Problem Management: The Game Changer The Value CreatorHow to successfully generate value from this challenging ITSM processBy: Barclay Rae for Cherwell Software Ltd.

What is Pro ManagemenProblem Management is the sum of activities required to improve service quality and reduce the impact of recurring faults and failure.

This includes: identifying the underlying issues and causes, prioritising and publicising these, making decisions to resolve or mitigate them.

In effect: (1) good trends analysis leading to (2) impact and risk analysis that then drive (3) successful business decisions that ultimately deliver change for (4) service improvements.

We don’t do Problem ManagementLet’s cut to the chase – we just don’t do Problem Management. We don’t do enough of it. When we do attempt it, it doesn’t really get done well enough. We don’t see many organisations achieving the value and benefits the industry says can be achieved from Problem Management.

Why is Problem Management such a challenge?

Why isn’t Problem Management working?

IssuesNot enough focus on the role and skills/attributes required.

Positioned as an administrative/ low level function.

Nature of work and tasks required are not fully understood or implemented accordingly.

Giving the role to someone who might have been successful in a related area (e.g. Service Desk Manager) does not guarantee success.

OptionsRequired: strong communications and management skills, tenacity, assiduousness and ‘completer-finisher’ capabilities.

The best results come from good communications at a business and management level for prioritising, agreeing on budget and direction, etc.

For clarity and separation of function, avoid lumping Incident and Problem functions together.

ITSM processes should not be seen as standalone silos but rather part of a value chain or end-to-end approach.

Focus less on the administrative tasks and more on real value and success.

Solving/managing

issuesRe-using work +

know how

Measuring progress/success

Identifying issues/trends

Reporting/Metrics

KnowledgeProblem

CSI TriangleThere’s no point in thinking of Problem Management as a standalone activity – it’s part of the cycle of improvement that involves metrics, reporting and knowledge management.

ServiceCatalogue

Service Desk

ITSM engine

CSIIncident

ProblemChange Reporting/Metrics

KnowledgeProblem

IT/TechView

BusinessViewUser View

ITDepartment

CustomersService

Desk

ITSM GeometryIn larger organisations, it is essential and sensible to build processes for this activity – as well as the links and connections between processes. This all still requires clarity and direction of the goals and key elements of what Problem Management does and how to make it work.

Continual Service Improvement is one of 4 main areas (not processes) in ITSM that we need to focus on… Service Catalogue, Service Desk, ITSM Engine and Continual Service Improvement.

Make Problem Management workBenchmark and ask difficult questions

Build up data about issues, problems, impact, volumes of incidents, etc., to create a baseline for improvement. A CSI register is a great place to start to build a list of what can and should be done to improve service.

Consider the role and person required

Get a strong person in the role – a multi-functional person with analyst and project management skills. Create a defined job description with clear targets or objectives.

Increase visibility More visibility increases the chance the issue will get resolved. Publicise and promote as much as possible. There may be people who are not on the escalation path that can help speed up resolution.

Review Input Codes and Categories

Review your logging and closing categories for Incidents and Problems. Reduce the number, and ensure the data is properly defined, separated and made relevant. This will greatly improve the quality of output and problem visibility.

What are your Top 10 What are your top 10 problems? What does your CIO think they are? It’s vital to have an agreed, prioritised and costed list. This can be a simple but massively important step – get the list agreed and communicated.

Benchmark and 'LIĆFXOW�4XHVWLRQV• How are we doing?

• How can we improve?

• What is going wrong – when?

• Why is this happening?

• Why does it keep happening?

• How can we stop it?

• What’s the impact/cost/benefit of resolving it?

• What are the service breaches?

• Why do we do things the way we do?

• Why can’t we change?

• How can we prioritise these issues?

• Who needs to make these decisions?

• Why can’t we get these decisions made?

These are often difficult and politically sensitive questions. The person asking the questions needs to be mature, tactful and sensitive but also assertive enough to push for answers.

&XVWRPHU�([SHULHQFH� PXVW�EH�WKH�GULYHU�IRU� Problem ManagementThe Problem Management process should be part of a wider discovery phase that looks at the ‘customer journey’ – all possible interactions and touch points where the customer interacts with IT.

This can also help to drive and focus IT on relevant reporting and metrics – what’s important and useful for the customer and their business.

Problem Management – dig out the real issues, ĆQG�HIIHFWLYH�ZD\V�WR� FRPPXQLFDWH�WKHP�� HVFDODWH�DQG�UHVROYH

Problems are hidden within organisations, processes and over-engineered reporting and metrics.

Business level people welcome simple messages about what is going wrong and what is needed to resolve the issue – in a language they can understand and communicate to others who need to be involved.

All of this reflects the key role of Service Management – acting as the bridge, translator and facilitator for important and business related activity between technical and business people. That’s the real value of ITSM. Problem Management (as a key element) needs good communicators and facilitators to be done successfully.

$ERXW� Barclay RaeBarclay Rae is an experienced ITSM mentor who has worked on approximately 500 ITSM projects during the past 25 years, and is well known as a speaker and commentator on all things ITSM.

Barclay delivers strategic consultancy and mentoring, as well as media analyst services to the ITSM industry, including podcasts and TV. He created ‘ITSMGoodness’ – a set of practical steps and guidelines for success.

www.barclayrae.com www.ITSMGoodness.comBJR@barclayrae.com uk.linkedin.com/in/barclayrae twitter.com/barclayrae (@barclayrae)

Access Barclay’s webinar on Problem Management.

$ERXW� Cherwell Software

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Cherwell Software is one of the fastest growing IT service management software providers with corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A. and EMEA headquarters in Swindon, U.K.

Cherwell Software’s flagship product Cherwell Service Management® delivers an innovative, award-winning, and holistic approach to service management, allowing IT and support departments to align with organisational strategy and deliver maximum IT business value.

Learn more at www.cherwellsoftware.co.uk.

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