description
• supporting information
• diagnostic tools etc used
• cause of fault
• remedy selected
Assessor's comments
Qualification
Unit number and
title
Level 3 Diploma in ICT
Professional Competence
Unit – 311: Technical Fault
Diagnosis
Assessor
name
Learner
name
Jake Barnell
Criteria
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the learner is
reference able to:
Describe the steps of the diagnostic process including:
• fault validation
• information gathering
LO 1.1
• information analysis
• solution identification
LO 1.2
LO 1.3
LO 1.4
LO 1.5
LO 2.1
LO 2.2
LO 2.3
LO 2.4
Describe the types of diagnostic information that are commonly
needed:
• problem description
• problem history
• problem location
• technical information on a specified range of products
including the system under investigation
Explain the following diagnostic methods and give examples of their
appropriate use:
• substitution
• replication
• performance and functional testing
• environment change
Explain how the following considerations can affect fault diagnosis.
• minimisation of service disruption during diagnostics
• individual responsibility and authority
• escalation procedure
• service level agreements
Interpret detailed technical information on a range of products
Select and correctly use appropriate diagnostic tools to carry out nonroutine diagnosis
Select and use given sources of diagnostic and other technical
information
Identify and interpret relevant information to support the diagnosis
Analyse information to diagnose faults with a wide range of causes,
using at least three of the following approaches:
• trend analysis
• what-if scenarios
Achieved?
•
•
•
gap analysis
identification of cause and effect
flow charts
LO 2.5
Describe possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of diagnosed faults
LO 3.1
Select a suitable remedy to rectify identified faults taking into
account the following:
• business or service impact
• resource and skill availability
• ease of implementation
• cost effectiveness
• performance
• compatibility
• time
• permanence
LO 3.2
Identify possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of diagnosed faults
LO 4.1
Accurately document the diagnosis activities undertaken including:
• fault description
• supporting information
• diagnostic tools etc used
• cause of fault
• remedy selected
Learner feedback
Assessor feedback
Assessor signature
Date
Learner signature
Date
UNIT 311
Training manual
Date: 26-09-2014
Student Name: Josh Gibson
Tutor Name: Jake
Terms of Reference
Table of Content
1. Introduction
2. Fault Validation
2.1 Gathering information from the user
2.2 Gathering information from the PC
3. Information Analysis
4. Effect of fault diagnosis
4.1 Minimisation of service disruption during diagnostics
4.2 Individual responsibility and authority
4.3 Escalation procedure
4.4 Service level agreements
5. Solution
1. Introduction
This report is on a manual of diagnosing a PC and also working out
what the problem is and to act on the problem to see if you can fix
it or replace it.
2. Fault Validation & information gathering
2.1 Gathering information from the user
If you work in a repair shop or just a technician you should just ask
the user “what is the problem” instead of asking leading questions
and putting ideas in their heads, let them tell you what they seen or
smelled or heard, gather up as much information as you can from the
user even if there not telling the truth and they could be trying to
hide what actually went wrong as it could have been there fault.
when you have gather up information from the user you can now ask
the user leading questions by just going straight to the point of the
problems they described to you also ask them questions like did they
see any error messages if so did they see what it said if not Microsoft
have an error log that you may be able to check what the error
message was also ask them did they heard a noise or smelled
anything you can ask them what type of noise on it was it a bang,
pop, grinding noise. Also you should ask about has the PC had any
previous problems in the past if so you should be able to ask them
what that problem was and you can just check it to see if that
problem might of reoccurred, you should also ask them have you
moved the PC recently as it might be an issue with problem location
as it might of changed location and it might have a different climate
it might be hotter or colder and the PC might not like that and thinks
will stop working either but overheating and by that with your own
knowledge or online research you should be able to diagnose the
problem.
2.2 Gathering information from the PC
After gathering information from the user you can now focus on the
PC you can check the Microsoft error logs to find out what errors
appeared on the screen that the user might have missed, you could
also note down any physical damage on the pc or on the compounds
inside. You could use a test bed where you would substitute parts for
parts you know are reliable for the ones which might not be to test
them to see if there working and then you could work out what
might be the problem.
Picture of a Microsoft error log
3. Information Analysis
After you have gather up all the information you could from the user
and PC you will need to work out what is the problem by the
information you have gathered up from the pc and the user. You will
need to analysis the data you gathered up you will need to think out
the information you have and try a think of a solution to the
problem.
4. Effect of fault diagnosis
4.1 minimisation of service disruption during diagnostics
When working on any PC you want to do it as quick as you can so the
customer isn’t waiting too long and it’s not wasting any of your time
so you should minimise the downtime to as short as you can and if
you work in office you might want to fixed it after all the people have
gone home for a few reason there is no one there to distract you and
no noise so you can concentrate on the problem in hand.
4.2 Individual responsibility and authority
If you work in an office building you will be personal responsible for
the PC’s in the office because if they break you have to try and fix it
or replacing PC’s if they can’t be fixed also do you have to authority
to take the PC off the office worker but you will have to find a
replace the PC either with a laptop you might have or if there is a
spare PC. In a repair shop you are also personal responsible to fix the
customers PC as they come to you and pay you to fix it if any things
was to happen to that PC in your care for example if it was stolen you
will probably have to replace as you were responsible for that PC.
Authority is are you allowed to even touch the PC in an office it
might be in your contract and as a technician you might have the
authority but an office won’t but if you work in a repair shop the
customer will give you the authority as they have come to you to fix
it.
4.3 Escalation procedure
An Escalation procedure is a set of instructions that are activated
when a certain event happens and this is will might be when in a
technician might not be able to fix a certain piece of hardware and
will have to send it back to the company who made it to be fixed.
4.4 Service level agreements
Is a contract between you and maybe your employer or a customer
where you will both sign it and it will basically cover you from any
problems that might occur after you fixed the PC and you have to
write down on that contract everything you have done to the PC so if
the user blames you for any problems you can just say I wrote
everything I did on the service level agreement and that you cannot
blame me for a new problem that might of occurred on the PC and if
it’s a customer they might just want their money back which is
basically letting you fixing there computer for free. So the service
level agreement will cover you for any future problems that PC might
have after you fixed it.
5. Solution
When you have gathered the information and then analysis it and
you know what the problem is then you need to find out a solution
for it you could use the replication method to find a solution if you
know what the problem is try and replicate it and you will find out
how it was done you find out how to fix it but also you could know
the solution already but if you don’t there is always the internet if
you don’t know the solution there is always tech websites on the
internet but don’t trust random people on the internet make sure
you go to website with actually technicians that will help you, if you
go to this website you will be able to chat with a tech support
employee they will be able to answer any questions you have or help
you find a solution to the problem you have
http://www.geeksquad.com/chat-with-an-agent/ . there are a few
methods to find solutions to problem you may have also you can use
a test bed to test parts but you run performance and functional
testing to see what is running as it should and what isn’t and When
you have found the solution you will have to act on the solution you
have found and fix the PC.