When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

A problem is the cause or potential cause of multiple incidents. Problems can arise from major incidents affecting many users, or from recurring incidents. Further, problems can be identified in infrastructure diagnostic systems before users are affected.

Incidents hinder business productivity, and providing quick solutions helps ensure seamless continuity of business operations. However, when multiple incidents occur at once or the same incident occurs multiple times, it's not feasible to move forward by providing patchwork solutions, or offering the same resolutions over and over again.

ITIL® problem management is a procedural way to ensure minimal incidents emerge from IT infrastructure operations by delving deep into incidents to find the root causes and fixes, and also reduce the severity of the incidents through suitable documentation of existing issues and providing workarounds.

Problem management is a methodical approach to identify the cause of an incident and manage the life cycle of all problems. The goal of ITIL® problem management process is to minimize the impact of incidents and eliminate recurring ones. While ITIL® doesn't state any specific technique to perform problem management, it recommends three phases to follow:

  • When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

    Problem identification

  • When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

    Problem control

  • When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

    Error control

These phases will be discussed in detail later in the guide.

Reactive management deals with incidents that are currently affecting users, whereas proactive problem management addresses issues that could potentially surface as incidents in the future should they be left alone.

A sound problem management process has the potential to significantly reduce the influx of incident tickets, saving IT service desk staff significant time and effort. This advantage ripples into other benefits such as reduction in mean time to repair (MTTR), higher customer satisfaction, a robust known error database, and reduced cost of IT services and issues. Moreover, an organization that practices proactive problem management is likely to find tremendous value from identifying and eliminating issues before they disrupt business processes.

Problem management as an ITIL® practice is most useful when used with other ITIL® practices in the overall service value chain. Information is exchanged between the various ITIL® practices, namely incident management, change management, IT asset management, knowledge management, and continual service improvement. This information exchanged between parties accumulates value as it moves through each ITIL® practice, in turn building an ideal IT service management process.

Before going further, the following definitions will be useful in understanding the context of this guide.

  • Workaround: Temporary solutions that restore services and ensure business continuity. A workaround reduces the impact of an incident or problem.
  • Root cause analysis (RCA): The root cause is the problem's underlying issue. RCA is the investigation techniques that help discover the root cause of a problem.
  • Known error: Problems that have occurred before and have a workaround or known root causes.
  • Known error database (KEDB): A database created by documenting the known errors using incident management and problem management.
  • In this guide, we'll examine each facet of problem management in detail, providing all the knowledge you need to get up to speed on how to implement problem management in your enterprise.

Recommended textbook solutions

When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

Human Resource Management

15th EditionJohn David Jackson, Patricia Meglich, Robert Mathis, Sean Valentine

249 solutions

When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

Service Management: Operations, Strategy, and Information Technology

7th EditionJames Fitzsimmons, Mona Fitzsimmons

103 solutions

When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management

12th EditionBarry Render, Chuck Munson, Jay Heizer

1,698 solutions

When is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management

Service Management: Operations, Strategy, and Information Technology

7th EditionJames Fitzsimmons, Mona Fitzsimmons

103 solutions

Which is the earliest that a workaround can be documented in problem management?

Workarounds are documented in problem records, and this can be done at any stage without necessarily having to wait for analysis to be complete. However, if a workaround has been documented early in problem control, then this should be reviewed and improved after problem analysis has been completed.

What happens if a workaround becomes the permanent way?

What happens if a workaround becomes the permanent way of dealing with a problem that cannot be resolved cost-effectively? The problem remains in the known error status.

What can a change schedule be used for?

The change schedule is used to help plan changes, assist in communication, avoid conflicts, and assign resources. It can also be used after changes have been deployed to provide information needed for incident management, problem management, and improvement planning.

What is not a phase in problem management?

Which of these is NOT a phase of problem management? Process Automation.