ITIL ITIL-4-Transition - ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition Exam

Comprehensive Explanation:

The Service Desk is the single point of contact for users and must:

Communicate effectively

Show empathy

Understand the user’s emotional state

Provide reassurance and support

ITIL emphasizes people skills as essential for service desk interaction.

Comprehensive Explanation:

Problem management focuses on:

Identifying causes of incidents

Producing workarounds

Managing workarounds and known errors

Thus, the missing term is “workarounds”.

Large batch sizes of work are considered a barrier to high performance in Lean and Agile because they increase the amount of work in progress (WIP), which leads to longer cycle times, higher variability, lower quality, and reduced feedback and learning. Large batches also increase the risk of waste, rework, and delays, as well as the complexity and uncertainty of the work. Lean and Agile advocate for reducing batch sizes and limiting WIP, which enables faster flow, shorter feedback loops, higher quality, and more value delivery. Some of the practices that help reduce batch sizes and limit WIP are:

Pulling versus pushing work, which means that work is initiated only when there is a demand and capacity for it, rather than being assigned or scheduled in advance.

Making work visible, which means that the status and progress of work are transparent and accessible to all stakeholders, using tools such as Kanban boards, burn-down charts, and dashboards.

Limiting work-in-progress, which means that the number of work items in each stage of the workflow is restricted, based on the available resources and throughput, to prevent bottlenecks and overloading. References: 

Integrating ITIL 4 and Design Thinking | Cognixia, section “What is Design Thinking?”

Service design: ITIL 4 practice guide | Axelos, section 2.1.1

ITIL 4 , DESIGN THINKING & RAPID - Devoteam, section “Design Thinking”

ITIL4 meets design thinking | Axelos, section “Design thinking”

Customer orientation is an approach to business that focuses on assisting customers in achieving their goals, as opposed to adopting a sales oriented methodology12. It involves understanding the needs, expectations, and preferences of the customers and delivering value that meets or exceeds them. Customer orientation also implies adapting to the feedback and behavior of the customers and tailoring the service accordingly. Therefore, when a service support agent adjusts support actions following a call from a frustrated user, they are demonstrating customer orientation, as they are trying to resolve the user’s issue in a way that suits their emotional state and satisfaction level. Customer orientation is one of the key concepts in ITIL 4, as it helps to create value co-creation and drive stakeholder value34. It is also aligned with the ITIL guiding principles of focus on value, collaborate and promote visibility, and keep it simple and practical34. References:

The customer journey and ITIL 4 | Axelos3

Holistic IT – a non-siloed approach with ITIL 4 | Axelos4

Customer Orientation: What it Is and How to Implement It [+Examples]1

Mastering Customer Orientation: Definition, Importance and Strategies2

Limiting work-in-progress (WIP) is a technique that involves setting a maximum number of tasks that can be in progress at any given stage of the workflow. This helps to reduce the amount of time that tasks spend waiting in queues, which improves the flow of work and reduces the lead time. Limiting WIP also encourages the team to focus on completing the tasks that are already started, rather than starting new ones, which improves the quality and value of the work. Limiting WIP is a key practice of Kanban, which is one of the methods covered in the ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition module. References:

Limiting Work in Progress (WIP) in Scrum with Kanban - What / When / Who / How

The Surprising Impact of Limiting Work in Progress on the Flow of Work …

The correct answer is B. The service value chain because it is the core component of the ITIL 4 service management framework that describes how an organization orchestrates its IT capabilities to achieve its strategic objectives. The service value chain is an operating model that covers all the key activities to flexibly manage products and services1. It consists of six interconnected value chain activities: plan, improve, engage, design and transition, obtain/build, and deliver and support2.

Option A is not correct because the four dimensions of service management are not an operating model, but rather a holistic perspective that should be considered for the effective and efficient facilitation of value co-creation2. The four dimensions are: organizations and people, information and technology, partners and suppliers, and value streams and processes2.

Option C is not correct because the ITIL guiding principles are not an operating model, but rather a set of recommendations that can guide an organization in all circumstances, regardless of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work, or management structure2. The ITIL guiding principles are: focus on value, start where you are, progress iteratively with feedback, collaborate and promote visibility, think and work holistically, keep it simple and practical, and optimize and automate2.

Option D is not correct because continual improvement is not an operating model, but rather a recurring organizational activity performed at all levels to ensure that an organization’s performance continually meets stakeholders’ expectations2. Continual improvement is based on the continual improvement model, which consists of four steps: what is the vision, where are we now, where do we want to be, and how do we get there2.

The organization should follow the approach of creating one value stream for the entire project, to enable an end-to-end, holistic vision of the service. A value stream is a series of steps that an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services to consumers. A value stream should cover the whole service value chain, from the demand to the value delivery. Creating one value stream for the entire project helps to ensure that the service is aligned with the customer needs, expectations, and outcomes, and that the value is co-created by the provider and the consumer. Creating one value stream also helps to identify the value, waste, and opportunities for improvement in each step, and to optimize the service delivery process. The other options are not correct, as they would result in fragmented, incomplete, or inconsistent value streams. Creating separate value streams for practices, people, tools and suppliers would not consider the ‘four dimensions’ equally, but rather isolate them from each other. Creating separate value streams for every project phase would not ensure that each milestone is achieved in an Agile manner, but rather create gaps and delays between the phases. Creating one value stream for each team would not allow the teams to focus on their different objectives, but rather create silos and conflicts among the teams. References:

ITIL 4 & swarming – finding the right people & process | Axelos1

Swarming vs Tiered Support Models Explained - BMC Software2

What ITSM Practitioners Need to Know About Value Stream Mapping3

ITIL 4 Value Streams: do the right things for customer | Axelos4

This working practice is not focused on creating value because it does not involve the customers or users in defining the requirements and expectations of the service. It also assumes that the developers’ previous experience is relevant and sufficient for the current situation, which may not be the case. This practice may lead to delivering a service that does not meet the needs and preferences of the customers or users, or that is not aligned with the organization’s strategy and objectives. References:

ITIL 4 Managing Professional Transition Module Sample Paper - English1, page 6, question 1, answer A

ITIL 4 Foundation: ITIL 4 Edition2, page 67, section 4.1.1, paragraph 2

ITIL 4 Managing Professional: Create, Deliver and Support3, page 9, section 1.1, paragraph 3

ITIL 4 Managing Professional: Direct, Plan and Improve4, page 11, section 1.1, paragraph 2

Identifying consumer roles in service relationships is a benefit because it helps the service provider to understand the needs, expectations, and responsibilities of each type of consumer. This enables effective stakeholder management, which is the process of identifying, analyzing, planning, and communicating with the people or groups involved in or affected by a service. By knowing the consumer roles, the service provider can tailor the service offerings, agreements, and interactions to suit each role and create value for them. For example, the service provider can communicate with the customer (the person who defines the requirements and pays for the service) about the service strategy and value proposition, while communicating with the user (the person who uses the service) about the service features and feedback. The sponsor (the person who authorizes the budget and supports the service) can also be involved in the decision-making and governance of the service. By identifying and managing the consumer roles, the service provider can build trust, collaboration, and alignment with the consumers and deliver better service outcomes. References: 1, 2, 3