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Improve Your Problem Management

A 6-step guide to optimizing BMC Helix ITSM
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Improve Your Problem Management
Challenges (11) Goals (12) 6 Steps Preview Outcomes Data FAQs (4)

Optimize Problem Management in BMC Helix ITSM for Efficiency

Our platform identifies hidden bottlenecks and process friction that impact your service efficiency. You can easily visualize where manual steps or handoffs cause delays in your investigations. This visibility helps you streamline workflows and eliminate the root causes of recurring operational issues.

Download our pre-configured data template and address common challenges to reach your efficiency goals. Follow our six-step improvement plan and consult the Data Template Guide to transform your operations.

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The Strategic Value of Refining Problem Management

Efficient Problem Management is the cornerstone of a stable IT environment. While Incident Management focuses on restoring service as quickly as possible, Problem Management seeks to eliminate the underlying causes of those disruptions. When this process is unoptimized, your IT team remains in a reactive state, fighting the same fires repeatedly. This cycle increases operational costs, reduces user satisfaction, and places unnecessary strain on your technical staff. By optimizing this process within BMC Helix ITSM, you shift from a reactive posture to a proactive strategy that enhances the overall reliability of your business services, ultimately protecting the organization from costly service outages.

Transforming BMC Helix ITSM Data into Actionable Insights

Standard reporting in BMC Helix ITSM often provides a static view of your data, such as the number of open problems or the average time to closure. However, these metrics rarely explain why a particular investigation is stalled. Process mining changes the narrative by reconstructing the entire lifecycle of every problem record using digital footprints from tables like PBM:Problem Investigation and PBM:Known Error. This approach reveals the actual sequence of events, showing you exactly where handoffs fail, where approvals linger, and where rework occurs. Instead of guessing why your cycle time is high, you can see the specific paths that lead to delays, allowing for targeted improvements based on objective evidence rather than anecdotal reports.

Identifying Structural Inefficiencies in Root Cause Analysis

One of the most significant challenges in Problem Management is the transition from identifying a problem to commencing an investigation. In many organizations, a record might sit in a logged or assigned state for days before a specialist begins work. Process mining helps you pinpoint these silent bottlenecks. You might discover that certain support groups are overloaded, causing a backlog, or that the criteria for escalating a problem to the root cause analysis stage are unclear. By analyzing the flow between activities like Investigation Commenced and Root Cause Identified, you can identify if technical teams have the information they need or if they are spending too much time on administrative tasks rather than diagnostic work. Reducing this cycle time is the fastest way to improve your overall IT stability.

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Workarounds and Known Errors

A critical but often overlooked aspect of the process is the speed at which workarounds are published. When a workaround is identified but not documented in the PBM:Known Error form, Service Desk agents continue to struggle with recurring incidents, leading to wasted effort across the entire organization. Process mining allows you to track the duration between Workaround Identified and Workaround Published. If this gap is too wide, it indicates a breakdown in communication that directly impacts your incident volume. By streamlining this specific segment of the workflow, you ensure that the organization benefits from temporary fixes while the permanent solution is being engineered, effectively buying time for your specialists to perform a deep dive analysis without the pressure of mounting incident queues.

Measuring Success and Driving Process Maturity

The ultimate goal of process optimization is to reduce the frequency and impact of incidents on the business. By leveraging process mining, you can establish clear benchmarks for your Problem Management lifecycle. You can measure the effectiveness of your Change Request Initiated activities and verify if permanent fixes are being applied within agreed service level targets. As you implement changes, process mining provides a continuous feedback loop, showing you in real time if your optimizations are working. This data driven approach fosters a culture of transparency and accountability, where teams are empowered to improve their workflows based on facts. Over time, this maturity leads to a significant decrease in recurring issues and a more resilient IT infrastructure.

