I first look at the whole sourcecode itself, then at the database schema. I need to understand how it ticks. I escalate only if I find nothing obvious, but mos

I first look at the whole sourcecode itself, then at the database schema. I need to understand how it ticks. I escalate only if I find nothing obvious, but most issues are obvious once I have even a basic understanding of how it works. As you said with the loop, there are only so many ways to do things. With experience, you know them and their respective failure modes.