> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ravenna.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Problem type

> Use the Problem ticket type in Ravenna for ITIL problem management: track the root cause behind recurring incidents separately from the incidents themselves.

In ITIL, a problem is the cause, or potential cause, of one or more incidents. Incident management restores service quickly; problem management investigates why it broke and removes the cause so it doesn't come back. Once the cause and a workaround are known, the problem becomes a known error.

Set a ticket's type (ITSM-aligned classification of a ticket) to **Problem** to track that investigation as its own piece of work.

***

## When to use Problem

Open a Problem ticket when you need to find and fix a cause, not just restore service:

* The same incident keeps coming back, such as VPN drops every Monday morning
* A major incident is resolved with a workaround, and the root cause still needs work
* A trend in your reports points at an underlying fault, such as rising printer errors on one floor
* You want to record a known error and its workaround for the team

Keep reporting each outage or failure as an [incident](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/incidents.md). The Problem ticket sits alongside them and owns the investigation.

***

## Set the Problem type

> [accordion] In the web app
>
> * Set **Problem** as the default type on the forms (Structured intake forms with custom fields) for this kind of request, such as an internal "Problem investigation" form. See [Configure default types](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/types#configure-default-types).
> * Change the **Type** property on a ticket, or select several tickets in a list and update their type with a bulk action.

> [accordion] With Copilot
>
> Ask Copilot to set or change the type on a ticket you're looking at, or to find tickets of this type.
>
> Reclassify a ticket with Copilot.
>
> This keeps happening, reclassify this ticket as a problem.

> [accordion] Automatically
>
> * Add an agent rule (Instructions the AI agent follows when it handles a request) that sets the type, for example: "If the user describes an issue that keeps recurring, set type to Problem."
> * Set **Type** in a workflow's **Create Ticket** or **Update Ticket** action.

***

## Put Problem tickets to work

> [accordion] Connect the incidents
>
> Link the affected tickets to the Problem ticket so the investigation has the full history. Use [ticket relations](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/relations.md) to make them child tickets of the problem, or make the Problem ticket the [incident tracker](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/incidents.md) when you also want status, priority, and replies to reach every affected requester. Being a tracker is separate from type, so a tracker can stay a Problem.

> [accordion] Plan the investigation
>
> Break the root cause analysis into [tasks](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/tasks.md) with owners, and apply a task template if you run the same steps for every problem.

> [accordion] Record the known error
>
> When you find the cause and a workaround, [generate a knowledge article](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/automate/knowledge/generate-articles.md) from the ticket so agents and the AI agent can answer the next report straight away.

> [accordion] Review open problems
>
> Save a [view](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/organize/views.md) filtered to **Type is Problem** for regular problem reviews, and track how long problems stay open in [analytics](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/measure/analytics.md).

Learn more about [ticket types](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/types)


## Related topics

- [Types](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/types.md)
- [Knowledge gaps](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/automate/knowledge/knowledge-gaps.md)
- [Change type](https://docs.ravenna.ai/documentation/tickets/types/change.md)
- [List request types](https://docs.ravenna.ai/api/request-types/list-request-types.md)
- [Update a request type](https://docs.ravenna.ai/api/request-types/update-a-request-type.md)


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