What term is used to describe an unknown cause of one or more incidents?

The term used to describe an unknown cause of one or more incidents is "Problem." In IT service management, a problem is identified when the root cause of one or more incidents cannot be determined or is not yet known. Problems are typically more significant than individual incidents, as they can lead to multiple incidents occurring across systems or services.

Addressing problems is crucial because it focuses on identifying and eliminating the underlying cause, rather than merely resolving symptoms that appear as incidents. This proactive approach helps improve overall service quality and reduces the likelihood of recurrent incidents.

In contrast, an issue refers to a specific situation that is currently causing problems in a system, while an incident is an event that disrupts normal service operation. A defect, on the other hand, usually indicates a specific flaw or error in software or hardware that can cause incidents but does not encompass the broader sense of unidentified root causes associated with problems.