Problem Management

The Problem Management module is a robust application designed to help ISO-compliant organizations efficiently manage and resolve problems or issues that arise within their operations. It provides a centralized platform for identifying, tracking, investigating, and resolving problems, ensuring compliance with ISO standards for problem management.

Key Features:

Problem Identification : The module allows users to report and log problems or issues that occur within the organization. It provides an easy-to-use interface for capturing problem details, including descriptions, impact assessment, and relevant stakeholders. This feature ensures that all problems are recorded and can be effectively tracked.
Problem Tracking and Workflow : The module facilitates the tracking and management of problem resolution workflows. It enables users to assign problems to designated individuals or teams, set priorities, and establish target resolution dates. Automated notifications and reminders keep stakeholders informed about problem status and progress.
Investigation and Root Cause Analysis : The module supports the investigation and root cause analysis of problems. It provides tools and templates to guide users through the process of identifying the underlying causes of problems. This feature helps organizations understand the root causes and implement effective corrective actions.
Collaborative Problem Solving : The module fosters collaborative problem-solving efforts by enabling teams to work together on problem resolution. It provides features for communication, document sharing, and collaboration, ensuring effective collaboration among stakeholders. This feature helps in sharing knowledge and expertise, leading to more efficient problem resolution.
Corrective Actions and Follow-up : The module helps organizations track and manage corrective actions associated with problem resolution. It allows users to define and assign corrective actions, set target completion dates, and monitor their progress. This feature ensures that appropriate actions are taken to address problems and prevent their recurrence.
Document Management : The module includes a document repository where organizations can store relevant documents related to problem management. It allows users to attach supporting documentation, reports, or investigation findings to problem records. This feature ensures that all necessary information is readily accessible during problem resolution.
Reporting and Analytics : The module generates comprehensive reports and analytics on problem management activities. It provides insights into problem trends, resolution times, and the effectiveness of corrective actions. This feature helps organizations identify recurring issues, measure problem resolution performance, and continuously improve their problem management processes.

Benefits:

Streamlines problem identification, tracking, and resolution processes.
Ensures compliance with ISO standards for problem management.
Promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders.
Facilitates through investigation and root cause analysis.
Enables effective tracking and management of corrective actions.
Provides insights through reporting and analytics for continuous improvement. Overall, the Problem Management module offers a comprehensive solution for ISO-compliant organizations to effectively manage and resolve problems. By providing a centralized platform for problem identification, tracking, investigation, and resolution, the module streamlines problem management processes and ensures compliance with ISO standards for problem management.

Process Flow

#	Process Activity	Responsibility
1	Initiation of Problem	Initiator (Any user)
2	Check validity of the problem and Reject, if required (from Dashboard)	Controller
3	Assignment of OFI	Controller
4	Accept/ Decline the assigned OFI (from Dashboard)	OFI Responsibility
5	Root Cause analysis	OFI Responsibility
6	Recommended actions with responsibility and Target date	OFI Responsibility
7	Accept/ Decline Assigned Action Items (from Dashboard)	Action Item / Responsibility
8	Resolve Action Item	Action Item / Responsibility
9	Verify Action Item and add Verification Comments	OFI Responsibility
10	Time triggered emails for follow up for investigation or actions to those responsible and to OFI Responsibility for verification on resolution of actions	System

Add OFI

Any user can add an OFI by clicking on the Add icon and filling the form. Upon clicking the Submit icon , the field Initiated Date is filled with the Current Date and the Status is changed to Submitted.

OFI Acceptance

The Submitted OFI is available on the Approvals section of the Controller's Dashboard. The Controller can either Reject or Approve the OFI. If Rejected, an Email is sent to the Initiator. If Approved, an OFI# is generated and the OFI is assigned to the Controller and is visible on their Dashboard under ToDo. The Controller can then Reassign to the best team member to work on the issue by updating their name in the field OFI Responsibility and the Status automatically changes to Assigned. The Start Date is set to the Current Date. Controller can also select names to be added to the Distribution List from internal team members or specify email of an external reference.

The person in OFI Responsibility can Decline the assigned OFI by clicking on the Decline icon . If Declined, an Email is sent to the Controller so that the OFI can be re-assigned.

Note: OFI# format is YYMM-NN where YYMM represents year and month and NN running sequence number in the month-year, e.g. 2101-01 starting number for Jan-21 and 2102-01 starting number for Feb-21 and so on.

Root Cause Analysis

The person with OFI Responsibility carries out a Root Cause Analysis and fills up Actual Cause, Potential Cause and Containment Required? in OFI. If Potential Cause is specified, then a Risk must be linked by clicking the Search icon in the Risk# field. This will display list of Risks in RMAT.

Add Action Items

The person then adds one or more Action Items based upon the following rules:

If Actual Cause is specified, then only an Action Item with Action Type=Corrective can be added.
If Potential Cause is specified, then the associated Risk# in RSAT must be filled here.
If Containment Required? is set to Yes, then only an Action Item with Action Type=Containment can be added.

The person with OFI Responsibility specifies the Priority of the Action Items based on which the Target Date is filled. Unless changed by your Sys Admin, the Target Dates are set based upon Priority as follows:

Priority	Priority Description	Maximum Resolution Time
P1	Critical Issue, impacting multiple customers or include outages	1 Week
P2	Major Issue impacting single customer or outage or impact on business	1 Month
P3	Improvement Opportunity no immediate Impact on business or customer but may impact potentially	3 Months
P4	Improvement not necessary but good to have no current or potential impact	12 Months

Note: OFI's Priority is set to the highest Priority of its Action Items.
When the Responsibility is specified and the record is saved, the Status automatically changes to Assigned. The person in Responsibility can Decline the assigned Action Item by clicking on the Decline icon . If Declined, an Email is sent to the OFI Responsibility so that the Action Item can be re-assigned.

When the person assigned the Responsibility of the Action Item updates the Actual Date, the Status changes to Resolved.

Verify Action Items

The person with OFI Responsibility gets an Email Notification when the Status is changed to Resolved. The person can then select the Verification Status as Successful or Rejected and must provide the Verification Comments.

When all Action Items of an OFI are Verified, the status of the OFI automatically changes to Closed and the Closure Date is set to the current date.

Auto-Triggers

Email to Initiator if OFI is Rejected
Email to Controller if the person Assigned OFI Responsibility, Declines the assignment
Email to person with OFI Responsibility if the person Assigned Action Item for that OFI Declines the assignment
Email to person with OFI Responsibility when the person Assigned Action Item for that OFI Resolves the Action Item
Email to initiator, person with OFI Responsibility and Controller once OFI is Closed