Assess a problem

task brazil Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read assess-a-problem.md

Raw file servicenow.com

Assess a problem to determine whether the problem requires a thorough investigation.

Before you begin

Role required: admin, problem_admin, problem_manager, or problem_coordinator
Activate the Problem Management Best Practice — Madrid — State Model (com.snc.best_practice.problem.madrid.state_model) to get the new best practice states and guided actions to navigate the lifecycle of a problem. For details, see Activate Problem Management Best Practice — Madrid — State Model.

About this task

Assessing a problem involves analyzing the scale and extent of the problem, as well as its cause and effect.

Procedure

Click Assess and fill the mandatory fields.

[Omitted image "pm-confirm.png"] Alt text: assess state

After assessing the problem, you can perform any one of the following actions:

Option	Action to be taken
If the problem is valid and requires a resolution	Click Confirm.
If there is an existing problem with similar issue	Click Mark Duplicate.Note: When you mark a problem as duplicate, the related records from the duplicate problem are moved to the existing problem. The List of related task records (comma-separated) to move over when a problem is marked as a duplicate of another (problem.duplicate.records_to_move) problem management property controls the related records that are copied from the existing to the original problem.
If the problem is not a valid problem	Click Cancel.

Option

Action to be taken

If the problem is valid and requires a resolution

Click Confirm.

If there is an existing problem with similar issue

Click Mark Duplicate.Note:

When you mark a problem as duplicate, the related records from the duplicate problem are moved to the existing problem.
The List of related task records (comma-separated) to move over when a problem is marked as a duplicate of another (problem.duplicate.records_to_move) problem management property controls the related records that are copied from the existing to the original problem.

If the problem is not a valid problem

Click Cancel.

## What to do next

After you confirm that the problem needs investigation and a resolution, the problem enters the Root Cause Analysis state.

Parent Topic:Managing Problems

80 lines · 2.7 KB Wrap lines

---
title: Assess a problem
description: Assess a problem to determine whether the problem requires a thorough investigation.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-service-management/problem-management/assess-a-problem.html
release: brazil
product: Problem Management
classification: problem-management
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Managing Problems, Problem Management, IT Service Management]
---

# Assess a problem

Assess a problem to determine whether the problem requires a thorough investigation.

## Before you begin

-   Role required: admin, problem\_admin, problem\_manager, or problem\_coordinator
-   Activate the Problem Management Best Practice — Madrid — State Model \(com.snc.best\_practice.problem.madrid.state\_model\) to get the new best practice states and guided actions to navigate the lifecycle of a problem. For details, see [Activate Problem Management Best Practice — Madrid — State Model](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/brazil/markdown/it-service-management/problem-management/act-pm-best-prac-madrid-state-mod.md).

## About this task

Assessing a problem involves analyzing the scale and extent of the problem, as well as its cause and effect.

## Procedure

1.  Click **Assess** and fill the mandatory fields.

    \[Omitted image "pm-confirm.png"\] Alt text: assess state

    After assessing the problem, you can perform any one of the following actions:

<table id="choicetable_fnv_jzj_wfb"><thead><tr><th align="left" id="d183798e93">

Option

</th><th align="left" id="d183798e96">

Action to be taken

</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td id="d183798e102">

**If the problem is valid and requires a resolution**

</td><td>

Click **Confirm**.

</td></tr><tr><td id="d183798e114">

**If there is an existing problem with similar issue**

</td><td>

Click **Mark Duplicate**.**Note:**

-   When you mark a problem as duplicate, the related records from the duplicate problem are moved to the existing problem.
-   The **List of related task records \(comma-separated\) to move over when a problem is marked as a duplicate of another** \(**problem.duplicate.records\_to\_move**\) problem management property controls the related records that are copied from the existing to the original problem.


</td></tr><tr><td id="d183798e142">

**If the problem is not a valid problem**

</td><td>

Click **Cancel**.

</td></tr></tbody>
</table>
## What to do next

After you confirm that the problem needs investigation and a resolution, the problem enters the **Root Cause Analysis** state.

**Parent Topic:**[Managing Problems](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/brazil/markdown/it-service-management/problem-management/problem-mgmt-lifecycle.md)