Use > Problem Management > Problem Management overview > Proactive and reactive Problem Management

Proactive and reactive Problem Management

HPE Service Manager Problem Management provides a lifecycle approach to managing problems that is integrated with other modules of Service Manager, including Incident Management, Change Management, Release Management, and Knowledge Management. It consists of reactive and proactive approaches to managing problems:

  • Reactive Problem Management, which is generally executed as part of Service Operation based on incident history.
  • Proactive Problem Management, which is initiated in Service Operation, but generally driven as part of Continual Service Improvement.

Problem Management is the process responsible for managing the lifecycle of all problems. Incident Management and Problem Management are separate processes although they are closely linked. Incident Management focuses on the restoration of service to users, whereas Problem Management focuses on identifying and removing the causes of incidents.

Problem Management includes the activities required to diagnose the root cause of incidents and to determine the resolution to related problems. It is also responsible for ensuring that the resolution is implemented through the appropriate control procedures, especially Change Management and Release Management.

Problem Management also maintains information about problems and the appropriate workarounds and resolutions, which helps the organization to reduce the number and impact of incidents over time. In this respect, Problem Management has a strong interface with Knowledge Management, and tools such as the Known Error Database are used for both.

Problem Management provides improved service quality and reliability. The number of recurring incidents should decrease as you increase the number of permanent solutions. As your Problem Management system matures, the amount of elapsed time in the find-to-fix ratio should decrease.