- Good Problem Management relies to a great extent on an implemented and efficient incident
management process. So it is sensible to implement Problem Management either in parallel
with, or after Incident Management
- If resources are scarce, it is advisable to concentrate on the implementation of problem and
error control (reactive Problem Management). When these activities reach maturity, resources
can be directed to proactive Problem Management which depends largely on the successful
implementation of network monitoring and preventative maintenance
- Smaller schools can introduce reactive Problem Management by focusing daily on the 'top ten'
incidents of the previous week. This can prove to be effective, since experience shows that
20% of problems cause 80% of service degradation!
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The benefits of Problem Management can be weakened by:
- absence of a good incident control process, and thus the absence of data about incidents
(necessary for the correct identification of problems)
- lack of management or leadership commitment, so that technical support staff cannot
allocate sufficient time to problem solving activities
- the undermining of the role of the service desk. All incident reports must come through the
Service Desk and not direct to the technician, as difficulties will arise if the Service Desk is
dealing with multiple reports of incidents and the technician is not fully aware of the extent
of the problem
- failure to set aside time to build and update the call log or incident sheets will restrict the
delivery of benefits
- an inability to determine accurately the impact on the school of incidents and problems -
consequently the critical incidents and problems are not given the correct priority.
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- An effective system to log incidents, is fundamental for the success of Problem Management.
- Setting achievable objectives and making use of the problem solving talents of existing staff is
a key activity. Consider 'part-time' Problem Management, whereby staff set aside periods when
they will look at problems away from the daily fire-fighting pressures.
- In view of the potentially conflicting interests between incident Management and Problem
Management, good sense should prevail. Support staff should be aware of the importance of
balancing activities between the two. For example - if the equipment is required now and a
workaround is available, implement it and ensure that time is set aside to resolve the problem
at the end of the school day.
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The users of Problem Management will be the staff running the Service Desk and Incident
Management processes. It could be said that all users of Incident Management are ultimately
users of Problem Management, however, it is the decision of the Service Desk and technician to
refer an incident to the Problem Management process.
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Problem Management is a specialised process requiring a good grounding in technical support. It
is expected that technicians will staff Problem Management with input from specialists where
possible. Specialist input or subscription to a support service may form part of a schools contract
with a supplier.
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The training plan for Problem Management should concentrate on the Service Desk and technician.
Users should be notified that a Problem Management process is to be introduced and how it will
work, but they should not require any training.
- Ensure the Incident Management process is understood.
- Train the service desk role how to progress a call from an incident to a problem.
- Train the service desk role to identify patterns of incidents to indicate a problem.
- Train the service desk role to record incident details in a way that will help a technician. This
will be evident from feedback from the technician after the first few problems have been passed
through the Problem Management process.
- Decide on the costs involved in Problem Management and produce a guide for the technician
on the amount of time to allocate to resolving a problem.
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