How to Get to the End of a Problem

You have to just say, what's the cost of this problem? What is it holding? What would it cost if i just do it in a different way when i'm not going to run into this particular problem thol sort of thing. And always choose the shortest path, or at least as far as you can without taking short cuts and doing dumb stuff. You want to start asking the basic questions that the columbo or anybody else would ask. I get in there and gumps you a little bit and just saywho what? Isn't working? Ok? How do i know that it's not working? Because i get this era message?"