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Problem Management

Knowledge of the processes involved in problem control, error control and the production of management information; the ability to identify the root cause of problems in a timely and accurate manner and bring them to a successful resolution.

Behavior Statements

Proficiency Level 1 - Basic understanding

Describes goals, objectives, and responsibilities of staff members in problem management.

Identifies commonly occurring types of problems addressed by support staff.

Describes problem reporting and escalation practices.

Differentiates between problems and incidents; cites examples of each.

Proficiency Level 2 - Working experience

Tracks and resolves common types of service related problems.

Monitors specific problems while developing solutions to resolve problems in a timely manner.

Participates in assessing repeated incidents to determine if there is an underlying problem.

Performs major problem management activities designed to improve the general quality of IT services.

Utilizes procedures for monitoring problem resolution and providing feedback to customers.

Proficiency Level 3 - Extensive experience

Coaches junior staff on handling a variety of service related problems.

Identifies and evaluates alternative approaches to resolving service problems.

Estimates costs and benefits of potential solutions and makes recommendations.

Conducts trend and root cause analysis to identify and address recurring problems.

Receives, clarifies and resolves a variety of standard and atypical problems.

Monitors and improves problem reporting, tracking, escalation and resolution.

Proficiency Level 4 - Subject matter depth and breadth

Creates a tracking system to effectively control problem management processes and workflow.

Reviews error control best practices to effectively resolve problems.

Designs and implements processes and best practices used in handling unusual problems.

Leads in the selection, implementation and operation of problem reporting and tracking of software.

Develops industry benchmarks within one's own organization.

Recommends improvements on industry and marketplace experiences, vendors and tools.

Interview Questions

  • What kind of recurring problems have you encountered and how did you ensure they did not happen again?
  • Tell me about your past experience with problem management.
  • Describe how you would go about reporting and escalating a problem.
  • What approaches have you employed in order to isolate the root cause of a problem?

Titles with Shared Competencies