Know When and How to do Research
Highly Effective Work Habits: Know When and How to do Research
I can’t imagine too many jobs out there where you haven’t had to do a little research from time to time. But, how effective are you at it? Do you stumble around trying to find the answers but don’t have the patience, don’t know where to look, or don’t know who to ask? I’d like to lay down some basic steps to doing proper research.
First, when you encounter a problem that you don’t have the answer for, there are some things you can do before asking someone for help. If you lean on people too much as a crutch, you’ll be lost when they are not around. In addition, not going directly to someone first will result in better data retention (you learn better) and you won’t waste their time (they’ve got a lot going on as well). There are several sources you can go to for information:
- Google should normally be your first stop. I find most of my answers by doing a Google search. I don’t typically use any other search engines because . . . well . . . why waste your time? If you can’t find it on Google, other search engines probably won’t help you much.
- Your company’s knowledge base (if you have one). This can take the form of a database, document repository (like network folders or software), Wiki, or portal.
- Search use groups. Find a few groups on the Internet that involve your topic area and search for similar issues. If you can’t find what you are looking for, ask a question. This is a not a guarantee you’ll get an answer. I’ve posted things before that never got a single response. So, don’t rely on this method 100%.
- Search blogs. Again, find a few blogs that are related to your topic and see if you can find your answer.
- Books. I would use this as a last resort. It can be very difficult to find what you are looking for in a book. 15 years ago, this would have been the preferred method. But, with the advances of online information, this is becoming more archaic.
The key is to not spend too much time looking up the information yourself. If you are on a deadline or have lots of other tasks on your plate, this can be a time sinkhole. Spend an appropriate amount of time based upon your workload and then ask for help. I’m not saying that your peers are not a good source of information. They can be a great source of information. But, as I stated above, you normally don’t want to start with them because you should spend some time figuring out the answers yourself first. Someone who can resolve problems independently is always preferred over those who can’t.
I’ll likely return to this topic from time to time with specific troubleshooting and issue resolution strategies. For now, these are some guidelines to keep in mind. Happy hunting!
