A problem has been investigated and its cause is now understood, but no permanent fix has been implemented. Meanwhile, restarting a service every morning keeps users working. Which terms apply?
ITIL 4 Foundation, objective 6. Purpose and key terms of 15 ITIL practices hard
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The options
Not correct The analysed but unresolved problem is a workaround; the morning restart is a known error
The two terms are swapped. A workaround is an action or solution, never a record of an analysed problem.
Correct The analysed but unresolved problem is a known error; the morning restart is a workaround
Correct. A known error is a problem that has been analysed but has not been resolved, and a workaround is a solution that reduces or eliminates impact when a full resolution is not yet available.
Not correct The analysed but unresolved problem is an incident; the morning restart is its resolution
An incident is an unplanned interruption experienced now, not an analysed cause. And a restart that must be repeated daily is by definition not a resolution.
Not correct Both the analysed problem and the morning restart are recorded as known errors
Only the analysed, unresolved problem becomes a known error. The recurring restart is the workaround, which is documented against that known error.
Why
'Known error' is a status a problem reaches, not a separate kind of object: analysed, not yet resolved. A workaround is what you do in the meantime. Workarounds are not only used after an incident — some workarounds reduce the likelihood that incidents occur at all, and documented workarounds also speed up incident management.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- ITIL 4 syllabus clause 6
- What it says
- A known error is a problem that has been analysed but not resolved; a workaround reduces or eliminates impact where a full resolution is not yet available.
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a set from objective 6 and space the ones you get wrong.