Problem
A Problem is the record that tracks the underlying cause of one or more incidents, so the fault can be removed permanently instead of repeatedly worked around.
Also searched as: problem management, known error, root cause record.
In practice
Problems link back to the incidents they explain. A Problem with a documented workaround but no permanent fix is a Known Error. The permanent fix itself is delivered through a Change, which is why the three record types stay separate.
Example
Twenty VPN incidents in a week point at one faulty concentrator. PRB0001234 records the root cause, the workaround (use the secondary gateway) goes on the Known Error, and CHG0004567 replaces the hardware.
What interviewers check
Interviewers listen for the Incident -> Problem -> Change hand-off and for the distinction between workaround and permanent fix.
Practise this topic
Related ITSM terms
- IncidentAn Incident is an unplanned interruption or reduction in quality of an IT service, tracked on the incident table so service can be restored as fast as possible.
- Change RequestA Change Request is a controlled record for adding, modifying or removing anything that could affect a live IT service, carrying risk assessment, approvals and an implementation window.
- SLA (Service Level Agreement)An SLA is a committed target — such as resolve a P1 within four hours — enforced in ServiceNow by an SLA Definition that attaches a timer to a task and tracks elapsed, remaining and breached time.