PDF generated on March 26, 2018

ServiceNow Documentation

This PDF was created from content on docs.servicenow.com. The web site is updated frequently.
For the most current ServiceNow product documentation, go to docs.servicenow.com.

Some examples and graphics depicted herein are provided for illustration only. No real
association or connection to ServiceNow products or services is intended or should be inferred.
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Contents

Problem Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Problem Management process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Data for problem resolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Prioritization of problem records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Problem Management service improvements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Activate Task-Outage Relationship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Task-Outage Relationship components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Problem configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Create a problem template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Configure problem categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Define an assignment rule for problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Define an inbound email action for problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Define a Problem Management workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Modify related links that post knowledge from a problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Add the Outage UI action to another task form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Create a problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Categorize a problem as a major problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Request a change from a problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Create an outage from a task. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Associate a task with an outage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Resolve related incidents from a problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Knowledge articles from problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Use the knowledge check box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Communicate a workaround. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Post knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Post news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Out-of-the-box Problem Management Performance Analytics Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Problem Management
Last updated: November 16, 2017

ServiceNow®Problem Management helps to identify the cause of an error in the IT

infrastructure, reported as occurrences of related incidents.

Resolving a problem means fixing the error that will stop these incidents from occurring in
the future. While Incident Management deals with fighting symptoms to incidents, Problem
Management seeks to remove the causes of incidents permanently from the IT
infrastructure. Problem resolution and elimination of root cause often calls for applying a
change to the configuration item in the existing IT environment.

Explore Set up Administer

• Problem Management release • Define a Problem • Create a problem template

notes Management workflow • Create a problem record
• Problem Management process • Task outage producer
• Data for problem resolution • Define an assignment rule for • Define an inbound email
• Structured Problem Analysis problems action for problems
• Problem Management service
improvements
• Upgrade to Kingston

Use Develop Troubleshoot and get help

• Close related incident from a • Developer training • Ask or answer questions in the
problem • Developer documentation Problem Management
• Create knowledge community
• Request a change from a • Search the HI knowledge base
problem for known error articles
• Contact ServiceNow Support

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Problem Management process

Last updated: November 16, 2017

Problem Management supports the ITIL process to find and fix the root cause of issues that
result in incidents. You can record problems, associate incidents, and assign them to
appropriate groups. You can create knowledge from problems, request changes, escalate,
and manage problems through to resolution and reporting.

Introduction to problem management; creating a problem;

checking dependencies; creating problem tasks to initiate root
cause analysis; communicating a workaround; posting
knowledge; creating a change request from a problem; closing a
problem and related incidents.

Within the platform, problems are handled using the task record system. Each problem is
generated as a task record through various means, and is populated with the pertinent
information. These tasks are assigned to Problem Management team members to resolve
and then close.

Identify and log problems

A problem can be generated in several ways:

• An IT staff member can generate one manually using Problem > Create New or by clicking
New from the problem record list.
• An IT staff member can generate a problem from an incident.
• A record producer can be created to allow users to log problems from the service catalog.
• A user attempting to create a generic task sees a task interceptor, and they select the type
of task to create. In this way, tasks are always assigned a handling process.
• A problem is generated from an email when an appropriate inbound email action is
configured.

Associating a problem with a configuration item using CMDB helps the Problem
Management team see the affected item and its relationship to other configuration items.

A problem can be assigned to a user or group manually or with an assignment rule.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

A problem can be associated with one or more incidents in the Incidents related list. The
association is automatic if the problem is generated from an incident. Associating incidents
provides the Problem Management team with access to the information gathered during
incident investigation.

Investigate and update problems

If the Problem Management team has a problem model process for dealing with certain
problems, they can be added to the system with workflows . Workflows allow for
standardization and automation of the process.

Note: The ServiceNow platform also provides the Structured Problem Analysis
application as a method for identifying the true root cause of a problem.

As a problem is updated, email notifications are sent to concerned parties. If inbound email
actions are specified, the problem can be updated via email.

You can use the other active tasks icon next to Configuration item to look up active problem
records. When you click the icon, it shows all active tasks linked to that configuration item.

The platform provides escalations rules to ensure that problems are handled promptly. Two
types of escalation rules are available in the system.

• Service level agreements: SLAs monitor the progress of the problem according to defined
rules. As time passes, the SLA escalates the priority of the problem. SLAs are also used as
a performance indicator for the Problem Management team.
• Inactivity monitors : The inactivity monitors prevent incidents from being overlooked by
generating an event. When a problem has not been updated within a certain amount of
time, the event can create an email notification or trigger a script.

