---
sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/it-service-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia IT Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itsm

bundleId :

    - itsm

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Life cycle of a problem

# Life cycle of a problem {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read  
Problem Management is responsible for managing the life cycle of underlying
problems. State transition of a problem guides you through the stages of a problem life cycle,
from creation to closure.  
Problem Management has one single goal: Identifying and resolving the underlying issues that cause Incidents. Problem Management is a systematic, methodical process where time to resolution is less important than identifying and resolving the root cause.  
Note:  
The state-based information is available only in new instances starting from the Madrid release. Activate the Problem Management Best Practice --- Madrid --- State Model (com.snc.best_practice.problem.madrid.state_model) plugin. Existing users (London and prior releases) cannot activate this plugin.  
The Problem Management process has many states, and each is vitally important to the success of the process and the quality of service delivered. The different states can be represented in a diagram as follows:Figure 1. Problem Management state transitions  
Note:  
You can use Problem Management models to tailor processes for specific use cases. For more information, see [Problem Management models](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/jb0xFy7CIgh8iXdMEijadg "You can use Problem Management models to tailor processes for specific use cases.").