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ITIL :: View topic - Closing problems where a cause cannot be found
Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 7:22 pm Post subject: Closing problems where a cause cannot be found
What do you guys think about closing problems which just go down as 'unknown'? We all have them- incidents which just seem to happen and a cause can't be found.
I'm thinking really that once any actions resulting from the problem (ie improving procedures to cope if / when it re-occurs) are complete, it should just be closed off after a while- mainly due to the fact that I'm just getting this list of problems where nothing is going to happen on them. Do others think the same? Do you leave problems open for a specific period if a cause isn't found? Or do you leave problems open for an indefinite period?
We leave them in a "Stalled" state. And track how many of those we have and how long they've been open. _________________ v3 ITIL Expert
v2 ITIL Service Manager Certified
When costs for analysis reaches a point where time and resources for further root cause analysis is much higher than the symptoms you want to solve, focus on a workaround or communication.
In that kind of situation, we "close" the problem and send the information (problem description, workaround) to the knowledge base.
Incidents are still related to the problem to keep track of the frequency/if total occurrences will not suddenly rise.
Joined: Nov 01, 2004 Posts: 81 Location: Sask, Canada
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:11 pm Post subject: Re: Closing problems where a cause cannot be found
insider wrote:
... mainly due to the fact that I'm just getting this list of problems where nothing is going to happen on them ...
here's another quote - "nothing is more fatiguing than the hanging on of an uncompleted task"... That darn list of 'all-options exhausted-now what?' problems starts to get annoying real fast. In my previous existence, I created a status of 'watch for it', which became 'cancelled' after a period (3-6 months) of no reoccurrence. Wish I thought of 'Stalled' to 'Cancelled' - has more style. In my experience, RARELY if ever, did these reoccur.
I must be feeling chatty tonight. Not sure if this info added any value
/Sharon _________________ In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is!
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