IntermediateTECHNICAL
A critical application is intermittently failing for a subset of users after a recent update. Explain the step-by-step technical troubleshooting approach you would take (tools, logs, hypotheses, and how you would isolate root cause).
IT graduate trainee
General

Sample Answer

When I saw intermittent failures for about 8% of users after a deploy, I treated it like an experiment. First I gathered metrics: error rates by region, OS, browser, and versions using Grafana and Splunk, and reproduced the issue in a staging mirror that matched the failing cohort. I checked app logs (structured JSON), server traces, and recent git diffs to form hypotheses: client-side regression, race condition, or a config mismatch. I added targeted logging and feature flags to narrow scope, ran chrome devtools and network captures for client issues, and used strace and perf on servers for resource anomalies. Within 48 hours we identified a race in init order affecting users on older browsers, rolled back the offending change, patched the init sequence, and cut failures from 8% to <0.5%.

Related Keywords

Gather metrics and logs first (Grafana, Splunk).Reproduce in staging and form testable hypotheses.Use targeted logging, feature flags, and rollback to isolate and fix.
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Question Details
DifficultyIntermediate
CategoryTECHNICAL
RoleIT graduate trainee
IndustryGeneral

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