Resolve problems
If a problem needs a change request to be resolved, it is possible to request a change that
goes through the change management process. After requesting a change, the problem
appears on a related list on the Change Request form. Change the problem state to Pending
Change after associating the problem with a change request.

A business rule (SNC-ITIL-Close-related) automates the process of closing problems in

Pending Change state when the change request is closed. If the problem is closed, another
business rule (SNC - ITIL - Resolve Related Incidents) automatically sets the State to
Resolved for all incidents associated with that problem whose State was On Hold and On
hold reason is Awaiting Problem.

If the cause of a problem has been determined but there is no permanent fix, change the
problem state to Known Error to communicate this fact. IT agents can click the Known
Errors module and look for the issue they are investigating to reduce time spent on a similar
issue. To communicate information related to a problem, you can open the problem and
describe a workaround, create a knowledge base article, or create a news item.
• Data for problem resolution

The quick resolution of problems requires gathering as much information as possible

about the problem.
• Prioritization of problem records

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

To follow ITIL guidelines, problem records are prioritized by the impact and urgency of
the problem.
• Problem Management service improvements

The Problem Management process can be improved by using information gathered within
the platform.

Data for problem resolution

Last updated: November 16, 2017

The quick resolution of problems requires gathering as much information as possible about
the problem.

In addition to the information within the problem ticket, useful information is often found in
other tables.

Pertinent related records

Common related records include changes (through the Change request field) and incidents
in the Incidents related list. All the directly related records are accessible through related
lists. If the appropriate related list does not appear on the form, the administrator can
configure the form to add it.

Known errors and knowledge articles

Information about already-known issues can be found in two places: the Known Errors
module in the Problem Management application, or in the Knowledge application. The
Known Errors module filters the problem table to present all the problems whose cause has
been identified but cannot be fixed. The knowledge base can have information that was
gathered from incidents, and may also have useful workarounds for problems.

Dependency Views map

The Dependency Views map provides a visual representation of the configuration items and
their relationships and displays information about related issues.

For example, the following image is a map for the CI nyc rac na200, which is a mass storage
device.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Map for nyc rac nas200 storage device

The icons beside CIs indicate the following information. You can view information for the
selected CI by clicking Details in the form header, or by pointing to the icon and viewing a
pop-up box.

• The cloud x icon indicates that the CI has an associated problem, which is listed in the
Problem details pane.
• The (!) icon indicates that there is a related incident.
• The link icon indicates that there are associated tasks, which can be incidents, problems, or
changes. If you select the CI, the Details pane displays the associated records.

To open the incident or problem record, click the number in the Details pane.

The map shows the upstream and downstream relationships of the CI. The storage device
problem might be an improper change to one of the UNIX servers.

CMDB baseline history

If a baseline has been generated, planned or unplanned changes are tracked within the
system. A common cause of problems is improperly executed changes, and reviewing the
history of changes to a CI helps track problems caused by improper changes.

To check the CMDB Baseline, view the CI record and check Baseline Differences and
Scheduled Changes. The administrator can use the form designer to add these formatters.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Problem baseline

In the example above, the change in RAM is associated with a change request. You can
review the change and see what was planned and what was implemented. The removal of
QuickTime software was recorded as an unplanned change.

Prioritization of problem records

Last updated: November 16, 2017

To follow ITIL guidelines, problem records are prioritized by the impact and urgency of the
problem.

Problem prioritization is available on new instances.

On the problem form, users select values from the Impact and Urgency fields that determine
which Priority value is generated for the problem.

ITIL problem order

Field Definition
Impact The effect that the task has on business.
Urgency The extent to which the task resolution can be
delayed.
Priority How quickly the service desk should address the
task.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Priority is calculated according to the following data lookup rules:

Data lookup rules

Impact Urgency Priority
1 - High 1 - High 1 - Critical
1 - High 2 - Medium 2 - High
1 - High 3 - Low 3 - Moderate
2 - Medium 1 - High 2 - High
2 - Medium 2 - Medium 3 - Moderate
2 - Medium 3 - Low 4 - Low
3 - Low 1 - High 3 - Moderate
3 - Low 2 - Medium 4 - Low
3 - Low 3 - Low 5 - Planning

By default, the Priority field is read-only and must be set by selecting the Impact and
Urgency values. To change how priority is calculated, administrators can either alter the
priority lookup rules or disable the Priority is managed by Data Lookup - set as read-only UI
policy and create their own business logic.

