ITIL ITIL-4-Foundation - ITIL 4 Foundation Exam

A service request is defined as a request from a user or a user’s authorized representative that initiates a service action which has been agreed as a normal part of service delivery.

The purpose of the service request management practice is to support the agreed quality of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner. Service request management is dependent upon well-designed processes and procedures, which are operationalized through tracking and automation tools to maximize the efficiency of the practice. To be handled optimally, service request management should follow these guidelines:

Service requests and their fulfilment should be standardized and automated to the greatest degree possible.

Policies should define which service requests will be fulfilled with limited or even no additional approvals so that fulfilment can be streamlined.

The expectations of users regarding fulfilment times and costs should be clearly set, based on what the organization can realistically deliver.

Opportunities for improvement should be identified and implemented to produce faster fulfilment times and take advantage of automation.

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An output is a tangible or intangible deliverable of an activity, while an outcome is a result for a stakeholder enabled by one or more outputs1. A service provider produces outputs that allow customers to achieve outcomes2. A service consumer utilizes the outputs and benefits from the outcomes2.

The ‘progress iteratively with feedback’ guiding principle encourages organizations to break down complex initiatives into smaller, simpler, and more manageable units of work1. This principle also recommends seeking and acting on feedback from stakeholders, avoiding big-bang approaches, and adapting plans based on new information2. However, this principle does not advise prohibiting changes to plans, analysing the whole situation in detail, or reducing the number of steps that produce tangible results, as these would be contrary to the iterative and adaptive nature of this principle3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 7; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 27; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Progress Iteratively with Feedback, page 9.

Customers are one of the key stakeholder groups that service providers should cooperate with. Customers are the persons who define the requirements for a service and take responsibility for the outcomes of service consumption1. Customers can be internal or external to the service provider’s organization2. Customers are essential for value co-creation, as they provide feedback, resources, and demand for services3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 5; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 18; [ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Customer Relationship Management], page 7.

The ITIL guiding principle ‘focus on value’ states that everything an organization does should link back, directly or indirectly, to value for itself, its customers, and other stakeholders1. A good way to apply this principle is to understand why services are used by service consumers, what outcomes they enable, and how they contribute to value creation2. This helps to align the service provider’s activities and resources with the needs and preferences of the service consumers3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 6; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 24; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Focus on Value, page 9.

The ITIL SVS describes how all the components and activities of the organization work together as a system to enable value creation.

The SVS is made up of specific inputs, elements, and outputs relevant to service management. The key inputs to the SVS are opportunity and demand. The output of the SVS is value delivered by products and services.

Opportunity refers to options or possibilities to add value for stakeholders or otherwise improve the organization.

Demand refers to need or desire for products and services among internal and external consumers.

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Error control also regularly re-assesses the status of known errors that have not been resolved, taking account of the overall impact on customers and/or service availability, and the cost of permanent resolutions, and effectiveness of workarounds

https://www.bmc.com/blogs/itil-problem-management/#:~:text=Error%20control%20also%20regularly%20re,resolutions%2C%20and%20effectiveness%20of%20workarounds .

An asset is defined as anything that is useful or valuable within a product or service. This value is generally determined financially: how much an asset costs versus how much it saves.

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A known error is a problem that has been analysed but not resolved1. This means that the root cause of the problem has been identified, but a permanent solution has not been implemented yet2. A known error can be recorded in a known error database (KEDB) and linked to related incidents and problems3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 15; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 35; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Problem Management, page 8.

In ITIL, there are six activities in the service value chain which represent the steps an organization takes in the creation of value:

Plan

Engage

Design and Transition

Obtain/Build

Deliver and Support

Improve

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The purpose of the continual improvement practice is to align the organization’s practices and services with changing business needs through the ongoing identification and improvement of services, service components, practices, or any element involved in the efficient and effective management of products and services1. This practice needs the right culture to be embedded across the entire organization, as it requires a shared vision, commitment, empowerment, collaboration, learning, and measurement2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 15; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 34; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Continual Improvement, page 7.

A service level agreement (SLA) is a documented agreement between a service provider and a customer that identifies both services required and the expected level of service1. A necessity to a successful SLA is that the language and terms used in the SLA should be commonly understood by all parties, to avoid ambiguity, confusion, and disputes2. The other statements are not true because:

Base the SLA on system-based metrics that are useful to the service provider: The SLA should be based on customer-based metrics that are meaningful to the customer and reflect the value of the service2.

In order to promote consistent service, they should be carried forward, unchanged, from one year to the next: The SLA should be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changing business needs, customer expectations, and service performance2.

Vague targets, such as those related to user experience should be avoided: The SLA should include both quantitative and qualitative targets, such as those related to user experience, satisfaction, and perception, as well as availability, reliability, and security2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 16; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 37; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Service Level Management, page 8.

Partners and suppliers are one of the four dimensions of service management that influence the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery1. This dimension covers the relationships that an organization has with other organizations that are involved in the design, development, deployment, delivery, support, and improvement of services2. This dimension also includes the contracts, agreements, and policies that govern these relationships3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 8; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 19; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Partner and Supplier Management, page 7.

Each activity contributes to the value chain by transforming specific inputs into outputs. The inputs could be demand from outside the value chain, or outputs of other activities, while the transformation is facilitated by ITIL practices, undertaken using internal or third-party resources, processes, skills, and competencies.

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