Process 2: Filter the Problem

The next process is to filter the problem to determine if solving it should be pursued.

Figure 4. Filtering the problem

Activities: Filter theProblem

During this process, you filter the problem to decide whether to pursue solving it.

Table 5. Activities and Considerations for Filtering the Problem

Activities

Considerations

Filter the problem

Key questions:

• Has a problem record already been created for the problem?
• What is the business justification for researching this problem?
• How many hours will it take to reproduce the problem?
• What is the payoff if a fix is found?

Inputs:

• Data from the problem record
• Experience from past similar problems
• IT Service Catalog

Output:

• Determination to continue work on the problem or to close the record

Best practices:

• Turning down a challenge can be difficult for motivated and curious IT professionals. After all, technology is driven by a desire to understand how things work and how to fix them when they stop working. However, when it comes to managing the IT resources in a business, a proper balance must be maintained. There must be a justifiable reason for solving the problem.
• The filtering activity demands an objective review of the problem. If the benefit of fixing it does not significantly outweigh the cost of researching and fixing the problem, then a fix probably should not be attempted. If more data is discovered later that provides more details, the problem can be revisited.

This accelerator is part of a larger series of tools and guidance from Solution Accelerators.

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