Systematic Debugging

When you face a bug or a test failure, do not guess. Random fixes waste time and often create new problems. The core rule is simple. Find the root cause before you try any fix.

This process has four phases. First, investigate the root cause. Read error messages carefully. Reproduce the problem. Check recent changes. Trace data flow. Second, analyze patterns by comparing working and broken code. Third, apply the fix only after understanding the real source. Fourth, verify the fix works.

Follow each phase in order. Do not skip. Even simple bugs have root causes. This method saves time and prevents rework. It works for any technical issue from test failures to production bugs.