In the Priority [dl_u_priority] table, you can modify data lookup rules for task priority.

Work notes for problem priorities

When you initially create and save a problem, the Work notes field is not mandatory. If you
change the priority of the problem by selecting different Impact or Urgency values on a
problem form that has already been saved, the Work notes field becomes mandatory.

Note: This feature is available only for new instances, starting with the Jakarta
release.

Problem Management service improvements

Last updated: November 16, 2017

The Problem Management process can be improved by using information gathered within
the platform.

Much of the data is already stored within the problem record. You can gather more
information by enabling auditing, which provides an accurate review of the history of the
problem. You can use Metrics, to define the key performance indicators to monitor within
the system.

With these metrics and the information within the database, it is possible to generate
reports. Reports can be added to homepages or scheduled for automatic generation and
distribution. You can also use database views to join tables for reporting purposes.

Use this information to refine automatic rules, such as assignment rules, service level
agreements, or inactivity monitors for the Problem Management environment.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Activate Task-Outage Relationship

Last updated: February 12, 2018

Administrators can activate the Task-Outage Relationship plugin (com.snc.task_outage).

Before you begin

Role required: admin

Procedure

1. Navigate to System Definition > Plugins.

2. Find and click the plugin name.
3. On the System Plugin form, review the plugin details and then click the Activate/
Upgrade related link.

If the plugin depends on other plugins, these plugins are listed along with their
activation status.

If the plugin has optional features that depend on other plugins, those plugins are listed
under Some files will not be loaded because these plugins are inactive. The optional
features are not installed until the listed plugins are installed (before or after the
installation of the current plugin).

4. (Optional) If available, select the Load demo data check box.

Some plugins include demo data—Sample records that are designed to illustrate plugin
features for common use cases. Loading demo data is a good practice when you first
activate the plugin on a development or test instance.

You can also load demo data after the plugin is activated by clicking the Load Demo
Data Only related link on the System Plugin form.

5. Click Activate.

Related Topics
• List of plugins (Kingston)

Task-Outage Relationship components

Last updated: November 16, 2017

Task-Outage Relationship creates a many-to-many relationship between the Task [task]

table and the Outage [cmdb_ci_outage] table. After Task-Outage Relationship is activated,
users can create an outage from the Incident or Problem forms. For new instances from
Jakarta only, this feature is also available on the Change form.

The following components are installed with Task-Outage Relationship.

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Table added by Task-Outage Relationship

Table Description
Task Outage [task_outage] A many-to-many table that stores references to
the Task [task] and Outage [cmdb_ci_outage]
tables.

The Add Short Description business rule is included. The business rule adds a short
description to outages as <CI Name> Outage, for example, UNIX Server1 Outage.

The Create Outage UI action is added for the Task [task] table. For new instances in Jakarta,
another Create Outage UI action is added for the Change Request [change_request] table.
These UI actions enable users to create outages directly from the task or change form.

When Task-Outage Relationship is activated, the Outages related list is added to the Change
Request form. An administrator can add the Outages related list to other task forms, such as
incidents and problems.

To assign multiple tasks to an outage, the administrator can configure the Tasks related list
to appear on the Outages form.

Problem configuration
Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can configure the Problem form and other problem features, such as assignment rules
and UI behavior.

The Problem form is configured in the base system to follow recommended ITIL practices.
The administrator can configure the Problem form and use the form designer to customize
it. The following list describes the options to configure the Problem form from the form
context menu Configure option.

Form configuration and design

Menu option Description
Form design Administrators or users with the
personalize_form role can use the form design
feature to quickly create new or change existing
form views. Form design is an alternative to
configuring forms that combines several
configuration options into one tool.
Form layout Administrators or users with the
personalize_form role can configure a form to
show or hide fields from a view. New fields can be
created on the table associated with the form.
Related lists Related lists display records in another table that
have a relationship with the current record.
Administrators or users with the
personalize_form role can configure related lists
to appear on the form.

Create a problem template

Last updated: November 16, 2017

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Templates simplify the process of submitting new records by populating fields automatically.
Using templates saves time by reducing how long it takes to fill out the form.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

After a template is defined, it can be used from the form, a record producer, or a module.

