The Problem Management process is intended to reduce both the number and severity of
incidents and problems on the business. Therefore, part of Problem Management's
responsibility is to ensure that previous information is documented in such a way that it is
readily available to first-line and other second-line staff. This is not simply a matter of
producing documentation. What is required includes:
• The information to be indexed so that it is easily referenced by simple and detectable
triggers from new incidents
• Regular inspection to ensure the continued relevance of documentation in the light of
changing:
- Technology
- Available external solutions
- Business practices and requirements
- In-house skills
- Frequency and impact of recurring incidents
- Interpretation of internal best practice
• That the process should be subject to a detailed review
• Staff using the information to be trained to understand the depth and power of the
information available, how to access and interpret it, and their role in providing feedback
on its relevance and ease of use
• A suitable repository for the information, typically based on an integrated Service
Management tool which can capture it at logging or first-analysis stage of the incident
handling process.
