In IT service management, the term “problem” is often misunderstood. According to ITIL®4, a problem is defined as:
“A cause, or potential cause, of one or more incidents.”
And an incident? That’s:
“An unplanned interruption to a service or reduction in the quality of a service.”
But simply knowing these definitions isn’t enough. To build a truly effective problem management practice, organizations must go deeper—defining what a problem means in their context and how to manage it proactively.
🔍 What Really Is a Problem?
While recurring incidents may suggest a problem, frequency alone isn’t a sufficient indicator. So, a problem might be:
- hidden issue with potential financial impact
- A reputational risk that could damage brand trust
- security vulnerability that hasn’t yet caused an incident
Key takeaway: A problem is about impact and risk, not just repetition.
🧭 Defining Problem Criteria for Your Organization
Building on this understanding to manage problems effectively, you need a shared definition. To move forward, you need to ask:
- What level of risk or impact justifies investigation?
- Are certain services or processes more critical?
- How do we prioritize problems that haven’t yet caused visible issues?
✅ Tip: Align IT and business leadership on this definition to ensure consistency and buy-in.
🛠️ The Three Phases
1. Problem Identification
Initially, problems are identified and logged from sources such as:
- Incident trend analysis
- Major incident reviews
- User feedback or monitoring tools
2. Problem Control
Once identified, the next step is to dig deeper into the facts:
- Root cause analysis is performed
- Known errors are documented
- Workarounds are developed and shared
3. Error Control
Finally, progress is made toward a more acceptable situation:
- Potential solutions are evaluated
- Viable fixes are submitted as change requests
🔄 Reactive vs. Proactive
In contrast to reactive approaches, proactive problem management aims to prevent issues before they occur.
| Approach | Description |
|---|---|
| Reactive | Investigates past incidents to find root causes |
| Proactive | Identifies and addresses potential issues before they cause incidents |
Start with reactive to build skills and demonstrate value. Then evolve into proactive practices to reduce incident volume and improve service reliability.
🔎 Where to Look for Problems
- 📈 Incident trends (e.g., spikes in volume or recurring categories)
- 🚨 Major incident post-mortems
- 🔁 Failed changes or deployments
- 📚 High usage of specific knowledge articles
- 🐞 Vendor release notes with known bugs
- 🏢 Business process failures outside of IT
📘 Valuable Outputs from Problem Management
Effective problem management produces:
- ✅ Proposed fixes or solutions
- 🧠 Known error records
- 🔄 Workarounds to reduce incident impact
- 📚 Knowledge articles that support faster resolution and learning
However, this needs careful planning and coordination; you don’t want people spending all their time on bureacracy.
🌟 The Broader Value of Problem Management
Using the techniques and thoughts above, Problem Management can deliver more than just fixes:
- Organizational learning: Understand how systems and services interact
- Continuous improvement: Enhance processes, outcomes, and efficiency
- Capability growth: Build analytical and decision-making skills
- Confidence: Empower teams to face challenges with clarity and resilience
🧠 Final Thoughts
In summary, a problem is about impact and risk – not just repetition.
Problem management is not just a technical process—it’s a strategic enabler. By clearly defining what a problem is and applying both reactive and proactive approaches, organizations can reduce risk, improve service quality, and build long-term resilience.
Ultimately, in today’s fast-paced digital world, effective problem management isn’t just a best practice—it’s a strategic enabler.