Procedure

1. Navigate to System Definition > Templates and click New.

2. Complete the form as described in Create a template using the Template form.
Use the following information as an example to create a problem template to fix
performance issues.
• Name: Performance Issues
• Table: Problem
• Global: Selected (true). Selecting this option makes the template available to all
users.
• Short Description: Performance Issues
• Template: Select each field and enter the following values.
Description: Significant performance issues have affected the configuration item.
Impact: 2 - Medium
Urgency 1 - High
Contact Type: Self-service
3. Click Submit.

Use a template from a module

Last updated: November 16, 2017

This example demonstrates how to place the Performance Issues template in a module in
the Self-Service application to enable end users to directly submit the problem.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

Procedure

1. Perform the appropriate action for your version of the UI:

UI16 Click the edit application (pencil) icon beside
the Self-Service application menu.
UI15 or UI11 Right-click Self-Service, and select Edit
Application Menu.

2. Scroll to the Modules related list and click New.

3. Complete the form with the following information.
• Title: Report Performance Issues
• Application menu: Self-Service
• Order: 473. This order places the new module after Requested Items in the Self-
Service application. Order can be viewed by looking at the Modules related list on
the Application form.
• Hint: Log a problem about performance issues.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

• Link Type: New Record

• Table: Problem [problem]
• Arguments:
problem.do?sys_id=-1&sysparm_template=Performance Issues
This argument deploys the template in the new problem record.
4. Click Submit.
The new module appears in the Self-Service application.

Create a record producer with a template

Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can create a record producer to let users log problems from the Service Catalog. If a
predefined template for a problem exists, it can be used with the record producer to fill in
standard information.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

When record producers are submitted, they create a record on the specified table with the
information provided. You can create a record producer with or without a using a template.
The following example uses the sample template defined in Create a problem template.

Procedure

1. Navigate to Service Catalog > Record Producers.

2. Click New.
3. Complete the form with the following information.
• Name: Performance Issues
• Table Name: Problem [problem]
• What it will contain tab or section
Short description: Report Performance Issues
Description: Please report performance issues only if they are consistent and severe.
• Accessibility tab or section
Catalog: Service Catalog
Category: Can We Help You?
• Generated Record Data tab or section
Template: Performance Issues

Note: Using a template is optional. If you have no template, leave this

field blank.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

4. Open the form context menu and click Save.

Several related lists appear at the bottom of the form.
5. Complete the following steps to add a variable in the Variables related list.
a. Click New.
b. Complete the Variable form with the following information.
• Question tab or section
Type: Reference
Question:: Which configuration item is experiencing performance issues?
Name: configuration_item
• Type Specifications tab or section
Reference: Base Configuration Item [cmdb]

c. Click Submit.
6. Create and submit another variable with the following information.
• Type: Multi-Line Text

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

• Question:: Describe the issue:

• Name: Description

What to do next

Click the Try It link to see how the new record producer appears.

Related Tasks
• Create a record producer

Configure problem categories

Last updated: November 16, 2017

The administrator can customize the problem form to include a category field and can
configure the categories to use. The problem category can be used for monitoring and
reporting problems.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

The administrator performs the following tasks to configure problem categories.

Procedure

1. Configure the Problem form to include a new choice field called Category.
For information about adding a field to a form, see Add a new field to a table.
2. Configure the category choices.
For information about configuring choices, see Define an option for a choice list.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

3. Socialize the use of problem categories with fulfillers and managers to ensure you get
the results you expect.

Define an assignment rule for problems

Last updated: November 16, 2017

After a problem is logged, it must be assigned to the appropriate group or individual to

handle the problem. You can define assignment rules to automate the assignment process.

Before you begin

Role required: assignment_rule_admin or admin

About this task

Some assignment rules are predefined for Problem Management. Review the predefined
assignment rules, and verify that the problem assignment rules you want to use are active.
For example, the Network Problem assignment rule looks at the configuration item class for
network problems and assigns the problem to the Network group.

In this example, define an assignment rule to assign database problems to the Database
group.

Procedure

1. Navigate to System Policy > Assignment and click New.

2. Complete the form using the following information.
• Name: Database Problems
• Applies To tab or section:
Table: Problem [problem]
Conditions: Dot-walk to [Configuration Item.Class] [is] [Database].
• Group in the Assign To tab or section: Database
3. Click Submit.
4. Test the assignment rule by completing the following steps.
a. Navigate to Problem > Create New.
b. Complete the problem form and select a configuration item with a class of
Database.
c. Click Submit.
d. Open the problem and verify that the assignment group was added.

