From Incident to Resolution: Navigating the ITIL Problem Management Process 

When aiming to improve your IT operations, earning an ITIL Certification is often one of the first steps professionals take. It’s more than just a badge—it’s a deep dive into the frameworks that keep services running smoothly, especially when things go wrong. One of the most crucial aspects you’ll come across is ITIL Problem Management. This process helps organisations not only respond to incidents but identify and eliminate the underlying causes. Let’s explore how the ITIL Problem Management process helps you move from incident to resolution—step by step. 

Table of Contents 

• Breaking the Cycle: Incident vs Problem 
• Your Roadmap to ITIL Problem Management Success 
• Conclusion 

Breaking the Cycle: Incident vs Problem   

Before diving into the process, let’s clear something up. An incident is an unplanned interruption or a reduction in the quality of an IT service. A problem, however, is the root cause behind one or more of those incidents. 

For example, if your company’s email service keeps going down, each outage is an incident. The faulty mail server? That’s the problem. 

The ITIL Problem Management process is designed to look beyond the surface—to ask, “why is this happening?” and “how can we stop it from happening again? 

Your Roadmap to ITIL Problem Management Success

Below are the key steps that guide you from the initial incident to a lasting resolution, helping your team build a more resilient IT environment:  

Step 1: Problem Detection – Noticing the Red Flags          

This step kicks off when recurring incidents start raising eyebrows. These could come from: 

• Service desk trends 
• Automated alerts 
• User complaints 
• Regular reviews of incident data 

Extra tip: Proactive monitoring tools and dashboards can help detect issues before users even report them, giving your team a head start. 

Step 2: Problem Logging – Keep Track Before You Act     

Once you’ve spotted a potential problem, it needs to be logged in properly. That means documenting all the necessary details: 

• When and where it was first observed 
• Which systems or users it affects 
• Any initial observations or patterns 

Extra tip: Use consistent templates or fields in your ITSM tool for every problem record to improve searchability and future analysis. 

Step 3: Prioritisation – Not All Problems Are Equal  

Your team can’t solve everything at once. So, the next logical step is deciding what to tackle first. 

Here’s what helps in prioritising: 

• Impact on business operations 
• Frequency of incidents 
• Security concerns 
• Cost of downtime 

Extra tip: Collaborate with business stakeholders to understand the true impact of the issue from a user and operational perspective. 

Step 4: Root Cause Analysis – Asking “Why?” Until You Get an Answer    

This is where the problem management magic really happens. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is all about digging deep to find out what’s behind a recurring issue. 

Some popular methods include: 

• The “5 Whys” technique 
• Fishbone diagrams 
• Fault Tree Analysis 

Extra tip: Bring together cross-functional teams during RCA sessions—different perspectives can uncover causes you might have missed. 

Step 5: Workarounds and Known Error Records    

Not every problem has a quick fix. Sometimes, a permanent solution takes time—or might not be feasible right away. 

That’s where workarounds come in. They don’t solve the root issue but help minimise disruption until a full resolution is in place. 

At the same time, Known Error Records (KERs) are created to document the problem, its cause, and any temporary fixes. 

Extra tip: Publish workarounds in your knowledge base so your service desk team can use them immediately without reinventing the wheel. 

Step 6: Resolution and Closure – Crossing the Finish Line       

Once a permanent fix is found, it’s time to implement it. This step should include: 

• Testing the solution in a safe environment 
• Rolling it out systematically 
• Notifying users and stakeholders 
• Updating the records with resolution details 

 Extra tip: Confirm with users that the issue is resolved from their end before officially closing the problem record. 

Step 7: Review and Continuous Improvement  

The final stage is often skipped, but it’s perhaps the most valuable. 

Hold a Post-Implementation Review (PIR). Discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what could be improved. 

Extra tip: Use insights from these reviews to update training materials, improve documentation, and enhance future decision-making. 

Conclusion 

In a world where downtime can cost thousands in minutes, mastering ITIL Problem Management is no longer optional—it’s essential. From spotting early warning signs to rolling out long-term fixes, this process ensures smoother operations and happier users. 

If you’re serious about levelling up your IT service management skills, consider taking the next step with The Knowledge Academy. Their free resources on  ITIL Certification offer practical insights and expert-led guidance to help you thrive in any IT environment.