Creation from an Incident (Reactive Problem Management)

Once logged into ServiceNow and viewing an Incident:

  1. Ensure the Incident is in a Resolved state; with all mandatory fields populated with final, known information.
  2. Right Click on the Top Menu Bar
  3. Select “Create Problem”
  4. This action will instantly create a Problem Ticket.

A brand new Problem record will open up in the form view.  Certain fields will be pre-populated based upon data from the Incident ticket, which is why it is critical to ensure the Incident is filled out properly with the data you want to be carried into Problem.

  • Client Service – for the root cause CI on the Incident
  • Service Component – for the root cause CI on the Incident
  • Configuration Item – for the root cause CI on the Incident
  • Description – from the Description listed on the Incident
  • Short Description – from the Short Description on the Incident
  • Resolution – The Incident Resolution will be carried over into the Problem’s Activity Log.
  • Incident # – The Incident # will be entered into the “Incident/Service Request” Related List.

Note 1: The initial release of Problem Management will only allow for certain users (Incident Coordinators) to be able to perform this function. Not every ITIL user will see the following functionality.

Note 2: Incidents should be worked and resolved before the reactive Problem management process kicks in.  It is for this reason that the Incident must be in a status of Resolved in order to Create a Problem from an Incident.

Manual Creation (Proactive Problem Management)

The following steps will take you through the actions necessary in order to create a new Problem.

Once logged into ServiceNow:

  1. Navigate to the Problem Module; expand if necessary
  2. Click on Create New

A brand new Problem record will open up in the form view.  Certain fields will be pre-populated:

  • Problem Number – system generated unique identifier
  • Assignment Group – Primary Group of logged in user
  • Opened – the date and time the form was initially opened (not saved)
  • Priority – Defaults to 4- Low.

The following fields will be mandatory in order to save this new Problem record: 

  •  Short Description – User must enter a meaningful, but short description of the Problem. This will be utilized in list views to help users recall the Problem.
  • Assignment Group – may be changed to a more appropriate group, if necessary. See Managing Problems for further information.

Fields should be populated as soon as information is available.

  • Client Service – for the root cause configuration item
  • Service Component – for the root cause configuration item
  • Configuration Item – the root cause configuration item
  • Service Owner – the Service Owner will be automatically populated when the Client Service field is populated. 
  • Description – full details of the Problem.

Note 1: For initial rollout of the Problem Management application, the ability to Create New problems will be restricted to three Assignment Groups: Problem Management, Service Owner, and Incident Coordinators.