Define an inbound email action for problems

Last updated: November 16, 2017

Inbound email actions enable users to log or update incidents or other tasks via email. You
can define an inbound email action to log problems.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

The inbound email action parses the email and responds using a script. No problem
management inbound email actions are provided in the base system.

Procedure

1. Navigate to System Policy > Inbound Actions and click New.

2. Complete the form with the following information.
• Name: Log Problem
• Target Table: Problem [problem]
• Action type: Record Action
• Active: True (check box selected)
• When to run tab or section:
Type: New
Condition
email.subject.indexOf("Problem:") == 0
• Script in Actions tab or section: Insert the following script.
//Note: current.opened_by is already set to the first UserID that matches the From:
current. description = email. body_text ;
current. short_description = email. subject. toString ( ). substring ( 9 ) ;

current. assignment_group. setDisplayValue ( "Development" ) ;

if (email. body. assign != undefined )

current. assigned_to = email. body. assign ;

current. insert ( ) ;
3. Click Submit.

Related Topics
• Inbound email actions

Define a Problem Management workflow

Last updated: November 16, 2017

The Graphical Workflow Editor lets you automate common processes. Workflows allow
standard Problem Management processes to be defined and automated.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

The following example workflow is a workflow for database problems. If the problem
involves a configuration item of class Database, this workflow runs and guides the Problem
Management team through diagnosis and resolution. It then asks the problem manager to
verify the solution. It also generates a change request when necessary.

When using a Problem Management workflow, add the Tasks.Parent related list to the
Problem form to see the tasks generated by the workflow.

Procedure

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

1. Navigate to Workflow > Workflow Editor.

2. Click New Workflow.
3. Click the Diagrammer view related link to configure more workflow properties.

4. Complete the form with the following information.

Field Entry
Name Database Problem Workflow
Table Problem [problem]
Conditions tab
If condition matches Run the workflow always
Run after bus. rules run True (selected). This field must be checked
before any workflow that uses approvals, or the
business rules conflict with the workflow and
fail to run properly. If this field does not appear
on the Workflow Properties form, configure the
form layout to add it.
Condition Dot-walk to [Affected CI.Class] [is] [Database].
Schedule tab
Delivery based on User-specified duration
Expected Time Days 7 Hours 00:00:00
Stage Field Problem State. As the workflow passes from
activity to activity, the stage field is updated.
The requester can see how far along in the
workflow the problem management team is.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

5. Click Submit.
The Workflow Properties window closes and the workflow diagram appears.

6. Select the Core tab on the right and expand Tasks. Drag Create Task onto the arrow
between Begin and End.
This activity generates a task to diagnose the problem.
7. Complete the Create Task form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Diagnosis
• Stage: Open
• Fulfillment Group: Database

8. Drag Create Task onto the arrow between the previous task and End.
This activity generates a task to generate a solution to the problem.
9. Complete the Create Task form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Generate Solution

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

• Stage: Open
• Fulfillment Group: Database
10. Drag the activity Approval - User onto the arrow between the previous task and End.
This activity asks the manager of the assignment group to verify the solution to the
problem.
11. Complete the Create Task form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Verify Problem Solution
• Stage: Open
• In Users in the Approvers section, dot-walk to ${assignment_group.manager}
12. Drag the activity Rollback To into the workflow area, and drag the arrow from the
Rejected tab under Approval - User to the Rollback To activity. Then drag the arrow
from the Rollback to the Create Task for generating a solution. Click Submit.
This activity forces the database team to repeat the Generate Solution task if the
problem manager rejects the proposed solution.
13. Complete the form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Rejected Solution
• Stage: Open
14. Drag the activity Create Task onto the arrow between Verify Problem Solution and End.
This activity generates a task to resolve the problem.
15. Complete the form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Resolve Problem
• Fulfillment Group: Database
16. Drag the activity If onto the arrow between the previous task and End, and then click
Submit.
This activity checks whether the Problem Management team set the Problem State field
to Pending Change without generating a Request for Change.
17. Complete the form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Generate Request for Change
• Conditions: [Problem state] [is] [Pending Change] and [Change request] [is]
[empty].
18. Drag the activity Create Task onto the arrow between the previous activity and End.
This activity generates a Request for Change if the previous activity conditions are met.
19. Complete the form with the following information, and then click Submit.
• Name: Request for Change
• Task Type: Change Request [change_request]
• Short description: Solution for Problem
20. Publish the workflow in the Workflow Actions menu.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Related Topics
• Workflow Editor

Modify related links that post knowledge from a problem

Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can modify the behavior of the Communicate Workaround, Post Knowledge, and Post
News related links.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

About this task

For example, you may decide to use a form button instead of a form link so users see the
option more easily. Another example is to put customized hint text over a link as an
instruction for using the link.

