What is an incident
An incident represents an unplanned interruption of IT services that compromises the proper functioning of those services within an organization. This type of event can have consequences ranging from individual users to affecting the entire business operation.
In detail, it refers to any anomaly that reduces or blocks the quality of an IT service, with direct repercussions on the efficiency of systems and the teams involved.
Common examples of incidents include server crashes, cybersecurity breaches, or even simple device malfunctions.
The main goal of incident management is to ensure the quick and complete restoration of service, minimizing downtime and the impact on the organization.
What are the 7 phases of incident management
Incident management is an ITIL practice aimed at IT professionals, with the goal of minimizing the negative effects of events and ensuring the restoration of normal service operations as quickly as possible. The optimal handling of an incident unfolds through an ordered sequence of phases, each playing a specific role within the management cycle.
PHASE 1: Incident reporting
An incident can be reported through various channels, such as email or online forms. The main objective of this phase is to formally document the event by collecting all necessary information from the ticket’s creation, ensuring proper tracking and data retention.
PHASE 2: Incident classification
Once the incident has been identified, it is essential to classify it according to its type, the IT area involved, or the affected activity. This step involves assigning the incident to specific categories, based on its nature, impact level, and urgency.
PHASE 3: Assessment of impact and urgency
The priority for handling the incident is determined based on its impact on the organization and the urgency of resolution. A priority matrix is often used, categorizing cases into levels such as critical, high, medium, or low, thus defining the order of intervention.
PHASE 4: Assignment of responsibility
After classification and prioritization, the incident is forwarded to the technician or team with the most appropriate expertise to resolve it. This ensures faster and more effective handling, reducing resolution times.
PHASE 5: Planning of activities
The aim of this phase is to efficiently plan and coordinate the actions needed to resolve the issue. Depending on the complexity of the incident, it may be necessary to break it down into multiple targeted tasks. Here, the incident is organized into individual operational activities, each assigned to specific technicians or teams.
PHASE 6: SLA monitoring
Throughout the entire management process, it is crucial to ensure compliance with SLAs (Service Level Agreements), which define the response and resolution times for the incident. If these timelines are not met, an escalation mechanism is triggered toward higher levels of support. SLAs vary depending on factors such as the incident category, the identity of the user involved, the level of impact, and the urgency reported.
PHASE 7: Resolution and operational closure
An incident is considered resolved when an effective solution is provided—either temporary or permanent. Once the issue is resolved, the user is informed, and upon confirmation of their satisfaction, the ticket is officially closed, completing the process.
Post-incident review
The post-incident review represents an essential phase to be carried out at the end of incident management, with the aim of drawing useful lessons, optimizing future processes, and identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and possible corrective actions.
The main goal of this review is to promote continuous improvement in the incident management process by capitalizing on mistakes and issues encountered. The review is structured around two main areas of evaluation: internal and external.
The internal evaluation focuses on how the incident was managed within the IT team. It involves analyzing the effectiveness of the initial detection of the issue, assessing, for instance, which tools or technologies could help prevent similar events in the future.
It also verifies compliance with standard operating procedures, adherence to the defined management process, any deviations and their reasons, including observance of SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
The external evaluation includes the perspective of end users. It collects feedback regarding user experience—for example, the ease of reporting the incident, the quality of the interaction received, and the speed of resolution.
Incident Management with Rexpondo
Rexpondo is a ticketing and ITSM (IT Service Management) software solution. Regarding incident management, Rexpondo aims to restore normal service operations as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to business, ensuring that the highest levels of service and availability are maintained.
In the event of an incident, a workaround can be implemented—that is, a temporary fix or an alternative sequence of actions to resolve the incident.
