Printer troubleshooting flowchart
A troubleshooting flow for the most common helpdesk ticket. No math: each question leads to the next until it ends in a concrete action.
Walk through it
Step 1
Is the printer showing an error light?
The tree
The decision in plain words
Start with what the printer is showing, then follow the branch.
Embed this on your help site in walk mode and people answer one question at a time. The Team plan, coming soon, shows which steps they reach and where they give up, so you can fix the wording or the product.
The tree as text
# Flow tree (no payoffs): IT troubleshooting
Is the printer showing an error light? [decision]
Yes, a paper light
Reload the tray and clear any jam # open every door and check the rollers
Yes, a toner or ink light
Replace the cartridge
No lights at all
Is it plugged in and switched on? [decision]
No
Plug it in and power it on
Yes
Log a hardware fault with IT
No, it looks normal
Did the print job reach the queue? [decision]
No
Reinstall the printer driver
Yes, it's stuck
Cancel all jobs and restart the print spoolerRelated templates
- Launch a productLaunch nationally, pilot first, or hold? A decision tree with the expected value of each option, the best choice and the demand level where it flips.
- Build vs buy softwareBuild in-house or buy off the shelf? Compare the expected cost of each path, including overrun risk, and see which wins.
- Litigate or settleAccept the settlement or go to court? A decision tree with the expected value of trial versus settlement and the win probability where it flips.
Go deeper
- Support and troubleshooting flows — how people in this situation use DecisionBranch
- How to make a simple decision tree
- How to make a decision tree
- Expected value and decision trees
- Analysis calculator: paste this tree and see the working, step by step
Make this decision your own.
Open the template, change the options and numbers, and the best option updates as you type.