Procedure

1. Navigate to System Definition > UI Actions.

2. Locate and open the UI action with the same name as the related link to modify.
3. Edit the UI action, as appropriate.
4. Click Update.
For more information, see UI actions.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Add the Outage UI action to another task form

Last updated: November 16, 2017

By default, the Create Outage UI action is available on the incident and problem forms, and
can be added to other task forms. For new instances from Jakarta only, this feature is also
available on the change request form.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

Procedure

1. Navigate to System Definition > UI Actions.

2. Select the UI Action Create Outage on the Task [task] table.
By default, the condition is:

current.getRecordClassName() == 'incident' ||
current.getRecordClassName() == 'problem'

3. Modify the Conditions field as described in the following examples.

Option Description
To add this UI action to the Ticket [ticket] table current.getRecordClassName() ==
'incident' ||
current.getRecordClassName() ==
'problem' ||
current.getRecordClassName() ==
'ticket'

To use the UI action on only the Problem current.getRecordClassName() ==

[problem] table 'problem'

4. Click Update.

Create a problem
Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can create, progress, review, and close a problem.

Before you begin

Role required: itil or admin

Procedure

1. Create the problem with one of these options.

Option Description
From the Problem module Navigate to Problem > Create New.

From an incident a. Open the incident.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Option Description
b. Right-click the form title bar and select
Create Problem.

2. Complete the form, as appropriate.

Problem form fields

Name Definition
Business service Business service that the problem applies to.
If you select a business service as the configuration item
and that business service is also listed as the configuration
item in any other active task, the active tasks icon

( ) appears. Click to view the list of all the

other active tasks that is affecting the business service.

Configuration item Configuration item (CI) that the problem applies to. The CI
class of the selected configuration item identifies the type
of problem, for example, hardware, network, or database.
Change request Change request associated with the problem.
Major problem Check box to prioritize a problem and highlight that it
needs a review.
Knowledge Check box to automatically submit a knowledge article
when a problem is closed.
State State of the problem:
• Open: Open and unassigned.
• Pending Change: Waiting for the corresponding
change request to be closed.
• Known Error: This problem is not going to be fixed and
there is a workaround. Users with the itil role have
access to the Known Errors module.
• Closed/Resolved: The problem is fixed and closed.
Impact Effect that the problem has on business. Select the
appropriate impact level (High, Medium, or Low).
Urgency Extent to which the problem resolution can bear delay.
Select the appropriate urgency level (High, Medium, or
Low).
Priority How quickly the service desk should address the problem
(Critical, High, Moderate, Low, or Planning). The Priority
field is read-only and is set according to the Impact and
Urgency values entered.
Assignment group Group that the problem is assigned to.
Assigned to Specific user that the problem is assigned to. If an
assignment rule applies, the problem is automatically
assigned to the appropriate user or group.
Parent The parent task for this problem.
Short description Summary of the problem.
Description Detailed description of the problem.
Work notes list Users who receive notification when work notes are added
to the problem. Click the Add me icon to add yourself to

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Name Definition
the work notes list for problems you are interested in
monitoring.

3. To enter work notes for the problem, click the Notes tab.
When you initially create and save a problem, entering notes in the Work notes field is
not mandatory. If you change the priority of the problem by selecting different Impact or
Urgency values on an existing problem, the Work notes field becomes mandatory.

Note: This feature is available only for new instances, starting with the Jakarta
release.
4. To enter notes on why the problem is closed, click the Closure Information tab and enter
the information.
The date on which the problem was closed and the user who closed it populate
automatically.
5. Click Submit.

Categorize a problem as a major problem

Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can prioritize a problem and highlight that it needs a review.

Before you begin

Role required: itil or admin

About this task

Note: This feature is available only for new instances, starting with the Jakarta
release.

Procedure

1. Open a Problem record to categorize it as a major problem.

2. Select the Major problem check box.
The Work notes field is mandatory. The Review outcome field is displayed in the Closure
Information section.
3. Fill out the Review outcome field to document review results and lessons learned.
This field becomes mandatory when the problem state changes to Closed/Resolved.
4. Click Update.

Request a change from a problem

Last updated: November 16, 2017

After a problem is identified and isolated, it may require changes to be made through the
organization Change Management process.

