"Great, now this other thing is broken"

You fertilize your lawn, and the next day your roses are wilting.

You get new tires on your car, and then your “check engine” light comes on.

Are these things related?

If you don't know much about roses or auto mechanics, it can be hard to know.

Today I'm helping a client move their site from one hosting service to another. They're also having - just today - a major problem with inbound email not being received.

Fortunately for me, my client knows their systems and understands that these are two separate, unrelated things.

Unfortunately for my client, their large user base doesn't know that, and there's a good chance that their executive officers and board members will experience - and create - undue stress over the possible connection.

A few things worth noting here:

• Trust matters. My contact at this organization has a track record of understanding their systems well. In most cases he can simply say, "these are two separate systems, and we're already working to get the email problem solved," and his stakeholders will be able to leave him alone to get it working again.

• Correlation is not causation. It's a clue, it's evidence, but it's only that. The mere fact that some trouble follows some action doesn't mean the action was harmful, or that it should be suspended or reversed. But it's worth investigating a possible connection.

• Expertise helps. Asking an experienced mechanic, gardner, or systems administrator can go a long way in directing your investigation and saving massive amounts of stress and wasted effort.

• Focus on a solution. Regardless of the stress that such troubles can cause, the real value comes in staying focused on a solution. Identify the problem, and then work towards resolution. That may include identifying the ultimate cause - in order to prevent recurrence - but that can also come later, after the fire has been put out.

All the best,
A.