creating decision tree based troubleshooting documentation?

We troubleshoot a lot of server and network issues and follow a loose set of steps on what to do in different cases. With more and more people and responsibility, the need for standardization is needed so we don't miss something.

I know I could accomplish what I want using flowcharts, but I'd like to do something similar to a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style. I think this is pretty much the same as what support call centers seem to do.

Are there any tools to make creating such documentation easier? I'm looking for a web based approach if possible.

Solution 1:

For web based "Choose Your Own Adventure" style documentation it is hard to beat a wiki.

It is easy to have a page that looks like:

DHCP issues

Run ipconfig [help running ipconfig] and note the assigned IP address. If the IP address starts with:

• 169.254 see [diagnosing dhcp failures]
• 192.168 see [tracking down and reporting a rogue dhcp server]
• 10.100.3 see [quarantined users]

If their IP address starts with x.x.x they are not having a DHCP issue, continue troubleshooting under [connectivity issues]

This sort of thing is great especially when the troubleshooting isn't necessarily linear.

Solution 2:

Decision Trees look at lot like mindmaps. Freemind is a great tool for creating mind maps very quickly, and the maps can be easily exported to the web.