Tasks

Identify problems through:

• incident management
• network monitoring
• preventative maintenance.

Use the problem record template to record the following information:

• problem number
• name of problem logger
• related incident number, if applicable
• date and time incident logged
• affected equipment unique ID
• details of equipment owner
• details of problem
• details of work-arounds to be removed following resolution
• details of loan equipment to be removed following resolution
• name of assigned problem resolver.

Use the problem log template to create a problem log and record a summary of the information captured in the problem record (above).

Investigate, diagnose and resolve problems. Update the problem record with:

• diagnosis of problem and next steps to be taken
• related request for change number
• details of the solution to the problem
• confirmation that any work around has been removed
• confirmation that any loan equipment has been removed
• date problem closed
• name of problem resolver.

Update the problem log with a summary of the information captured in the problem record (above).

Tasks

• Ensure that you are recording your calls and can track progress.
• Understand the difference between problems and incidents.
• Have a process to separate incidents from problems.
• Decide how much time each week to devote to problem management.
• Choose which areas to improve and which processes to remove.
• You need to sell the idea to other staff, so make sure you’re happy with it first

• Identify the users of problem management.
• Identify who will staff the Problem Management process.
• Plan your training.
• Consider the impact of problem management.
• Assess the risks of using problem management.

• Follow the implementation plan.
• Train technicians in diagnostic techniques.
• Write a letter to all users about the introduction of the new service.

• Workload monitoring
• Analysis, surveys and measurements
• Problem reports

Use the problem management report template to gather statistics from the incident log. Analyse reports produced and question variations from one to the next. Don't take the reports at face value, ask questions until you get to the root cause of fluctuations.

Use the implementation assessment to review your implementation on a regular basis. Even if you answered 'yes' to every question in the past, many factors can affect your process at any time, such as conflicting priorities and changes in staff.

Use your findings from problem management reports and the implementation assessment to identify improvements and make them. Small, incremental changes are sufficient to keep the momentum going and demonstrate your commitment to success.

In problem management so far, we have talked about resolving individual underlying problems relating to individual incidents. By reviewing all incidents over a period of time it becomes possible to spot trends and take preventative action. For example, you might identify a number of incidents relating to a specific make of equipment and decide to try an alternative manufacturer.

Although this is the trend analysis of incidents, it is a proactive problem management activity. 

Problem management software is usually combined with incident management software so you should implement one tool for both processes. A suitable electronic tool will speed up the handling of problems between participants and improve data retention capabilities. You should also be able to produce reports from the system automatically, which is less time consuming and more accurate than preparing them manually.

Develop your problem (and incident) management tool to include classifications for reporting purposes. Classifications for problems include:

• service affected
• method of problem identification
• cause of problem
• solution.

Used correctly, classifications can improve your reporting capabilities, for example you can demonstrate the value of implementing incident management, network monitoring and preventative maintenance by classifying them as methods of problem identification and reporting on this classification. The main points to remember when selecting classifications are:

• Keep them to a minimum within each category
• Avoid any ambiguity.

If you have too many classifications to choose from or classifications which overlap (for example 'hardware' and 'printer'), you will introduce inaccuracies into the reporting.

Use problem management software tools to develop more sophisticated reports to help you understand and manage the workload. This must be done in conjunction with the configuration of classifications, which are used by reporting tools. You will need to understand what you want to report before you can select your classifications.

Known errors relate to diagnosed but unresolved problems. The solutions will be in the planning and approval stages and perhaps scheduled for implementation at a later date (the latter in particular often applies to software fixes waiting for a patch or a new release). By giving incident management staff access to a database of known-errors and planned solutions, their ability to resolve incidents quickly is improved. A known-errors database can be created using problem management software or through a simple list kept up to date by problem management staff and made available in a shared area.

Take a structured approach to problem solving to save time and reach a diagnosis efficiently. With a systematic, process of elimination approach, you can be confident that everything has been taken into account without duplication or causing new problems. Tools such as decision-trees and cause-and-effect diagrams can help you.

FITS section to revisit if implementation has not yet been successful

Deciding if an incident is a problem

Major incident process

When does Problem Management occur?

Problem Management reports 
Roles and responsibilities in Problem Management

How to operate Problem Management

Problem-analysis tools