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An ITSM process focused on identifying root causes of incidents and implementing permanent solutions to prevent recurrence.
DESCRIPTION
Problem Management seeks to reduce the number and impact of incidents by diagnosing underlying causes and applying long-term fixes. It complements Incident Management, which restores service quickly, by addressing structural issues through analysis, known error records, and change implementation. Activities include trend analysis, proactive problem identification, and post-incident reviews. Frameworks like ITIL define workflows and roles to manage problems effectively. Success depends on robust knowledge bases, cross-team collaboration, and measured improvements in incident rates and mean time between failures.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
Atlassian ITSM
Problem management is the process of identifying and managing the causes of incidents in an IT service. It aims to prevent problems and resulting incidents from happening.
Emphasizes prevention and cause management within IT services.
AXELOS
Problem management focuses on identifying the underlying causes of incidents and finding permanent solutions to minimize the impact on services.
Highlights permanent solutions and service impact reduction.
ServiceNow Documentation
Problem management aims to reduce the number and impact of incidents by identifying the causes and managing workarounds and known errors until permanent fixes are implemented.
Mentions workarounds and known error records explicitly.
RELATED TERMS
Change Management Root Cause Analysis ITIL Knowledge Management Major Incident Management Service Desk Postmortem Analysis Continual Improvement Problem Record
COMPETING TERMS
KNOWLEDGE AREAS
Data Management Observability & Telemetry Testing & Validation Software Engineering
TARGET AUDIENCE
IT Manager DevOps Engineer Security Architect Software Architect IT Project Manager IT Auditor Scrum Master
EXTERNAL SOURCES
- Wikipedia - Problem management
- Atlassian - ITSM guide and practices
- ServiceNow - Platform workflow for problem records
- Microsoft Learn - Resiliency and incident/problem guidance
TOP QUESTIONS
What is Problem Management in ITSM?
Problem Management identifies root causes of incidents and implements permanent fixes, reducing recurrence and service impact over time.
Category: Definition
How does Problem Management differ from Incident Management?
Incident Management restores service quickly; Problem Management addresses underlying causes and prevents future incidents through analysis and long-term remediation.
Category: Comparison
What are key Problem Management activities?
Root cause analysis, trend analysis, maintaining known error records, documenting workarounds, and coordinating changes to implement permanent solutions.
Category: Overview
Which metrics indicate effective Problem Management?
Reduced incident recurrence, higher mean time between failures, shorter time to identify root cause, and fewer major incidents.
Category: Measurement
What tools support Problem Management?
ITSM platforms like ServiceNow or Jira Service Management manage tickets, knowledge bases, and workflows for problems and known errors.
Category: Tools
How do postmortems relate to Problem Management?
Postmortems capture causes, lessons, and actions after incidents to inform problem records and preventive changes.
Category: Process
What is a known error in Problem Management?
A known error is a documented problem with identified root cause and workaround, awaiting permanent resolution.
Category: Definition
How does Problem Management improve reliability?
By eliminating systemic flaws and reducing incident recurrence, it increases service stability and user confidence.
Category: Benefits
What is the risk of neglecting Problem Management?
Recurring incidents, growing technical debt, and operational fatigue can undermine service quality and escalate costs.
Category: Risks