Artifact: Problem

Domains: Problem Management Work Products

Relationships

Roles	Responsible: Problem Owner	Modified By: Incident Owner Problem Analyst Problem Manager Problem Owner
Tasks	Input To: Apply Problem Resolution Categorize Problem Close Problem Close Related Problems Communicate Service Improvement Opportunity Communicate Workaround Findings Complete Problem Record Confirm Resolution Create Known Error Record Determine Business Impact Determine Course of Action Determine Resolution Feasibility and Justification Determine Root Cause Determine Severity Find or Create Workaround Initiate Change Request Initiate Closure of Related Incidents Investigate Problem Monitor Change Notify Concerning Action Plan Resolution Actions Prioritize Problem Record and Perform Action Review Major Problem Review Progress Search for Resolution Update Error Status	Output From: Apply Problem Resolution Categorize Problem Close Problem Close Related Problems Communicate Workaround Findings Complete Problem Record Confirm Resolution Create Known Error Record Determine Business Impact Determine Course of Action Determine Resolution Feasibility and Justification Determine Root Cause Determine Severity Find or Create Workaround Identify Problem or Service Improvement Opportunity Initiate Change Request Initiate Closure of Related Incidents Investigate Problem Log Problem Monitor Change Open Problem for Recurring Incidents Plan Resolution Actions Prioritize Problem Record and Perform Action Review Progress Scan Status of Problem and Known Error Records Search for Resolution Update Error Status

Description

Main Description

As defined in ITIL®: "A cause of one or more Incidents. The cause is not usually known at the time a Problem Record is created, and the Problem Management Process is responsible for further investigation."¹

¹ - ITIL V3 Glossary

Illustrations

Templates	Problem Record Template

Key Considerations

The different states of a problem include the following:

Closed - The finalization of all data related to a problem, including structured data which supports analysis of problem causes, patterns, costs and resolution effectiveness.
Diagnosed - A problem for which the root cause is understood.
Further Investigation Request - In the process of resolving a known error, if additional problems are identified, a request is made for additional root cause analysis.
Prioritized - A problem for which the category and priority are understood and recorded in the problem record. ITIL has the following definitions for these terms:
- Category
- Priority
Reprioritization Request - In the course of monitoring and tracking problems there may be a need to lower or raise the priority of an individual problem due to a change in the business impact. The problem is referred for reprioritization.
Resolution - Actions taken to repair permanently a known error or implement a workaround.

Tailoring

Representation Options

A problem record should have a status attribute. Suggested status values are:

New
Pending
In progress
Queued
Edited in history
Resolved
Closed