A Humorous Guide To Help You Build Your Knowledge
If you've ever worked in tech, engineering, IT, BMS, or anything involving buttons that do mysterious things, you’ve probably heard the legendary acronym RTFM.
Officially, it means “Read The Fine Manual.”
Unofficially… well… we’ve all heard the spicy versions. 🔥
But behind the jokes, memes, and exhausted sighs from senior engineers, there’s actually a brilliant reason why “RTFM” is a sacred phrase passed down from one generation of technical wizards to the next.
Here’s the fun guide to why RTFM isn’t an insult…
…it’s actually a superpower. 😎
Smart Moves: Why RTFM Is Your First Step to Success
At Forest Rock Technical Support, we do everything we can to help our partners and their engineers. We share what we’ve learned not to sound clever, but so you don’t have to repeat the same “character‑building experiences” we had getting there.
But here’s the honest truth:
A surprising number of calls and emails we get… didn’t actually need us.
And no, it’s not because we’re mystical machine whisperers or hardware psychics.
We just have one very unglamorous habit:
We read the official manufacturers documentation.
Every time a call comes in, we listen, we nod, we make the appropriate “hmm” noises, and then we open the manual for the device in question and look for the facts.
That’s it.
That’s the magic trick.
And yes, we still get things wrong sometimes. That’s normal. Every challenge teaches us something new. And when we capture those lessons, add the solution to our knowledge base, and build a library of solid, fact‑checked guidance, it means the next person gets the answer without the struggle.
It’s not wizardry.
It’s not genius.
It’s practical engineering hygiene.
If you want to be “that person” at your company, the one who always has the answer, always looks like they know exactly what’s going on, and somehow fixes problems in minutes…
Step one is incredibly simple:
RTFM. (Read The Fine Manual. Really. It works.)
Why Technicians Skip Reading The Manuals (and Why That’s Risky)
Let’s be honest: Nobody thinks reading the manual is a bad idea. So why do so many of us skip it?
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It feels faster to call someone
We tell ourselves we’re “saving time” by asking someone who already knows the answer.
In reality, we’re just shifting that time onto someone else and often end up waiting longer for a response than it would have taken to perhaps look it up in the first place. -
We trust our distributors experience.
Here’s the reality: Many partners today don’t have senior engineers with decades of experience.
A lot of those seasoned professionals have retired, and the new generation is stepping into a world that’s far more complex than it was 20 years ago. Modern building systems aren’t just mechanical, they’re layered with advanced protocols, smart devices, and integrated networks. What worked as “common sense” in the past doesn’t always apply now. -
We assume it’s obvious and our supplier is bound to know the answer
Labels, diagrams, and previous jobs that feel very similar, can sometimes make us feel confident enough to skip reading the latest manual. But manufacturers change specs, firmware updates alter behaviour, and assumptions can lead to expensive mistakes. Skipping the manual isn’t just a time gamble, it’s a risk to your reputation as an IoT specialist. -
When the manufacturer goes out of their way to make our lives easier
Sometimes manufacturers actually make our lives easier. Labels, wiring diagrams printed right on the cover, equipment that’s laid out in a way that’s hard to screw up. They want us to succeed without getting elbow deep in the documentation. When it’s obvious, cracking the manual open really would be a waste of our time.
What If We Don’t Know…
Here’s our promise: If the answer isn’t in the manual, we’ll do our best to speak directly with the manufacturer and get the right information for you. Our goal is to make sure you have the facts you need to make smart decisions.
Stacking The Odds - The Gamble Of Skimming The Manual
When Is It Worth Skipping the Manual?
Sometimes the stakes aren’t that high. If being wrong only means swapping a couple of wires or hitting a reset button, that’s a two-minute fix. You’re not gambling the house, you’re tossing a chip on the table.
But when the stakes are high? That’s when it pays to think about the odds. Here’s a simple way to decide whether reading the manual before visiting site was a safe bet or not:
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How long would it take to read the manual?
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How long would it take to fix the mistake if you’re wrong?
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How confident are you that you’re right?
Now, here’s the shortcut:
Take the time to read the manual and divide it by the time it would take to fix the mistake.
Subtract that number from 1. That gives you the minimum confidence level you need for skipping the manual to make sense.
Example 1: High Stakes
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Skimming the manual: 10 minutes
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Fixing a mistake: 2 hours (120 minutes)
Calculation:
10 ÷ 120 = 0.083
1 – 0.083 = 0.917 (91.7%)
You’d need to be almost 92% sure you’re right to skip the manual.
Unless you’re absolutely certain, read the manual.
Example 2: Low Stakes
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Skimming the manual: 10 minutes
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Fixing a mistake: 20 minutes
Calculation:
10 ÷ 20 = 0.5
1 – 0.5 = 0.5 (50%)
You only need to be about 50% confident this time.
If you’ve seen this exact setup a dozen times, maybe that’s a bet worth making.
Bottom line: The bigger the cost of being wrong, the more sense it makes to spend a few more minutes reading the manual.
A classic phrase that captures the idea of being well-prepared before visiting a site is:
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
This is Often attributed to Benjamin Franklin.
It’s widely used in engineering, project management, and technical support contexts because it emphasises that preparation directly impacts the level of success.
Quick Reality Checks Before You Skip the Manual
You don’t need to run the maths calculation every time. Most days, a few simple rules of thumb will tell you whether it’s worth cracking out the manual:
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If there’s even the slightest chance of damaging equipment, read the manual.
Replacement costs wipe out any time you think you’re saving by not reading the manual. -
Once you let the magic smoke out, you can’t put it back in.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling of explaining to the boss that you cant get the smoke back into the controller and now its not working? We’ve all been there, so if in doubt, read the manual. -
If a mistake means losing your lunch break, read the manual.
Odds are you don’t have the margin for error. -
If it’s your first time with this gear, read the manual.
Assume you’re less confident than you think. -
If you’ve done it a dozen times and the worst-case is a quick fix, trust your experience.
That’s when skipping the manual might make perfect sense.
The real skill isn’t avoiding manuals altogether, it’s knowing when to lean on experience and when to back it up with the manufacturer’s word. The more you read over time, the smarter your bets become.
Don’t Be the Hero, Be the Pro
The hero is the one who skips the manual, makes the wild call, and hopes they’re right.
Sometimes they look brilliant, but when they’re wrong, the fallout is costly.
The pro, on the other hand, doesn’t gamble recklessly. They know when their experience is enough to move quickly, and when it’s time to slow down, crack out the manual, and lock in certainty.
Over time, that balance is what separates the consistent winners from the lucky gambles.