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IT Jargon ExplainedProblem Management is an IT service management process tasked with managing the life cycle of underlying "Problems." The primary goal of Problem Management is to prevent incidents from occurring, and if incidents do occur, prevent them from occurring again. As IT service desk professionals, we want to deliver and support a service experience for our users that is nothing beyond extraordinary. We can manage incidents and restore service as quickly as possible using the incident management process but the ultimate goal is to have no incidents. So, I give you Problem Management to help you and your organization achieve these outcomes. The primary goal of Problem Management is to prevent incidents from occurring, and if incidents do occur, prevent them from occurring again. Can you imagine a Service Provider just reacting to incidents that continuously repeat themselves and are never truly resolved? Can you imagine a scenario like this, and it becomes "business as usual" to resolve the same incidents over and over and over? Over time the number of incidents will increase, the cost of managing incidents will increase, customer and user satisfaction will plummet, tne service desk's reputation will suffer, shadow IT initiatives will become the norm, and the collective result will be a detrimental impact on the ability to do business. Many organizations suffer needlessly because they don't have effective Problem Management process. Oftentimes, this is because IT teams confuse Problem Management with Incident Management and don't thoroughly understand its relationship to Change Management. While these processes work hand in hand, the goal of Problem Management is to support Incident Management by preventing incidents from happening in the first place—through the use of the Change Management process! As you read through the content in this guide, keep in mind the value to the business of doing what is essential for your organization, and doing it right by leveraging people, processes, technology, and suppliers to meet your objectives. Service excellence is a journey that never ends and must be continually practiced. And above all, when you begin seeing improvement in your overall service delivery, celebrate your successes! What is ITIL Problem Management?Problem Management is an IT service management process tasked with managing the life cycle of underlying "Problems." Success is achieved by quickly detecting and providing solutions or workarounds to Problems in order to minimize the impact on the organization and prevent a recurrence. Problem Management also attempts to find the error in the IT infrastructure that is causing the problem and contributing to the Incidents that users may have. The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) provides the following definitions for usage within this process:
Proactive vs. Reactive Problem ManagementProblem Management can be either reactive or proactive.
The Value of Problem Management to the BusinessThe Problem Management process works in conjunction with Incident and Change Management to provide value to the business in a variety of ways. The primary goal of Problem Management is to minimize the impact of Problems on the business and prevent recurrence. When successful, downtime and disruptions are reduced. Additional benefits include:
Adopting and implementing ITIL processes and technology will minimize the chaos that IT organizations can face amid the rapidly changing technology landscape. Although Problem Management is its own process, it is dependent on an effective Incident Management process and the proper tools; tools that include a common interface, access to available knowledge, configuration management information and interaction with other related ITIL processes. This ensures that Problems are identified, contain relevant details and are worked on as quickly as possible. ITIL does not provide organizations with an exact method of adopting Problem Management, rather a structured framework that requires adjustment to fit individual business needs and constraints. Regular adjustments to these internal ITIL processes will ultimately support agility, demonstrate business value and help organizations compete in their market space. Problem Management Process FlowHow does Problem Management work? ITIL Problem Management is about more than just resolving Incidents; it takes into account the entire life cycle of a Problem. The Problem Management life cycle process flow can be structured to manage Problems that are initially reported as Incidents by users or service desk technicians via a self-service portal, over the telephone, via email, in person or Potential Problems that are automatically detected by ITSM personnel or technology before any Incident occurs. The scope of the Problem Management process flow includes: 1) Problem DetectionProblems can be detected in a variety of ways, including as the result of an Incident report, ongoing Incident analysis, and automated detection by an event management tool, or supplier notification. A Problem is commonly detected when the cause of one or more Incidents reported to the service desk is unknown. It is possible that the service desk has resolved the Incident and it may occur again, but they are unsure of the underlying root cause and therefore create a Problem record. In other cases, it may be clear to the service desk that a reported Incident is associated to a Problem. This Problem may have already been recorded – Known Problem – and the Incident can be linked to the existing Problem record. If the Problem has not been recorded then a Problem record should be immediately created to help assure service performance. 2) Problem LoggingIn order to maintain a complete historical record, all Problems, regardless of method used to identify and report to the service desk, must by logged with all relevant details, including date/time, user information, description, related Configuration Item from the CMDB, associated Incidents, resolution details and closure information.