Before you begin

Role required: itil

About this task

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

The administrator can modify how the Create Change UI action works in System Definition >
UI Actions. Modify the Create Change UI action that specifies Problem in the Table column.

A Normal or Emergency change request can be created from the problem record.

Procedure

1. Open the problem record.

2. Right-click the form header bar and select Create Normal Change or Create Emergency
Change.
The Short description and Description fields are copied to the change request. If there is
a configuration item (CI) associated with the problem, it is also copied to the change
request.

Create an outage from a task

Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can create an outage from within a task record, such as a problem.

Before you begin

Role required: itil

Procedure

1. Navigate to the task record.

2. Right-click the form header and select Create Outage.
3. Complete the Outage form.
For new instances from Jakarta only, the following fields are automatically populated
when creating an outage from a change form:

Field Entry
Type By default, the Type is Planned Outage.
Begin The date corresponds to the Planned start date
set on the Schedule tab on the change form.
End The date corresponds to the Planned end date
set on the Schedule tab on the change form.

4. (Optional) To indicate that the outage is just beginning, click the Begin Outage Now
related link.
The Begin date field is populated with the current date and time.
5. Click Update.

What to do next

When the outage ends, open the record and enter the End date and time. You can also click
the End Outage Now to populate the field with the current date and time.

Associate a task with an outage

Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can associate multiple tasks with a defined outage.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Before you begin

Role required: itil

About this task

The administrator must configure the Outage form to include the Tasks related list.

Procedure

1. Navigate to the outage record.

2. Click Edit in the Tasks related list.
All incident and problem tasks are listed. For new instances in Jakarta, change requests
are also listed.
3. Use the filter or the search field above the Collection box to locate the task to associate
to the outage.
For example, filter for the same configuration item or business service, or look for tasks
created on the same day as the outage.
4. Move the associated tasks to the Task List box on the right.
5. Click Save.

Resolve related incidents from a problem

Last updated: November 16, 2017

After a problem is considered resolved, the incidents related to the problem with the state
On Hold may be resolved using a UI action from the Problem form. This feature is available
only for new instances in Jakarta.

Before you begin

Role required: itil

Procedure

1. Open a resolved problem that has associated incidents.

2. Right-click the form header and select Resolve Incidents.
3. Enter mandatory close notes in the Resolve Incidents pop-up.

Note: Only the incidents in state On Hold and with Awaiting Problem as the on
hold reason can be resolved.
The state of the incidents in the problem related list is changed to Resolved and work
notes are added to the activity feed.

Knowledge articles from problems

Last updated: November 16, 2017

Knowledge bases house the information an organization wants to keep and share. The
Problem form includes four options for creating knowledge and communicating information.

• You can select the Knowledge check box and automatically submit a knowledge article
when a problem is closed.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

• You can enter a workaround note into a problem record, and then post the information
into every associated incident.
• You can create a knowledge article from the problem immediately, and not wait for when
the problem is closed.
• You can quickly create and publish a knowledge article in the News category.

By default, most new articles are created as drafts and move through a review state before
they are published. An exception to the standard workflow is posting news from the
Problem form.

If the administrator enables the optional knowledge submission workflow, articles created
from incidents or problems become knowledge submissions, which are processed through a
different path. For more information, see Knowledge workflows.
• Use the knowledge check box

As with incidents, problems often generate information that may be needed in the future.
The system can automatically submit a knowledge article when a problem is closed.
• Communicate a workaround

You can enter a workaround note into a problem record, and then post the information
into every associated incident.
• Post knowledge

You can create a knowledge article from the problem immediately, and not wait for when
the problem is closed.
• Post news

You can quickly create and publish a knowledge article in the News category.

Use the knowledge check box

Last updated: November 16, 2017

As with incidents, problems often generate information that may be needed in the future.
The system can automatically submit a knowledge article when a problem is closed.

Before you begin

Role required: itil

About this task

You can select the Knowledge check box and automatically submit a knowledge article
when a problem is closed.

Procedure

1. Select the Knowledge check box on the Problem form.

2. Resolve and close the problem.

Closing the problem triggers the business rule Problem Create Knowledge. By default,
the business rule creates a knowledge article in the Draft workflow state, ready for a
knowledge team member to review and publish. The problem Short description

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

becomes the article Short description, and the problem Work notes become the article
Text.

If the knowledge submission workflow is enabled, the problem Work notes become a
knowledge submission instead of an article. For more information, see Knowledge
workflows.

