At some point you will have done your analysis, found the root of the performance problem, presented your results, and now it is time to figure out how to fix the problem. Like there are many paths to the top of a mountain, there are often many possible solutions to a given problem.

I’ve watched quite a few meetings spin out of control when the group started open discussion on how to fix the problem. Participants become confused as they sort through the myriad of possible solutions, while adding new ones on the fly.

When looking at the options for solving a problem a good first cut is to ask if any of them violate:

- The laws of nature: Nothing can run more than 100% busy

- The laws of man: Sarbanes–Oxley requirements

- Corporate edicts: No new hardware this year

- Common sense: We can’t do that in the time allowed

Cost is a hard criteria to discuss in a group given the complexities of corporate budgeting, the fact that most employees have no idea what specific bits of hardware costs and “cost” itself can be defined in many ways – lease vs. buy, purchase price vs. total cost of ownership, etc.

If you find a couple of solutions that work, the best approach is to do the cost analysis outside the group and then reconvene to consider them.

There is an interesting book called The Paradox of Choice by Schwartz that points out that the typical human response to too many choices is to make no choice at all.

If you offer people three types of jelly to sample, some of them will go on to actually buy some jelly. If you offer those same people 30 types of jelly to sample far fewer of them will choose to buy any jelly at all. More choices often cause people to believe that it is unlikely that they will pick the right, or best, choice. So, they often can’t make a choice.

When presenting my ideas on how to fix a problem, I like to offer people two choices that are clearly named and differentiated. If other choices pop up over the course of the discussion, that is fine. Ask if the new choice is better than either of the two you are currently discussing. If so, swap the new choice in. If not, discard the new choice. Keep the choices clearly labeled and make sure the group is never comparing more than two choices simultaneously.

Bob Wescott is the author of “The Every Computer Performance Book”.

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More information on this, and many other useful ideas, can be found in Wescott's book:

The Every Computer Performance Book

Bob Wescott, Author of "The Every Computer Performance Book" Joins the BSM Blog