【正文】 t to be able to function efficiently. However, problem management has an entirely different focus. Incident management aims to restore service as soon as possible, whereas problem management seeks to identify the root cause of the incident or incidents. Key Definitions Impact. A measure of how the problem or incident affects a customer or the business. Incident. Any event that is not part of the standard operation of a service and that causes, or may cause, an interruption to, or a reduction in, the quality of service. Known error. A problem that has been successfully diagnosed and for which a permanent alternative or temporary circumvention exists. If a business case exists, an RFC will be raised, but, in any event, it remains a known error unless it is permanently fixed by a change. Major incident. An incident with a high impact or potentially high impact, which requires an immediate response that is above and beyond that given to ―normal‖ incidents. Typically these incidents require crosspany coordination, management escalation, the mobilization of additional resources, and increased munications. Major problem. A problem with a high impact or potentially high impact, which requires a response that is above and beyond that given to ―normal‖ problems. The timescale available in which to plan a resolution to a major problem is normally longer pared to a major incident, which often requires an immediate response. This means that it is better to treat the issue as a proactive requirement and manage it as a problem management issue. If the problem is left to incident management, there is a risk of it not being Service Management Function 7 progressed since it lacks the immediacy of other incidents. An example of a past major problem is the year 20xx issue. Typically these problems require crosspany coordination, management escalation, the mobilization of additional resources, and increased munications inwardly and outwardly. Priority. The resulting analysis of impact and urgency. Problem. The unknown cause of one or more incidents. Resolution. The action taken to resolve the underlying cause. Root cause analysis. Activity undertaken aimed at establishing the root cause of problems. Service desk. A function that provides the vital daytoday contact point between customers, users, IT services, and thirdparty anizations. The service desk not only coordinates the incident management process, but also provides an interface for many other service requests. Solution/permanent fix. An identified means of resolving an incident or problem that provides a resolution for the underlying cause. Trend analysis. A study of historical incident, problem, and known error data aimed at identifying future activity to reduce or prevent incidents. Urgency. The timescale within which the incident or problem should be resolved. Workaround. An identified means of resolving a particular incident, which allows normal service to be resumed but does not actually resolve the issue that caused the incident in the first place. 4 Processes and Activities This chapter provides a detailed discussion of the processes and activities that occur in the Problem Management SMF. Process Flow Summary Problem management can be graphically presented in the form of a process flow diagram that identifies the activities required to ensure that the adverse impact from incidents and problems is minimized and that recurrence of the incident is prevented. Figure 1 shows a process flow for problem management. Problem andincident dataProblem recordingand classificationError controlResolvedproblems anderrorsProactive analysisand reviewProbleminvestigation anddiagnosisProblem closure Figure 1. Problem management process flow chart 10 Problem Management Problem Recording and Classification This process deals with the initial detection and recording of a problem, which can originate from a variety of sources and mediums. Problems may be reported through the incident management process or as a result of analysis from the data collected by the problem management team. Additionally, other SMFs, such as Availability Management and Capacity Management might detect problems and pass this information to the problem management team. It is important that problems be linked to existing incidents and that all problems are recorded in order to facilitate prioritization of problem resolutions. Once a problem has been recorded, it is assessed against the business impact of the problem and the urgency of the required resolution. This assessment determines the problem classification. Problem Investigation and Diagnosis This process deals with the investigation of the problem and the diagnosis of the root cause. This data can then be used to help the problem management team assess the resources and skills required to resolve the cause of the problem. The process includes dealing with major problems that require additional planning, coordination, resources, and munication, and which may result in a formal project being initiated. Error Control Error control covers the processes involved in successful correction of known errors. The objective is to change IT ponents or procedures to remove known errors affecting the IT infrastructure and thus prevent any recurrence of incidents. Many IT departments are concerned with error control, and it should be recognized that error control spans both the live and development environments. It directly interacts with and operates alongside the change management process. Error control is the element within problem management that is responsible for seeing the problem through to a final resolution. Problem Closure Problem resolution details need to be fully recorded in the problem management system. It is vital to save data on the