Proactive Problem Management

[Kaustubh k]

Hi Team,

We want to Identify Proactive problem management use cases & implementation .One way is to look at the incident data, look for re-curring incidents and this is a manual process. I am looking for some guidance here like what and how  should be the approach 

Thanks in Advance

[adityahubli]

Hello @Kaustubh k ,

In ServiceNow, proactive Problem Management focuses on preventing incidents before they impact users. The recommended approach is to analyze historical incident data to identify recurring issues based on patterns such as the same service, CI, category, or error repeating multiple times. Instead of doing this manually, define thresholds and use reports or dashboards to automatically flag trends and create problem records. High-impact or frequently occurring incidents should be prioritized for root cause analysis. This data-driven approach, aligned with ITIL, helps reduce repeat incidents, improve service stability, and shift teams from reactive support to proactive prevention.

eg. 

If the same application incident is logged multiple times every week, a problem record is created proactively to identify the root cause, such as a memory leak or code issue, before it affects more users.

If this helps you then mark it as helpful and accept as solution.

regards,

Aditya,

Technical Consultant

[yashkamde]

Hello @Kaustubh k ,
The approach should be like,

1)Data Collection & Analysis
- Use Incident Management data as the foundation.
2. Problem Detection Automation
- Enable Problem Auto-Generation rules: ServiceNow can automatically create problem records when thresholds (e.g., 5 similar incidents in 24 hours) are met.
- Use Correlation Engine to group related incidents into a single problem record.
3. Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
- Apply structured RCA techniques (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone diagrams) within ServiceNow’s problem record templates.
- Link problems to Configuration Items (CIs) in the CMDB to identify systemic issues.
4. Knowledge & Workarounds
- Document temporary workarounds in the Knowledge Base for faster incident resolution.
- Ensure permanent fixes are tracked and implemented via Change Management.
5. Continuous Improvement
- Define KPIs: % of problems resolved permanently, reduction in repeat incidents, fewer major outages.
- Review dashboards regularly to refine detection rules and improve automation.

If my response helped mark as helpful and accept the solution..