ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
An organization is experiencing repeated incidents due to a software bug. The problem manager has identified the root cause and documented a known error with a workaround. According to ITIL 4, in which phase of problem management are they operating?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Error control
Error control is the phase where known errors are managed, workarounds are documented, and resolution is pursued. Problem identification is the first phase, and problem control involves root cause analysis.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Incident resolution
Why it's wrong here
Incident resolution focuses on restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible following an incident. While repeated incidents might trigger problem management, incident resolution itself is a reactive process aimed at immediate service restoration, not the proactive identification or management of underlying causes. It does not address the known root cause that leads to repeated incidents, which is the domain of problem management. Therefore, it's not the phase for managing a known error.
- ✓
Error control
Why this is correct
Error control is the specific phase within problem management that deals with known errors, which are problems with an identified root cause. When an organization experiences repeated incidents due to a known root cause, error control focuses on managing these known errors, implementing workarounds to reduce impact, and planning permanent solutions to eliminate the error. This phase ensures that the underlying issue is actively managed until a definitive fix is deployed.
- ✗
Problem identification
Why it's wrong here
Problem identification is the initial phase of problem management where potential problems are detected and logged, often triggered by multiple incidents, monitoring alerts, or trend analysis. At this stage, the root cause is typically not yet known; the focus is on recognizing that an underlying issue likely exists. Since the question states the root cause is known, this phase has already been completed, making it an incorrect choice for managing the known error.
- ✗
Problem control
Why it's wrong here
Problem control is the phase of problem management dedicated to understanding the underlying causes of problems, primarily through root cause analysis. Its objective is to identify the true cause of incidents and document it. However, once the root cause has been successfully identified and documented, the problem transitions into a "known error," and its management then falls under the subsequent phase of error control, not problem control.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This ITIL4F question is part of Courseiva's 531-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ITIL4F practice question is part of Courseiva's free PeopleCert certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ITIL4F exam.