Problem management is where you stop fighting fires and start preventing them. This guide shows how to use the GLPI Problem module to investigate root causes and reduce recurring incidents.
Incident vs Problem: the fundamental difference
The most common confusion in ITSM is thinking that "an incident becomes a problem". It doesn't. They are distinct processes:
- Incident: focus on restoring service quickly (corrective)
- Problem: focus on finding and eliminating the root cause (preventive)
Practical example: the email server goes down every Monday. Each outage is an incident (resolved by restarting the service). The investigation that discovers the weekly backup exhausts memory is the problem.
Types of problem management
Reactive
Investigation after incidents have already occurred. This is the most common: multiple similar incidents → open a Problem → investigate root cause.
Proactive
Analysis of trends and patterns before incidents occur. Requires historical data and quality indicators.
Workflow in GLPI
- Identification: detect pattern of recurring incidents or critical incident
- Registration: create a Problem-type item in Assistance > Problems
- Linking: associate the related incidents via the Tickets tab
- Investigation: document root cause analysis in the timeline
- Workaround: record workaround for immediate use
- Definitive solution: implement permanent fix
- Change: if necessary, open a Change to implement the fix
- Closure: document lessons learned in the knowledge base
Automating with NexTool
The Problem Flow module from NexTool automates pattern detection: when recurring incidents are detected by category and frequency, a Problem is automatically created with the linked incidents.
Best practices
- Don't wait for dozens of incidents – 3 similar occurrences already justify a Problem
- Always document: even if the solution seems obvious, record it for the knowledge base
- Link Problems to Changes when the fix requires infrastructure changes
- Review open Problems weekly to prevent backlog buildup
Next step
Complete the ITIL cycle with change management and implement a knowledge base to document the solutions found.
