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Problem Management

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • What a problem is and how it’s different from an incident
  • What root cause, workaround, and known error mean
  • The states a problem moves through

1 Stop fighting the same fire

Every Monday, the printer on floor 3 jams. Every Monday, someone logs an incident, and IT clears the jam. The incident is fixed… until next Monday. 🔁

Problem management asks a different question: why does it keep happening, and how do we make it stop for good?

Key term: Problem

The cause of one or more incidents, often not known yet. A problem record is used to find and remove that cause.

Incident Problem
Goal Get people working again, fast Find the cause and stop it happening again
Speed Minutes or hours Days or weeks
Example “Printer jammed. Cleared it.” “Why does it jam every Monday?”

2 Key words

Key term: Root cause

The real reason behind the incidents. Example: the weekend cleaning crew unplugs the printer, and it jams when it restarts.

Key term: Workaround

A way to get people working while the real fix is on the way. Example: “Turn the printer off and on before printing on Mondays.”

Key term: Known error

A problem whose root cause is known and has a documented workaround, but isn’t fixed yet.

3 The life of a problem

The problem states in order. New: logged, often from repeating incidents. Assess: check it and decide if it's worth working on. Root Cause Analysis: find out why it happens. Fix in Progress: build and apply the permanent fix, often with a change. Resolved: the fix is in place. Closed: finished. A note shows that at any point a workaround can be shared, and a problem with a known cause and workaround is a known error.
Figure 1. New → Assess → Root Cause Analysis → Fix in Progress → Resolved → Closed.
State What happens
New The problem is logged
Assess Someone checks it and decides if it’s worth working on
Root Cause Analysis The team finds out why
Fix in Progress The permanent fix is built and applied, often with a change
Resolved / Closed The fix works, and the problem is finished

💡 Good to know: On a problem record, the Incidents related list shows every incident caused by it. Link new incidents there, so the team sees how big the problem is.

⭐ Remember: Incident = fix the symptom now. Problem = remove the cause for good.

4 Let’s try it: from incident to problem

  1. Open the Wi-Fi incident you made in Lesson 20.2.
  2. Open its context menu and look for a way to create a problem from it (for example, “Create Problem”). If you don’t see it, go to Problem > Create New.
  3. Fill in a short description: “Wi-Fi drops on floor 3”. Save.
  4. Link your incident in the problem’s Incidents related list.
  5. Move the problem to Assess, then add a workaround.

5 Quick recap

  • A problem is the cause of one or more incidents
  • Problem management finds the root cause and fixes it for good
  • A workaround helps people until the fix is ready
  • A known error has a known cause and a workaround
  • States: New, Assess, Root Cause Analysis, Fix in Progress, Resolved, Closed

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 Which goal belongs to problem management: fix it fast, or stop it happening again? Show answer

Stop it happening again.

2 “Restart the printer before printing on Mondays.” Root cause or workaround? Show answer

A workaround.

3 In which state does the team find out why the issue happens? Show answer

Root Cause Analysis.

Nice work! You finished this lesson. 🎉

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