What does an Incident represent in ITIL?

An Incident in ITIL is defined as an unplanned interruption to a service or a reduction in the quality of a service. This definition is crucial because it emphasizes the unexpected nature of incidents, which can disrupt both operational activities and user experience. The essence of incident management in ITIL is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible while minimizing any adverse impacts on the business.

In this context, planned maintenance events, scheduled upgrades, and performance evaluations do not qualify as incidents. A planned maintenance event is a scheduled activity intended to prevent potential incidents. A scheduled upgrade is also a planned event that aims to enhance system capabilities. A performance evaluation refers to assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of services or processes, which is fundamentally different from dealing with interruptions or unexpected issues. Thus, the focus of incident management is specifically on handling unforeseen disruptions, making the definition of an Incident as an unplanned interruption to a service not just accurate but inherently tied to the operational resilience of IT services.