Getting Started with Process Led Optimization

Improving your Problem Management process does not require a complete overhaul of your ITSM suite. It begins with gaining visibility into your current state. By applying these analysis techniques to your BMC Helix ITSM data, you can start small, perhaps by focusing on a specific high priority service or a frequently occurring problem category. As you uncover and resolve bottlenecks, the resulting reduction in incident volume will free up capacity for your team to tackle even more complex structural improvements. Use this guide and the accompanying templates to begin your journey toward a more stable, efficient, and proactive IT service environment.

Problem Management Root Cause Analysis IT Service Management Service Desk ITSM Operations Incident Reduction Problem Coordinator

Common Problems & Challenges

Identify which challenges are impacting you

Many problem records sit in an unassigned state for days because of unclear ownership or lack of notification awareness. This delay increases the risk of major incidents recurring and reduces the overall responsiveness of the IT department, as critical underlying issues remain unaddressed while the clock is ticking.

ProcessMind visualizes the transition time from record logging to the first assignment in BMC Helix ITSM. This identifies specific support groups or problem categories that consistently lag in taking ownership, allowing for targeted resource adjustments or clearer assignment rules to be implemented.

Problem investigations often enter the investigation commenced phase but remain there indefinitely without meaningful progress updates. These stagnant records prevent the permanent resolution of underlying issues and lead to a growing backlog of unresolved IT debt that eventually results in more service outages.

By tracking the duration of the investigation phase, our solution highlights exactly where the process halts. We surface records that have exceeded typical resolution times in BMC Helix ITSM, enabling problem coordinators to intervene and reallocate resources before the investigation becomes obsolete.

When a workaround is identified but not promptly published to the Knowledge Management system, service desk agents remain unable to resolve incidents quickly. This failure to communicate temporary fixes results in higher mean time to repair for related incidents and increased user frustration while the permanent fix is still being developed.

ProcessMind measures the lag between identifying a workaround and the workaround published activity. This visibility ensures that temporary solutions are disseminated through BMC Helix ITSM rapidly, minimizing the impact of ongoing problems while technical teams focus on the final root cause resolution.

Problem records frequently ping-pong between different technical teams as groups attempt to avoid responsibility or misinterpret the technical scope. This circular routing drastically extends the lifecycle of the problem and delays the start of actual root cause analysis, leading to wasted effort and resource fatigue.

Our analytics engine maps the sequence of assignment activities to reveal ping-pong patterns within BMC Helix ITSM. You can see which support groups are frequently redirecting records, allowing for better training or clearer definition of group responsibilities to stop the cycle of avoidance.

High priority problems often fail to meet their service level targets because of hidden inefficiencies in the investigation and fix stages. Missing these deadlines compromises IT service stability and can lead to internal friction or loss of business trust when critical infrastructure remains unstable longer than agreed.

By correlating SLA due dates with actual process timestamps, ProcessMind identifies the specific activities causing breaches. This allows you to monitor service level targets in real time within BMC Helix ITSM and adjust priorities or workflows before deadlines are missed and service stability is threatened.

Once a root cause is identified, there is often a significant delay before a change request is initiated to apply a permanent fix. This gap leaves the organization vulnerable to recurring incidents even though the technical solution is understood, as the implementation phase is stuck in administrative limbo.

We analyze the time elapsed between the root cause identified activity and the change request initiated event. This exposes friction points in the transition from problem management to change management in BMC Helix ITSM, ensuring that permanent fixes move forward without unnecessary administrative delays.

Teams frequently bypass the post-implementation review phase to quickly close out records and reduce backlogs during busy periods. Without this step, organizations fail to verify that the fix actually worked as intended or capture lessons learned, leading to potential future failures of a similar nature.

ProcessMind tracks the compliance of the post-implementation review conducted activity for every closed problem record. We highlight deviations from the standard process in BMC Helix ITSM, ensuring that all resolution steps are followed for long-term service improvement and compliance requirements.

Problem records are sometimes closed before the resolution is truly verified by the business or technical leads. This leads to the reappearance of the same issue shortly after closure, requiring the record to be reopened or a new one to be created, which complicates reporting and metric accuracy.

