Classify the problem

Classification determines how much effort is necessary to restore the Configuration Items to service and return the user to full functionality. Classification is a subjective assessment based on impact, urgency, and priority. Each has a numeric assignment.

Classification Description Possible values
Impact The potential business vulnerability. There is no global value; each business must set its own impact criteria. 1 – Enterprise
2 – Site/Dept
3 – Multiple Users
4 – User
Urgency How soon the problem must be resolved to avoid business consequences. It identifies the amount of time that you have to avert or reduce the impact of the problem on customers. 1 – Critical
2 – High
3 – Average
4 – Low
Priority How an individual problem fits into the ongoing sequence of problem resolution. Indicates when a problem can be addressed. Determining the priority of a single problem depends on how many problems need attention, the risk of delay, and the resources to fix the problem. Summarizes the assessment of urgency plus impact on customers. 1 – Critical
2 – High
3 – Average
4 – Low

Problem Management calculates priority to be the average of Impact plus Urgency. Fractional results round to the lower number. For example, if the Impact is 4 and the Urgency is 3, the Priority is 3.

Related topics


Creating a problem
Identify the problem
Categorize the problem
Searching for a Configuration Item

Related topics

Create a new problem from an incident