What is the difference between a problem and an incident?

The distinction between a problem and an incident is fundamental to effective incident management within IT services. A problem refers to the underlying cause of one or more incidents that creates disruption or impacts services. Identifying and understanding a problem allows for a comprehensive resolution that potentially prevents future incidents.

In contrast, an incident is considered a singular event that temporarily disrupts the normal operation of a service. It requires immediate attention to restore service functionality, and it may be addressed through workarounds or temporary fixes. The identification of incidents can highlight problems, but not all incidents will necessarily correlate to a unique problem.

This differentiation is key in prioritizing response efforts during incident management. By addressing the incident, teams can mitigate immediate impacts, while focusing on problem management allows for long-term stability and service improvement.