Our analysis compares the resolution verified activity against the final closure event in BMC Helix ITSM. We identify instances where the verification step is omitted or rushed, helping teams enforce quality control and ensuring that the underlying cause is truly eradicated before a problem is officially resolved.

When technicians fail to accurately categorize the root cause of a problem, it becomes impossible to identify long-term trends or systemic infrastructure weaknesses. This lack of data prevents management from making informed decisions about infrastructure investments or necessary process changes to improve stability.

ProcessMind identifies records where the root cause category attribute is missing or set to generic values. By highlighting these gaps in BMC Helix ITSM, we help organizations improve data integrity and gain better insights into the actual drivers of IT instability, leading to more effective prevention strategies.

Certain specialized technical teams often become overwhelmed by a high volume of problem assignments, leading to massive backlogs and delayed fixes. This imbalance in workload creates a single point of failure that stalls the entire problem management process and leaves critical services at risk.

By analyzing the volume of active records assigned to each support group, our solution identifies resource bottlenecks. This allows IT managers to rebalance workloads or increase staffing for critical areas within BMC Helix ITSM based on actual throughput data rather than anecdotal evidence.

When the problem management lifecycle is too slow, the same incidents continue to flood the service desk, consuming valuable resources on repetitive tasks. This repetitive cycle drains efficiency and distracts the team from strategic projects and more complex troubleshooting work.

ProcessMind correlates the related incident count with the duration of the investigation and fix phases. By showing how slow problem resolution directly inflates incident volumes in BMC Helix ITSM, we help you build a business case for accelerating permanent fixes to reduce the overall service desk burden.

Typical Goals

Define what success looks like

Rapid assignment ensures that critical problems are addressed by the right experts immediately. By reducing the time a record sits in the logged state, organizations can kickstart investigations sooner and minimize the window of risk for ongoing IT disruptions, improving the overall speed of service recovery.

ProcessMind identifies the exact duration between the logged and assigned activities within BMC Helix ITSM. It highlights specific categories or priority levels where assignment takes longer than average, allowing managers to set benchmarks and monitor real-time improvements in response times.

Finding the underlying cause of an issue is the most labor-intensive part of the process. Shortening this phase directly impacts the speed at which permanent fixes are developed, preventing the accumulation of technical debt and reducing the strain on technical teams who would otherwise be managing recurring incidents.

Our platform analyzes the investigation commenced activity to track the active effort spent on root cause analysis. It reveals hidden bottlenecks where investigations stall, enabling coordinators to intervene and reallocate resources to complex problems before they exceed service level targets.

Providing a workaround quickly is essential to restoring service while a permanent fix is researched. Rapidly publishing these known errors reduces the operational impact of incidents and improves the user experience by giving service desk agents immediate solutions to common issues, thereby increasing service availability.

Using process mining, you can visualize the gap between the initial problem log and the workaround published activity. This data helps identify which support groups are fastest at providing interim relief, allowing you to replicate their efficient workflows across the entire IT organization.

Every time a problem record bounces between support groups, time is lost and context is diluted. Eliminating these ping-pong effects ensures a direct path to resolution, reducing frustration for technical staff and accelerating the overall lifecycle of the record by ensuring it stays with the correct experts.

ProcessMind maps the flow of records between different support groups in BMC Helix ITSM. By identifying common loops and frequent reassignments, you can pinpoint where knowledge gaps exist or where initial triage needs to be improved to ensure the record reaches the right team the first time.

Meeting service level agreements for high-priority problems is critical for maintaining business continuity. Ensuring consistent compliance builds trust with business stakeholders and guarantees that the most impactful issues receive the urgent attention they require, reducing the total duration of critical service outages.

The platform tracks the SLA due date attribute against actual completion times for every problem record. It provides early warning signals for records approaching their limits, helping coordinators prioritize workloads and maintain a perfect record of compliance for critical services.

