how can I create a report - average time to root cause ( Problem Management )

[pramn]

how can I create a report - average time to root cause ( Problem Management )

[demoduffer]

Hello @pramn ,

You can measure Average Time to Root Cause (ATRC) in ServiceNow by tracking the time between when a problem is created and when its root cause is confirmed.

You can use metric definitions to measure durations between field changes or custom events.

Field Value Duration: Measure time from when a problem is created until a specific state change (e.g., “Root Cause Identified”).

Script Calculation: Run a script when a Problem Task state changes to calculate the difference between creation date and the event date, storing it in the metric_instance table

After the calculation you can create a report(sys_report)

Data source: Problem table.

Filters: Filter by Problem state (e.g., “Root Cause Identified” or “Resolved”).

Fields:

problem_created_on

problem_task_list.sys_created_on (or use the stored metric value)

problem_task_list.state

Calculation: Use a formula field or script to compute (task_date - problem_created_on) for each problem.

Aggregation: Group by Problem state or Problem Category, then calculate the average.

Tip: If you want to measure ATRC for incidents before they become problems, you can also create a similar metric on the Incident table, tracking from incident creation to problem creation.

By combining Problem Management lifecycle tracking with Metric Definitions, you can reliably measure and report ATRC in ServiceNow, helping you identify bottlenecks in root cause analysis and improve problem resolution efficiency.
Use Performance Analytics to validate and refine metrics

[DumitruSebC4448]

Hi Pramn,

If the goal is to measure the average time spent in the "Root Cause Analysis" state, you can leverage the out-of-the-box Problem State Duration metric definition.

Every time a Problem changes state, ServiceNow automatically creates metric instances that store the start time, end time, and calculated duration for that specific state. For example, when a Problem enters the Root Cause Analysis state, a record is created in the Metrics table with:

• Definition = Problem State Duration
• Value = Root Cause Analysis
• Duration = time spent in that state

To build a report:

1. Create a report on the Metric Instance [metric_instance] table.
2. Filter on:
   • Definition = Problem State Duration
   • Value = Root Cause Analysis
   • Calculation complete = true (to exclude active/open metric instances)
3. Use the Average aggregation on the Duration field.
4. Optionally group by Assignment Group, Category, Priority, Business Service, or time period to analyze trends.

This approach does not require any custom calculation because the state duration is already captured automatically by the OOTB metric definition. The report simply aggregates the metric instances generated for the Root Cause Analysis state.