When an incident is caused by a defect, how should IT teams respond? It’s a question we’ve been answering for years, and it’s still just as relevant, especially in today’s complex, fast-moving environments where software, infrastructure, and services are deeply interconnected. In ITIL 4 , an incident is defined as an unplanned interruption to a service or reduction in the quality of a service . That hasn’t changed. But what happens when the root cause of that interruption is a defect -  an underlying flaw in software, hardware, or configuration? Here's the Modern Approach: Log the incident : The user is experiencing an interruption that needs immediate attention. Document known defect links : If the defect is known (e.g., “already logged with Dev”), link the incident to the problem record , known error , or defect backlog in your tracking system (Jira, Azure DevOps, etc.). Communicate expectations : While the defect may not have a quick fix, the incident response sh...

In a recent conversation I was asked about the difference between an Incident and a Problem. This is one of the most often confused points in all of IT Service Management and ITIL. Part of the confusion comes from the fact that both words are used (at least in the English language) to express similar ideas. Each reference some kind of issue occurring that potentially could lead to human action. However, in ITIL words are more clearly defined and have particular contexts for usage. Incident: Any unplanned event that causes, or may cause, a disruption or interruption to service delivery or quality Problem: The cause of one or more incidents, events, alerts or situations While Incidents have to do with disruption of delivery or quality, problems have to do with causes. From these distinct definitions we can see that not every incident would result in a problem, and not every problem even needs to be related to an incident. Keep in mind that “Incidents never grow up to be Problems.” Th...