Once a root cause is identified, the transition to a formal change request should be seamless. Accelerating this handoff ensures that permanent fixes move into production as quickly as possible, permanently removing risks from the IT environment and reducing the time spent in the proposed solution phase.

We analyze the sequence of events from root cause identified to change request initiated. This visibility exposes administrative delays or approval bottlenecks, allowing teams to automate the creation of change records and reduce the idle time between identification and remediation.

Learning from past problems is essential for continuous service improvement. Completing reviews for every major problem ensures that lessons are documented, preventing the recurrence of similar issues and improving the maturity of the IT organization over time through better knowledge sharing.

ProcessMind monitors the presence of the post-implementation review conducted activity before a record is allowed to close. By identifying where this step is frequently skipped, you can enforce compliance and ensure that knowledge is captured and shared across the service desk.

Closing a problem record without verifying the fix often leads to the same issue resurfacing. Implementing a formal verification step ensures that the underlying cause is truly eradicated, which reduces the total volume of future incidents and protects service stability for the entire business.

By analyzing the activity sequence between resolution verified and record closed, our platform highlights instances where records are shut down prematurely. This data helps enforce a quality-first approach, ensuring that every fix is proven effective before the case is finalized.

Accurate data is the foundation of effective problem management. Improving the quality of root cause categories allows for better trend analysis and more targeted investments in technology or training to address systemic issues within the IT infrastructure, leading to long-term stability.

The platform analyzes the root cause category attribute across thousands of records to identify inconsistencies or the overuse of generic categories. This insight enables managers to refine their data entry standards and improve the reliability of their reporting within the BMC Helix ITSM environment.

Balancing the workload across different technical teams prevents individual groups from becoming bottlenecks. Proper resource allocation ensures that all problems, regardless of their category, receive appropriate attention and move through the lifecycle at a consistent and predictable pace.

ProcessMind provides visibility into the volume of open problem records handled by each assigned support group. By identifying teams with disproportionately high workloads or longer processing times, you can make data-driven decisions about staffing, training, and workload balancing.

The primary goal of problem management is to stop incidents from happening again. Reducing the volume of recurring incidents significantly lowers the cost of IT support and increases the availability of business-critical applications, allowing IT staff to focus on innovation rather than maintenance.

We correlate problem records with their related incident count to measure the true impact of each problem. By tracking how quickly incident volumes drop after a permanent fix is applied, you can quantify the return on investment for your problem management efforts and identify which fixes had the greatest impact.

Moving from reactive to proactive problem management prevents issues before they impact users. Identifying trends early allows the organization to address vulnerabilities during scheduled maintenance rather than during emergency fire drills, resulting in a much more stable IT environment.

ProcessMind analyzes the time between incident clusters and the creation of a problem record. By monitoring these patterns, you can identify opportunities to trigger problem investigations earlier, shifting your team focus from firefighting to prevention and reducing the overall impact on the business.

The 6-Step Improvement Path for Problem Management

1

Get the Data Template
2

Export Historical Data
3

Upload Your Dataset
4

Analyze Resolution Flows
5

Optimize Problem Handling
6

Monitor Progress and KPIs
1

Get the Data Template

What to do

Obtain the standardized Excel template designed for BMC Helix Problem Management fields including Problem Investigation and Known Error forms.

View Data Template Guide Download Template
Why it matters

Using a prebuilt structure ensures your lifecycle data aligns perfectly with analytical models, facilitating much faster diagnostic insights.

Expected outcome

A ready to use template for your ITSM data mapping.

