Problem

A problem is the underlying root cause of one or more tickets. Recurring tickets with common issues lead to problems. In other words, a problem must be logged for anything that requires a root cause analysis. The outcome of a problem can be a solution, a change, or a service request.

Problem Management is the process responsible for managing a problem's lifecycle from its creation to its closure. It aims to provide solutions or workarounds to problems so that they have minimal impact on the organization and prevent them from reoccurring.

How does it work?

Only a technician or users with the required permissions can log a Problem. While adding a problem in the Problem module, a technician records the source of the problem. The source can be one of the following:

• Web portal

• Mobile app

• Email

• By a technician on call

• WhatsApp

• Chatbot

What do you see on the screen?

The "Problem" page lists all problems in two views: Panel View and Grid View. It includes a summary card, problem description, status, subject, team, requester name, and actions sorted by time.

Working on a Problem

Problem Management requires a high level of expertise. While there are multiple ways to record a problem, the resolution of the problem is in the hands of L2/L3-level technicians.

Before working on the problem, it is necessary to understand the life cycle of problems and the key components within Infraon's Problem module.

Problem Views

There are two ways to view problem details in the right-side panel. They are:

Panel View - In the Panel view, you see problem details as a Summary Card. The summary card gives a summary of the problem. This summary contains all the important information needed to work on the problem. Details include:

• Problem ID: Auto-generated when a problem is created.

• Requester: Name of the requester

• Team: The team assigned to work on the problem.

• Status: Displays the current status of the problem. Technicians can change the status from here as well.

• Priority: Displays the priority of the problem. Technicians can change the priority of the problem.

• Service: The area in which the problem is reported.

• Resolve: The technicians can resolve the problem using this panel.

• Actions: Quick action icons to work on the problem.

The panel view for tickets has been revamped. The improved interface offers enhanced data visibility, with aging metrics conveniently displayed. This helps in faster navigation and reduced system load for a seamless user experience.

Grid View - You see problem details in tabular form in Grid View. Clicking on the Problem ID shows the details of the Problem.

Problem ID: Auto-generated when a problem is created. Click on the Problem ID to view the communication history, reply to and forward emails, add notes, analyze, view, and add work logs. You can resolve a problem from this screen too.

• Problem Source: This shows how the problem was submitted.

• Priority: The priority of the problem

• Requester: Displays the name of the requester (initial)

• Subject: Subject of the problem (derived from the problem subject line)

• Team: The team to which the problem is assigned

• Assignee: The person to whom the problem is assigned

• Actions: Quick action icons to work on the problem

Note:

• The quick action bar appears as a floater on each problem line and is common in both Panel and Grid views.

• The summary card details can be configured to suit requirements. Click on the "Configure" icon to customize the details you want to see on the screen.

• The Configure icon is available only in Grid View.

Analysis

Problem Management is about finding the root cause of an issue. A detailed Root Cause Analysis(RCA) is performed based on the urgency and severity of the problem. When we click on the Problem ID, the problem details are opened. In the right-side panel, there is an option to add the analysis of the problem. Multiple analyses can be added until the root cause is identified. These analysis details are saved as a Draft and can be viewed/edited anytime. The various methods used for analysis are:

5 Whys Method

Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries, originally developed the 5 whys method. This iterative analysis technique aims to expose the underlying cause by asking "Why" five times. The number"5" comes from the observation that five iterations of the question "why" usually reveal the underlying root cause.

How to implement the 5 whys method:

• Ask why the problem took place. Write the answer to this question.

• Keep asking 'why' to the successive answers and note down the answers.

• Repeat the step above until you reach the root cause of the problem.

This may take five or fewer 'whys'. If you are satisfied with the analysis, click on 'Save Changes' to save it.

Chronological Method

As the name suggests, Chronological analysis is a time-based approach. It helps look at events in order of occurrence from first to last. All the events from the time a problem occurred are recorded and analyzed in chronological order.

Kepner Tregoe Method

Kepner Tregoe method is a problem-analysis method developed by Charles Kepner and Benjamin Tregoe. It is a step-by-step approach to systematically gathering information and evaluating it. It gathers the following information in a structured way.

• What is the problem? Begin by defining the problem.

• Where does the problem occur? Note down the LOCATION of the problem.

• When did the problem occur? Note down the TIME of the problem occurrence.

• How frequently has the problem occurred?

• What is the size of the problem? How many parts are affected?

Solution/Workaround

Workaround

Sometimes it is possible to temporarily fix the problem so the user can continue the business as usual. This can be documented in the Solution/Workaround section. Once a workaround is provided, the associated tickets can be closed. The problem's status will remain open until a permanent solution is found.

Solution

A Solution is a permanent fix to the problem. This can be documented in the Solution/Workaround section, and an entry is made into the Known Error Database(KEDB), and the problem is marked as Closed.

Miscellaneous

Additional Icons

Name	Description
Comment	A user/technician can see the comments on the problem and also can add new comments.
History	Shows the history of the current problem from the time it was created.
Interaction	Shows the history of the problem created by the requester.
Attachment	Shows all the attachments of the current problem.
Problem Source	Shows the source of the problem, like email, web, phone, etc.
Convert Problem to KB	Option to convert the problem into a Knowledge Base (KB). This action is possible only if the status of the problem is "Resolved" or "Closed".
Add Change	Problem Management may initiate resolution through a change request. A Change Request can be added for this problem. This action is possible only if the status of the problem is "Open", "In Progress", or "On Hold".
View Change	If a change request has been created for a problem, then this option is visible. This can be clicked to view the related change request.

Quick Actions

Name	Description
Quick Edit	To perform quick edit actions like status, priority, urgency, severity, impact service, and the assignee. Use the "Detailed Edit" button to edit the Problem details.
Edit	To edit the Problem in detail.
Delete	To delete the Problem. This action is irreversible.
Copy	To copy the details of a problem and create a new problem.
Problem aging for helpdesk/ITSM close and resolve conditions	Grid view includes aging metric. Track problem resolution time accurately. Click 'Resolve' or 'close' to stop the aging clock. Get detailed aging reports based on resolved status.

Page Actions

The Problem page also has the following actions.

Label/ Icon	Description
Expand Icon	To View the problem filters.
Search Bar	To help search for a specific problem using the problem ID, assignee, etc.
Calendar	To filter the problem by a specific day, date, or date range.
*Tag	Select a problem to view the tag option. Tagging is a way to group problems.
*Assignment	Select one or more problems to assign to a group.
*Delete	Select one or more problems to delete.
Pause	To pause the auto-reload.
Configure	To configure the summary card and column selection

*Select at least one problem to enable these options.