The answer is proactively preventing incidents from occurring, along with problem identification and root cause analysis, which are the three correct purposes or activities of the Problem Management practice. In ITIL 4, Problem Management focuses on diagnosing the underlying causes of incidents and managing known errors to reduce their impact and recurrence, with proactive prevention being a key differentiator from reactive Incident Management. On the ITIL 4 Foundation exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish Problem Management’s core activities from those of other practices—a common trap is confusing “restoring service” (Incident Management) or “approving changes” (Change Enablement) with problem resolution. To remember this, think of the “3 P’s”: Problem identification, Proactive prevention, and root cause analysis—each starts with a different letter but all belong to Problem Management.
ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
This ITIL4F practice question tests your understanding of itil management practices. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which THREE of the following are purposes or activities of the Problem Management practice?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Identify the root cause of incidents
Problem Management includes problem identification, root cause analysis, and known error management. Options A, B, and C are correct. Option D is Incident Management; Option E is Change Enablement.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Identify the root cause of incidents
Why this is correct
Problem Control phase determines root cause.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Document known errors and workarounds
Why this is correct
Error Control phase manages known errors.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Proactively prevent incidents from occurring
Why this is correct
Problem Management aims to prevent incidents through root cause analysis and proactive activities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Assess and authorize changes to resolve known errors
Why it's wrong here
Change Enablement authorizes changes; Problem Management may initiate change requests but does not authorize them.
✗
Restore normal service operation as quickly as possible
Why it's wrong here
This is the purpose of Incident Management.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the ITIL4F exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which ITIL4F exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
ITIL Management Practices — This question tests ITIL Management Practices — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Identify the root cause of incidents — Problem Management includes problem identification, root cause analysis, and known error management. Options A, B, and C are correct. Option D is Incident Management; Option E is Change Enablement.
What should I do if I get this ITIL4F question wrong?
Identify which ITIL4F exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which THREE of the following are key activities of the Problem Management practice?
hard
✓ A.Problem identification
✓ B.Error control
C.Change authorization
✓ D.Problem control
E.Incident resolution
Why A: Problem Management has three phases: problem identification (detecting problems), problem control (root cause analysis), and error control (managing known errors and workarounds).
Variation 2. Which THREE of the following are activities of the Problem Management practice?
hard
✓ A.Problem identification
✓ B.Root cause analysis
C.Managing changes
✓ D.Managing known errors
E.Monitoring services for events
Why A: Problem Management includes problem identification, root cause analysis (problem control), and managing known errors (error control). Monitoring services is part of Monitoring and Event Management. Managing changes is part of Change Enablement.
Variation 3. Which THREE of the following are key activities of the Problem Management practice?
hard
✓ A.Problem identification
✓ B.Root cause analysis
C.Restoring service as quickly as possible
✓ D.Managing known errors
E.Fulfilling service requests
Why A: Problem Management includes problem identification, problem control (root cause analysis), and error control (managing known errors).
Variation 4. Which THREE of the following are key activities of Problem Management?
hard
A.Restoring service as quickly as possible
✓ B.Problem identification
✓ C.Creating known error records
D.Authorizing changes
✓ E.Root cause analysis
Why B: Problem identification (B) is a key activity of Problem Management because it involves detecting and logging problems before they cause major incidents. This proactive approach relies on analyzing incident trends, monitoring alerts, and reviewing known error data to identify underlying issues. Without problem identification, the process cannot initiate root cause analysis or create known error records.
Variation 5. Which TWO of the following are key activities of Problem Management?
medium
✓ A.Conducting root cause analysis
B.Authorizing changes to resolve incidents
C.Restoring normal service as quickly as possible
D.Managing service requests from users
✓ E.Identifying problems from incidents
Why A: Problem management includes problem identification and root cause analysis (problem control). Restoring service is incident management, and managing changes is change enablement.
Variation 6. Which practice in ITIL 4 includes the activities of problem identification, problem control, and error control?
hard
A.Incident Management
B.Change Enablement
C.Service Level Management
✓ D.Problem Management
Why D: Option D is correct because Problem Management is the ITIL 4 practice specifically designed to manage the lifecycle of all problems. Its core activities are problem identification (detecting and logging problems), problem control (analyzing and documenting workarounds and root causes), and error control (managing known errors through the lifecycle until a permanent resolution is implemented).
Variation 7. Which TWO activities are part of the problem identification phase of Problem Management?
medium
A.Organizing workarounds into known-error records
✓ B.Trend analysis of incident records
C.Root cause analysis
✓ D.Analyzing incident data for patterns
E.Implementing a known error
Why B: Problem identification involves proactively identifying potential issues. Option A (trend analysis) and Option D (analyzing incident data) are correct methods. Option B (implementing a known error) is error control. Option C (root cause analysis) is problem control. Option E (organizing workarounds) is error control.
Variation 8. In the context of ITIL 4, which activity is part of Problem Management but NOT part of Incident Management?
hard
A.Applying workarounds to restore service
✓ B.Conducting root cause analysis
C.Logging and categorizing issues
D.Escalating issues to higher-level support
Why B: Problem Management includes root cause analysis (problem control) and error control (known errors). Incident Management focuses on restoring service quickly. Option B is unique to Problem Management. Options A, C, and D are part of both or only incident management.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.