YOUR PROCESS INSIGHTS

Discover Real Bottlenecks in Your Helix Problem Flow

ProcessMind provides a transparent view of your BMC Helix ITSM data, exposing exactly where investigations stall and how to speed up permanent fixes.
  • Visualize every step of your investigation cycle
  • Pinpoint exact causes of assignment delays
  • Optimize the speed of workaround documentation
  • Measure the impact of fixes on incident volume
Discover your actual process flow
Discover your actual process flow
Identify bottlenecks and delays
Identify bottlenecks and delays
Analyze process variants
Analyze process variants
Design your optimized process
Design your optimized process

PROVEN OUTCOMES

Measurable Impact on Problem Resolution

Organizations gain deep visibility into Problem Records to streamline root cause analysis and reduce the volume of recurring incidents across the enterprise. These results highlight the efficiency gains possible when insights driven by data are applied to BMC Helix ITSM workflows.

0 % reduction
Quicker Root Cause Discovery

Reduced investigation cycle time

Streamlining the path from investigation start to root cause identification allows technical teams to focus on permanent fixes rather than prolonged diagnosis.
0 x fewer moves
Minimized Record Ping-Pong

Reduction in support reassignments

Identifying bottlenecks in initial routing ensures that problem records reach the correct experts immediately, preventing wasted effort across multiple support groups.
+ 0 % improvement
Improved SLA Adherence

Percentage increase in compliance

Real-time visibility into stalled problem records helps management intervene before SLA targets are missed, ensuring consistent service delivery to the business.
0 % less rework
Reduced Resolution Rework

Fewer reopened problem cases

Validating resolutions before closure ensures that underlying issues are truly fixed, preventing the costly cycle of investigations restarting after a supposed fix.
0 hours saved
Faster Workaround Delivery

Quicker publication of fixes

Accelerating the publication of temporary workarounds significantly reduces the impact of ongoing incidents on end users while the long-term solution is developed.

Actual performance improvements depend on process complexity and data integrity. These figures reflect typical outcomes observed across various enterprise environments.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Process mining visualizes every path a Problem Record takes, which reveals the actual flow instead of the intended one. By analyzing historical event logs, you can identify where records bounce between support groups or get stuck in pending states. This clarity allows teams to remove structural inefficiencies and focus on high impact root cause analysis.

You need a basic event log containing a unique Problem Record ID, a timestamp, and an activity description like Status Change or Assigned Group. This information is typically extracted from the PBM:Problem Investigation tables within the BMC Helix database. Most process mining tools can connect directly to these tables or import CSV exports to map the process flow.

It highlights specific stages where investigations stall, such as when waiting for vendor input or cross departmental feedback. By quantifying the duration of each transition, managers can pinpoint resource gaps or missing documentation that slows down the investigative phase. This data driven approach replaces anecdotal evidence with factual evidence of where delays actually occur.

Initial insights can often be generated within two to four weeks once the data extraction from BMC Helix is established. The first phase focuses on connecting to the system and mapping the primary status changes to create a baseline model. Subsequent weeks are then used to refine the analysis and identify specific optimization opportunities like reducing record reassignments.

Process mining is an excellent tool for identifying data quality issues, such as missing timestamps or incorrect categorization. While poor data can obscure some insights, the visualization often highlights where process steps are being skipped or entered incorrectly by support staff. Fixing these data gaps becomes one of the first improvement goals to ensure future reporting is accurate.

While it cannot fix the process for you, it identifies the root causes of SLA breaches by showing the exact path of records that failed to meet targets. You can compare compliant versus non compliant records to see if specific support groups or problem types are more prone to delays. This allows for targeted training or resource redistribution to ensure priority problems are handled within the required timeframes.

It tracks the hand off between the Problem Management and Change Management modules to see if there is a significant lag. By visualizing this transition, you can see if change requests are being created promptly after a root cause is identified or if they are getting stuck in an administrative loop. This helps streamline the entire lifecycle from identifying a problem to implementing a permanent fix.

It complements standard reporting by providing a longitudinal view of the process rather than just static snapshots of current status. While traditional reports show how many problems are open, process mining shows how those problems moved through the system over time. This deeper level of detail is necessary for true process optimization and identifying hidden bottlenecks that standard dashboards might miss.

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