How to establish a real-world problem management process

Overview
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What you'll learn
Curriculum
Prerequisites
Course Feature
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Overview

This four-day course focuses on the practical adoption and application of a problem management process, as well as the application of various problem management techniques to identify and correct real-world problems. Many of the techniques discussed in this course are described in the ITIL® Service Operation publication. This course takes the approach that problem management is an aspect of many roles in an organization. Through a series of practical, real-world exercises this course teaches how to use problem management techniques to address real-world problems. This course demonstrates how leading organizations establish methods of consistently identifying and handling problems using common best practice guidance. This is a hands-on course that provides numerous exercises that give a real-world understanding of a consistent, predictable, and repeatable approach to identifying and handling problems.

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What You'll learn

Service management

Problem management
Categorization
Prioritization
Major problems
Escalation
Incidents and problems
Measurements and metrics for problem management
Defining problem diagnosis activities
Understanding problem identification and resolution techniques

Curriculum

Module 1: Course introduction and overview

Course introduction and overview

Module 2: Review of key IT service management concepts

Accountability, boundaries and consistency
Cost-effectiveness and quality
Stages of the lifecycle
Services
The service portfolio
Processes and functions
A brief discussion of the processes defined by ITIL
Roles and responsibilities
Exercise 1: Understanding basic service management concepts

Module 3: Problem Management Theory

Understanding problem management as an aspect of many roles in an organization
What is a problem?
Defining problem management
What problem management is not
Purpose and objectives of problem management
Scope of problem management
Problem management policies, principles and basic concepts
Problem management activities
Sources of information
Problem management metrics and measurements
Challenges and risks
The continual service improvement approach
Why a consistent and predictable approach to identifying and making decisions about problems is important to your business

Exercise 2: Understanding the theory of problem management

Module 4: A real-world, consistent and predictable approach to problem management

Establishing common sense policies and practical guiding principles for problem management
Defining problems, workarounds and known errors
How problems and incidents are related
Establishing a situational approach to problem management
Overview of problem management techniques
- Chronological analysis
- Pain value analysis
- Brainstorming
- Affinity mapping
- 5-whys
- Fault isolation
- Hypothesis testing
- Technical observation post
- Ishikawa diagrams
- Pareto analysis
- Error detected during development
- Major problems
Sample policies and guiding principles for problem management

Exercise 3: Practical policies and guiding principles for problem management

Module 5: Defining the vision

What is a vision?
Understanding and agreeing to the desired state for problem management in your organization
Defining the vision
Sample visions for problem management
Exercise 4: Establishing a vision for problem management

Module 6: Understanding the baseline

Understanding the current state of problem management in your organization
Problem management Audit of Intent
Problem management Audit of Action
Sample problem management assessment questions
Assessing levels of problem management maturity
Sample assessment results
Exercise 5: Understanding the current state of problem management in your organization

Module 7: Building a problem management process based on real-world examples

Why most problem management processes fail
Identifying, understanding and making decisions about problems in a consistent way
Real-world example I: A short bridge (or vehicles that are too tall)
Real-world example II: My first car (proactive and reactive problem management)
Real-world example III: A bent CPU Pin (or controlling assumptions)
Real-world example IV: Availability management and time zone coding
Real-world example V: Operating system update
Sample problem management situational matrix
Exercise 6: Establishing a real-world, situational, problem management process

Module 8: Defining problems workarounds and known errors

What is a problem?
What is a workaround?
What is a known error?
What information is contained in a problem record
What information is contained in a known error record
How are problem records used?
How are known error records used?
Storing records in a known error database
Basic functionality of a known error database
How changes and problems are related
Sample problem workaround and known error records
Exercise 7: Defining problems, workarounds and known errors

Module 9: How problems and incidents are related

What is an incident?
Typical relationships
- Many incidents to one problem
- Many problems to one incidents
- Many problems to many incidents
Categorization
Prioritization
Escalation
Establishing an effective boundary between problem management and incident management
Incident matching procedure
Sample incident matching procedure
Exercise 8: Developing an incident matching procedure for your organization

Module 10: Establishing a situational approach to problem management

Common problem situations
When to use chronological analysis
When to use pain value analysis
When to use brainstorming
When to use affinity mapping
When to use 5-ways
When to use fault isolation
When to use hypothesis testing
When to use technical observation post
When to use Ishikawa diagrams
When to use Pareto analysis
Exercise 9: Understanding common problem situations

Module 11: Automation, tools, technology and implementation considerations

What is chronological analysis?
How does chronological analysis help?
What are the steps in chronological analysis?
Using chronological analysis in your organization
Exercise 10: Using chronological analysis

Module 12: Using pain value analysis

What is pain value analysis?
How does pain value analysis help?
What are the steps in pain value analysis?
Using pain value analysis in your organization
Exercise 11: Using pain value analysis

Module 13: Using brainstorming

What is brainstorming?
How does brainstorming help?
What are the steps in brainstorming?
Using brainstorming in your organization
Exercise 12: Using brainstorming

Module 14: Using affinity mapping

What is affinity mapping?
How does affinity mapping help?
What are the steps in affinity mapping?
Using affinity mapping in your organization

Module 15: Using 5-ways

What is 5-ways?
How does 5-ways help?
What are the steps in 5-ways?
Using 5-ways in your organization
Exercise 14: Using 5-ways

Module 16: Using fault isolation

What is fault isolation?
How does fault isolation help?
What are the steps in fault isolation?
Using fault isolation in your organization
Exercise 15: Using fault isolation

Module 17: Using hypothesis testing

What is hypothesis testing?
How does hypothesis testing help?
What are the steps in hypothesis testing?
Using hypothesis testing in your organization
Exercise 16: Using hypothesis testing

Module 18: Using technical observation post

What is technical observation post?
How does technical observation post help?
What are the steps in technical observation post?
Using technical observation post in your organization
Exercise 17: Using technical observation post

Module 19: Using Ishikawa diagrams

What are Ishikawa diagrams?
How do Ishikawa diagrams help?
What are the steps in Ishikawa diagrams?
Using Ishikawa diagrams in your organization
Exercise 18: Using Ishikawa diagrams

Module 20: Using Pareto analysis

What is Pareto analysis?
How does Pareto analysis help?
What are the steps in Pareto analysis?
Using Pareto analysis in your organization
Exercise 19: Using Pareto analysis

Module 21: Summary

Review of concepts learned
Questions and answers

Prerequisites

Participants for this course need to have foundation level understanding of ITIL® service management best practices and have experience working in organizations using various IT service management processes.