3) Investigation and DiagnosisAn investigation into the root cause of the Problem will take place based on the impact, severity and urgency of the Problem in question. Common investigation techniques include reviewing the Known Error Database (KEDB) in an effort to find matching Problems and resolutions and/or recreating the failure to determine the cause 4) WorkaroundIn some situations it is possible to provide a temporary fix or workaround to the user experiencing the Incident related to the Problem. However, it’s important to seek a permanent change resolution to the underlying error detected by Problem Management 5) Create Known Error RecordOnce the investigation and diagnosis is complete, it’s important to create a Known Error record. If future Incidents or Problems arise, the investigating service desk technician will identify and provide resolution more quickly using the known error database (KEDB) and associated workaround(s) 6) ResolutionOnce resolved, the solution can be implemented using the standard change procedure and tested to confirm service recovery. However, if a normal change was required, an associated Request For Change (RFC) will be raised and approved before a resolution is applied to the Problem 7) ClosureFollowing confirmation that the Error has been resolved, the Problem and any associated Incidents can be closed. The service desk technician should ensure that the initial classification details are accurate for future reference and reporting.
Inter-Related ITIL Processes: Incident and Change ManagementITIL processes interface with one another throughout the service delivery life cycle. Problem Management and Incident Management are closely related to Problem Management, but they are not one and the same. While both of these are processes are performed by the IT department, they each have different goals. Problem Management focuses on preventing or minimizing the impact of one or more Incidents by finding the root cause. Incident Management seeks to quickly resolve an Incident and restore service to users in a timely manner. Restoration of service in Incident Management does not necessarily mean the incident will not occur again. The majority of Problems will be triggered as a reaction to one or more Incidents, but in some situations, Problems are created when testers are testing a release, such as when using the Service Validation and Testing process or suppliers find faults in their products or services. Although Service Operation strives to achieve stability, there are instances where change is necessary. For this reason, Change Management is also closely related to Problem Management. Changes can be pre-approved or require approval; in either case, an RFC is created to document the needed change. A Request for Change (RFC) is oftentimes triggered during the Problem Management lifecycle if there is new, enhanced or upgraded hardware, software, processes or infrastructure required in order to resolve a problem. Other Key ITIL Process Relationships:
7 Deadly Sins of ITIL ImplementationsLearn how to move at digital speed—while upholding ITIL principlesProblem Management Roles and ResponsibilitiesWell defined roles and responsibilities are critical to the effective execution of a successful Problem Management process. The Problem Management team is made up of the following: 1) Problem ManagerA Problem Manager is a designated person who may or may not be responsible for other organizational roles. This owner of the Problem Management process is responsible for all aspects of its coordination, including:
Note: The Problem Manager and Incident Manager should not be he same person because of possible conflicts in execution focus. 2) Problem Solving TeamSolving Problems may be handled by internal technical support team members or external suppliers or vendors. In situations where a serious or major Problem occurs, the Problem Manager may formulate a dedicated Problem Management team that is made up of resources with specific expertise. Feature Checklist for Problem Management SoftwareFor IT organizations evaluating Problem Management software and/or IT service management suites that offer Problem Management capabilities, the following features are important, if not critical, for effectively supporting key processes. At a minimum, Problem Management software should enable administrators to:
*This content originally appeared on Cherwell.com, prior to the acquisition by Ivanti. Get StartedModernize your ITSM system to deliver more value Which of the following describes how well a system can scale up or adapt to the increased demands or growth?Thus, scalability describes your system's ability to adapt to change and demand.
What contains all of the details of an incident?An incident report should state all the essential information about the accident or near-miss. It should contain the following key elements to ensure that all facts and necessary details are complete and properly documented.
What refers to the safe disposal of MIS assets at the end of their lifecycle?Sustainable MIS Disposal—Refers to the safe disposal of MIS assets at the end of their life cycle.
What occurs when a system is continuously operational at all times?High availability (HA) is the ability of a system to operate continuously without failing for a designated period of time. HA works to ensure a system meets an agreed-upon operational performance level.
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