Making the cause understandable.
WHAT TO DECIDE FIRST
Whether they need the cause at all.
WHY
Many customers want the problem gone, not explained.
WHAT TO LEAD WITH
Whether it is fixed.
WHAT TO EXPLAIN
The cause, briefly, in ordinary terms.
WHAT MAKES AN EXPLANATION WORK
A comparison to something familiar No jargon No more detail than the decision requires
WHAT TO AVOID
Analogies that are wrong in ways that matter Explanations that are really excuses Detail intended to impress
WHY THAT LAST ONE BACKFIRES
It reads as obscuring rather than informing.
WHAT TO INCLUDE WHEN IT WAS YOUR FAULT
What happened What prevents recurrence
WHAT TO INCLUDE WHEN IT WAS THEIRS
What happened, without judgement How to avoid it
WHAT PHRASING TO USE
The plugin update changed something the site relied on, rather than a dependency conflict.
WHAT TO OFFER
More detail, if they want it.
WHY OFFER RATHER THAN GIVE
It respects their time and their expertise, either way.
WHAT TO CHECK
That they understood.
HOW
Ask whether anything is unclear, and mean it.
