“It is not a problem, it is an incident” – Or could it be the inverse?

Let us admit it… One of the most commonly confused concepts in IT is the difference between an incident and a problem. Even we – IT professionals – often sense the distinction but struggle to articulate it clearly.

Here is a real-life example:

It is 9:00 AM. People are starting their workday. Suddenly, calls start coming in:

– “VPN is not working.”

– “Outlook will not open.”

– “The system is slow.”

What do we do? We open an incident. We try to restore the customer’s access to the service. Because an incident = an unexpected interruption or degradation in service quality.

But if the same issue keeps happening repeatedly, we need to think deeper: This is no longer just an incident. This is a problem – meaning an underlying cause that is not yet identified.

What does ITIL v4 say?

An incident is an event that affects the user and needs to be resolved immediately. A problem is about investigating and eliminating the root cause of one or more incidents.

To put it simply:

– “You hurt your foot” – that is an incident.

– “Why do you keep twisting your foot in the same spot?” – that is a problem.

Why is this distinction important?

Because if we only resolve incidents without analyzing and eliminating problems, we are constantly putting out the same fire.

This approach may bring short-term relief, but in the long run, it leads to wasted resources, user dissatisfaction, and loss of trust.

Practical recommendations:

– Log recurring incidents of the same type – this is the first step toward problem analysis.

– When a problem is identified, look beyond just a workaround – aim for a permanent solution.

– Dedicate time to problem management – this falls into the “important but not urgent” category.

– When a problem is resolved, document the root cause analysis – it will save you significant time in the future.

What do you think?

– Does your team treat incidents and problems as separate approaches?

– Have you ever found yourself solving the same issue over and over again?