Why Problem Management Deserves a Seat at the Table in ITSM

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Why Problem Management Deserves a Seat at the Table in ITSM
Photo by Stephen Dawson / Unsplash

When people think of IT Service Management, Incident Management often gets the spotlight. After all, it’s about putting out fires fast. But if you’re serious about improving stability, reducing repeat issues, and getting the most out of your IT investments, Problem Management is where the real magic happens.

Let’s break down the business case for Problem Management, the importance of service level targets for investigations, and why a Problem Advisory Board (PAB) can bring structure and impact to the process.

What Is Problem Management, Really?

Problem Management is all about finding and fixing the root cause of recurring or major incidents. While Incident Management is focused on restoring service quickly, Problem Management aims to prevent incidents from happening again (or at all).

There are two main flavors:

  • Reactive Problem Management: Triggered after major incidents or repeated pain points.
  • Proactive Problem Management: Using trends, alerts, or data to find problems before they cause havoc.

The Business Proposition

Implementing structured Problem Management can bring real, measurable value to an organization:

  • Fewer incidents over time = less firefighting.
  • Reduced operational risk = better uptime and customer trust.
  • Improved team efficiency = fewer interruptions for technical teams.
  • Data-driven improvements = trends and analytics highlight system weaknesses.
  • Cost reductions = fewer escalations, war rooms, and rework.

If your organization is investing in automation or AI for ITSM, clean data and root cause clarity from Problem Management will amplify those results.

Why You Need Service Levels for Problem Investigations

Unlike incidents, which are bound by SLA targets (like “respond in 15 minutes” or “resolve in 4 hours”), Problem investigations often get put on the back burner — especially when the fire’s already out.

That’s risky. Problems left hanging can fester and come back worse.

To ensure momentum, define Problem Management SLAs or service targets, such as:

  • Time to assign a Problem owner (e.g., within 1 business day)
  • Time to complete initial analysis (e.g., within 5 business days)
  • Time to review root cause and draft a fix (e.g., 10 business days)

These don’t need to be strict at first, but setting expectations helps drive accountability and gives leadership visibility.

The Case for a Problem Advisory Board (PAB)

You’ve probably heard of a Change Advisory Board (CAB). A Problem Advisory Board serves a similar purpose but focuses on root cause analysis and preventive actions.

What a PAB does:

  • Reviews top or aged Problems weekly or bi-weekly.
  • Ensures investigations are progressing.
  • Validates proposed root causes and workarounds.
  • Prioritizes fixes and assigns ownership (especially if cross-functional).
  • Brings visibility to recurring tech debt or fragile services.

Why it matters:

  • Ensures Problems don’t fall into a black hole.
  • Helps align IT with business priorities (e.g., fix things that impact revenue, not just noisy tickets).
  • Gives space to proactively improve systems rather than just react.

Who should be at the table?

To make the PAB truly effective, bring in infrastructure and application SMEs who are close to the systems and services being discussed. Their insights can:

  • Remove investigation lags or roadblocks quickly.
  • Uncover blind spots or assumptions.
  • Bring fresh ideas and alternate troubleshooting angles.
  • Help link infrastructure issues to application behaviors (and vice versa).

The goal isn’t to assign blame — it’s to create a space where teams collaborate, bring in context, and solve root causes together. Even a 10-minute update from the right SME can unlock progress that’s been stalled for weeks.

Start with a 30-minute review every two weeks. Include your Problem Manager, Service Desk lead, key SMEs, and maybe someone from Change or Risk. Keep it focused, honest, and outcome-driven.

Final Thoughts

Problem Management is often treated like a side quest in the ITSM journey — but it’s actually the core of long-term service improvement. It’s where you move from reactive to proactive, firefighting to fireproofing.

If you haven’t yet, start small:

  • Assign Problem owners.
  • Track root causes.
  • Define simple SLAs for investigation timelines.
  • Launch a lightweight Problem Advisory Board with SMEs at the table.

Over time, you’ll reduce noise, improve service quality, and give your IT team room to breathe and innovate.