Which best describes the relationship between incident management and problem management in ITIL?

• A. Incident management identifies root causes
• B. Problem management restores service quickly
• C. Incident management restores service quickly; problem management identifies root causes; they are complementary
• D. Problem management is only for major incidents

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how incident handling and problem investigation work together in ITIL. Incident management is all about getting things back to normal as fast as possible after a disruption. It uses quick, repeatable steps, workarounds, and escalation to minimize downtime and impact on users while a resolution is found.

Problem management, in contrast, digs into why the disruption happened in the first place. It analyzes incidents to uncover root causes, creates permanent solutions or changes, and records known errors to prevent recurrence. The aim is to reduce the likelihood of future incidents and speed up future recovery by removing underlying issues.

These two functions complement each other. Incident management provides the rapid restoration and collects information about the disruption, which problem management then uses to identify and fix the underlying cause. In turn, the fixes from problem management reduce how often incidents occur and can improve the speed of future restorations. It’s also worth noting that problem management isn’t limited to major incidents; it addresses patterns and root causes that may arise from multiple incidents.

So the best description is that incident management restores service quickly; problem management identifies root causes; they are complementary.