Problem Management

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Problem Management

• Erin Casteel
• 23rd September 2002

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Sample exam questionWhat is the
relationshipbetween an incident, a problem,
and a known error?
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Operational Processes
Change Management
Release Management
authorization
impact analysis
requestfor change
Release Policy
2nd Line/Problem Management
incidentMgmt
problemcontrol
errorcontrol
Service Desk
incidentMgmt
Configuration management
incidents
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Objectives of Problem Management

• To minimise the adverse impact of incidents and
  problems on the business that are caused by
  errors in the IT Infrastructure and to prevent
  recurrence of incidents related to these errors.
• Problem Management seeks to get to the root cause
  and initiate action to remove the error.

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Definition of a Problem

• The unknown underlying cause of one or more
  incidents.
• Or .
• A condition identified as a result of multiple
  incidents that exhibit common symptoms, or of a
  single significant incident indicative of a
  single error.

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Examples

• Incident My tree is dying
• Problem the leaves are all turning brown and
  falling off
• Known error it is Autumn
• Incident My car wouldnt start
• Problem There is something wrong with the
  electrical system
• Known error The battery is flat

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Definition of a Known Error

• The successful diagnosis of
• the root cause of a Problem
• (i.e. the specific CI has been identified).
• This will in most cases lead to
• the development of a workaround.

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Process Ownership
Incident Management
Incident
Incident
Incident
Incident
Incident
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Problem Management Activities

• Problem Control
• Error Control
• Proactive Problem Prevention
• Management Information

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Problem Control
Problem Identification and Recording
Problem Classification
Tracking and Monitoring of Problems
Problem Investigation and Diagnosis
Problem resolution and closure
(Error Control)
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Error Control
(Problem Control)
Error Identification and Recording
Error Assessment
Tracking and Monitoring Errors
Record Error Resolution
RFC
Change successfully implemented
Close error and associated Problem(s) after
P.I.R.
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Proactive Problem Management

• Trend Analysis
• Targeting Preventive Action
• Major Problem Reviews

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Kepner and Tregoe Problem analysis

• An example of a Problem analysis method includes
  5 phases
• Defining the Problem
• Describing the Problem with regard to identity,
  location, time and size
• Establishing possible causes
• Testing the most probable cause
• Verifying the true cause

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Benefits of Problem Management

• Improved IT Service quality
• Incident volume reduction
• Permanent solutions
• Improved organisational learning
• Better first-time fix rate at the Service Desk
• Ability to proactively resolve problems before
  they have any impact

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The Number Challenge
Make this equation true. All numbers must stay on
their current side of the equals sign. The plus
sign must not move. You can move all the numbers
in any way you choose as long as the above rules
are satisfied.
102 1 101
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The Deming Cycle(continuous quality control and
consolidation)
DO
PLAN
CHECK
ACT
Maturity Level
Quality Assurance
Business IT Alignment
Time Scale
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Questions?