Problem Management

Process - Error control

Once Problem Control has determined the causes of a problem, Error Control is responsible for logging it as a known error.

Identifying and logging errors

Logging known errors is of vital importance for Incident Management as, whenever possible, the record should include some type of work-around allowing the impact of the associated incident to be minimised.

Analysis and Solution

Various different solutions for the error, always assessing:

• The impact of the error on the IT infrastructure.
• The associated costs.
• The consequences for the SLAs.

In certain cases, where the impact of the problem is such that it may have serious consequences for the quality of service, an emergency RFC may be raised for urgent processing by Change Management.

Once the optimal solution to the problem has been decided, before submitting an RFC to Change Management the following considerations need to be taken into account:

• Is it advisable to delay solving the problem? This may be either because significant changes in the IT infrastructure are foreseen in the near term, or because the problem has only limited impact.
• Is the temporary solution provided sufficient to maintain acceptable levels of service?
• Do the benefits justify the associated costs?

Whatever the answer, all the information about the error and its solution will be entered on the associated databases. If it is decided that the problem needs to be solved, an RFC will be raised. Change Management will be responsible for implementing the proposed infrastructure changes.

Post-Implementation Review and Closure

Before the problem can be considered resolved and its state changed to "closed" the results of the implementation of the RFC submitted to Change Management have to be analysed (PIR).

If the results of this PIR are those required, all the problems related to this incident can be closed and the process completed. The relevant reports can then be issued.