Are you communicating problems or having problems communicating?
Problem management is often the most under used process, and is described by some as the “if we only have the time” process. In reality it is a process that if used correctly adds real value to the business, and supports all of the other service management processes. To get there, there is a need to invest both time and resource—the very things that problem managers have little of.
Another issue is that problem management requires a combination of skills and approaches which are often lacking in many organizations. In addition, organizations get used to implementing permanent workarounds, ignoring the obvious benefits to both the business and ICT of investigating the source and eliminating the problem for good with a permanent change.
Fox IT, John Griffiths, describes the communication issues present in the Service Desk → Incident Management → Problem Management chain and provides some ideas for aligning the communication channels.