Vidareutveckling av incidenthantering : En studie i process och produktutveckling för ökad effektivitet och förebyggande arbete

Sammanfattning

ABSTRACT Date: 2026-05-18 Level: Master thesis in Product and Process Development, advanced level, 30 credits. Institution: School of Innovation, Design and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Christian Illo Title: Further Development of Incident Management Processes A Study in Process and Product Development for Increased Efficiency and Preventive Work Supervisor, company: Johan Haldin Supervisor, Mälardalen University: Antti Salonen Examiner: Moris Behnam Keywords: Incident management, problem management, IT Service Management, ITIL, Business Process Management, Lean, Work System Theory, DORA, banking sector Research questions: 1: How are incident and problem management processes designed, and what deficiencies can be identified in the interplay between these processes? 2: How can incident and problem management processes be developed to support a more efficient and proactive way of working in the banking sector? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyse how incident and problem management processes can be designed and coordinated to increase efficiency and reduce recurring disruptions through a more proactive way of working. Method: The study applies an abductive research approach with elements of action research, combined with a qualitative and quantitative mixed methods design. The research design is an in-depth single case study conducted at a Nordic bank operating on the Swedish market. Empirical data was collected through participatory observation, semi structured interviews with key personnel at strategic and operational levels, and quantitative analysis of the organisation's incident data from the Jira ticketing system. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis guided by the theoretical framework, while the quantitative data was analysed through descriptive statistics and Pareto analysis. The results were subsequently integrated in a combined interpretation step. Conclusion: The study concludes that the case organisation's formal incident management process is well structured and largely aligned with ITIL best practice. However, a significant gap exists between the process as designed and the process as actually applied in daily operations. Five central and interconnected deficiencies were identified: misclassification of tickets, systematic underclassification of incident priority, poor data quality in registrations, a weak coupling between incident and problem management, and insufficient system support in Jira. Together these deficiencies produce what the study describes as a reactive trap, a self reinforcing pattern where the high volume of incidents absorbs organisational capacity, leaving little room for proactive improvement work, which in turn sustains the high volume. To answer RQ1, the conclusion is that while the processes are formally well-defined, their practical application is inconsistent and the integration between incident and problem management is weaker than prescribed. To answer RQ2, the conclusion is that process development should focus on implementing AI-based support in Jira including intelligent guidance at registration, automatic duplicate detection, AI-assisted prioritisation, pattern recognition for recurring incidents and automated solution suggestions combined with targeted training and systematic data-driven follow up. The study further concludes that the identified deficiencies carry direct regulatory implications, as systematic underclassification risks preventing the activation of DORA reporting mechanisms.