Incident management is the most fundamental ITSM practice – and the most impactful when well implemented. See how to apply ITIL concepts in GLPI in a practical way.
What is an incident (ITIL)
According to ITIL 4, an incident is an unplanned interruption of a service or reduction in the quality of a service. Examples: system down, email not sending, printer stopped.
The goal of incident management is to restore the service as quickly as possible, minimizing the impact on the business.
Incident vs Request vs Problem
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Incident | Something broke or degraded | "Email not sending" |
| Request | Standard request | "I need VPN access" |
| Problem | Root cause of recurring incidents | "Email server with insufficient memory" |
Important: an incident does not "become" a problem. They are separate items. Recurring incidents with the same root cause indicate the need to open a Problem for investigation.
Incident management flow in GLPI
1. Registration
The incident is registered via the self-service portal, email, phone or integration. GLPI automatically classifies it via business rules (category, group, priority).
2. Classification and prioritization
GLPI uses a configurable matrix of Urgency × Impact = Priority. The priority defines the SLA applied.
3. Investigation and diagnosis
The technician investigates using the knowledge base, history of similar tickets and CMDB information. The AI Assist module can summarize long threads and suggest solutions.
4. Resolution
It can be definitive (root cause fixed) or a workaround. If it is a workaround, the ticket must be linked to a Problem for a definitive resolution later.
5. Closure
After confirmation from the requester, the ticket is closed. A satisfaction survey is sent automatically.
Implementing in GLPI
- Configure incident categories separate from request categories
- Create business rules for automatic classification
- Configure SLAs by priority (see SLA guide)
- Enable escalation notifications
- Use the Smart Assign module for automatic distribution among technicians
Common challenges
- Everything is "urgent": educate users on the difference between urgency and impact. Use guided forms that collect this information.
- Workaround becomes permanent: implement control of workaround solutions linked to Problems.
- Lack of knowledge base: encourage technicians to document solutions after each resolved incident.
Next step
With incident management implemented, move on to problem management and change management.