Related Tasks
• Communicate a workaround
• Post knowledge
• Post news

Communicate a workaround
Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can enter a workaround note into a problem record, and then post the information into
every associated incident.

Before you begin

Role required: itil

About this task

The Communicate Workaround related link on the Problem form eliminates the need to
manually update each incident.

Procedure

1. Open the problem for which you have a workaround.

2. Enter the information in the Workaround text box.
3. Click Post.
4. Click the Communicate Workaround related link.
The problem number and the contents of the Workaround field are added to the activity
stream on all related incidents. By default, any entries made in an incident activity
stream field generate an email notification to the Caller on the Incident form.

If group on-call rotation scheduling is in effect when you communicate a workaround,

the system stops the escalations on the associated incidents. Escalations stop because
the workaround has been communicated to the end users. This action effectively
communicates knowledge to the appropriate audience, but does not create a knowledge
article.

Related Tasks
• Use the knowledge check box
• Post knowledge
• Post news

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

Post knowledge
Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can create a knowledge article from the problem immediately, and not wait for when
the problem is closed.

Before you begin

Role required: itil, knowledge

Procedure

1. Open a problem from which to post a knowledge article.

2. Click the Post Knowledge related link.
The resulting knowledge article contains the following information.

• The problem number and Short description become the knowledge article Short
description.
• The problem Description and Work notes become the knowledge article Text.
• The problem Configuration item becomes the knowledge article Configuration Item.
• The article Topic is set to Known Error.

By default, the system creates a knowledge article in Draft workflow state. If the
knowledge submission workflow is enabled, the problem Short description and Work
notes are placed into a knowledge submission instead of an article. For more
information, see Knowledge workflows.

Related Tasks
• Use the knowledge check box
• Communicate a workaround
• Post news

Post news
Last updated: November 16, 2017

You can quickly create and publish a knowledge article in the News category.

Before you begin

Role required: itil

Procedure

1. Open the problem from which to post news.

2. Click the Post News related link.
The resulting knowledge article contains the following information.

• The problem number and Short description become the knowledge article Short
description.
• The problem Description and Work notes become the knowledge article Text.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

• The problem Configuration Item becomes the knowledge article Configuration Item
for the Affected Products related list.

By default, the Post News related link creates an article in the Published workflow state.
These articles appear in the News category of the knowledge portal immediately.

Note: The glide.knowman.submission.workflow property determines whether

Post News is published as news or as a draft submission. If the value of
the property is true then a kb_submission record is created which is a
draft version. If the value of the property is false then a kb_knowledge
with topic News is created and the workflow_state is set to published.

If the knowledge submission workflow is enabled, the problem Short description and
Work notes are placed into a knowledge submission instead of an article. For more
information, see Knowledge workflows.

Related Tasks
• Use the knowledge check box
• Communicate a workaround
• Post knowledge

Out-of-the-box Problem Management Performance

Analytics Solutions
Last updated: November 16, 2017

Performance Analytics Solutions and in-form analytics contain preconfigured best practice
dashboards. These dashboards contain actionable data visualizations that help you improve
your business processes and practices.

Note: You can activate Performance Analytics solutions and in-form analytics on
instances that have not licensed Performance Analytics to evaluate the
functionality. However, to start collecting data you must license Performance
Analytics.

Performance Analytics Solutions

Use the Performance Analytics widgets on the dashboard to visualize data over time,
analyze your business processes, and identify areas of improvement. With solutions, you can
get value from Performance Analytics for your application with minimal setup.

Note: Solutions include some dashboards that are inactive by default. You can
activate these dashboards to make them visible to end users according to
your business needs.

To enable the solution for Problem Management, an admin can navigate to Performance
Analytics > Guided Setup. Click Get Started then scroll to the section for Problem
Management. The guided setup takes you through the entire setup and configuration
process.

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 ServiceNow | Problem Management

In-form analytics
A dashboard with relevant visualizations appears as a pop-up window when a user clicks the

Analytics icon ( ) next to a field. For example, in-form analytics on an incident form
show the expected time to close that incident based on historical data, enabling support
engineers to set appropriate customer expectations.

To enable the in-form analytics plugin for Problem Management, an admin can navigate to
System Definitions > Plugins and activate the Performance Analytics - Context Sensitive
Analytics for Problem Management plugin.

Related Topics
• Available solutions
• Solutions and in-form analytics
• Performance Analytics

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