ITIL 4 Foundation Practice (1)

1. What is the effect of increased automation on the 'service desk' practice?

• 0. Greater ability to focus on customer experience when personal contact is needed

• 0. Decrease in self-service incident logging and resolution

• 0. Increased ability to focus on fixing technology instead of supporting people

• 0. Elimination of the need to escalate incidents to support teams

Answer explanation

With increased automation...

• - The impact on service desks is reduced phone contact, less low-level work, and a greater ability to focus on excellent CX when personal contact is needed

- AI, robotic process automation (RPA), and chatbots, service desks are moving to provide more self-service logging and resolution directly via online portals and mobile applications

• - the focus of the service desk is to provide support for ‘people and business’ rather than simply technical issues

• The use of automation will not eliminate the need to escalate incidents. "A key point to be understood is that, no matter how efficient the service desk and its people are, there will always be issues that need escalation and underpinning support from other teams"
  

1. Which term describes the functionality offered by a service?

• 0. Cost

• 0. Utility

• 0. Warranty

• 0. Risk

Answer explanation

Cost = The amount of money spent on a specific activity or resource.

Utility = The functionality offered by a product or service.

Warranty = Assurance that a product or service will meet agreed requirements

Risk = A possible event that could cause harm or loss, or make it more difficult to achieve objectives

1. Which is the purpose of the 'monitoring and event management' practice?

• 1. To ensure that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of services is available when and where it is needed

• 1. To systematically observe services and service components, and record and report selected changes of state

• 1. To protect the information needed by the organization to conduct its business

• 1. To minimize the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly

     as possible

Answer explanation

service configuration management practice = ensure that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of services, and the CIs that support them, is available when and where it is needed

• monitoring and event management practice = systematically observe services and service components, and record and report selected changes of state identified as events

information security management practice = protect the information needed by the organization to conduct its business

incident management practice = minimize the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible

1. What should all 'continual improvement' decisions be based on?

• 0. Details of how services are measured

• 0. Accurate and carefully analyzed data

• 0. An up-to-date balanced scorecard

• 0. A recent maturity assessment

Answer explanation

How services are measured is important, however only accurate data can drive fact-based decisions for improvement.

"Accurate data, carefully analyzed and understood, is the foundation of fact-based decision-making for improvement." The 'continual improvement' practice should be supported by relevant data sources and by skilled data analytics to ensure that each potential improvement situation is sufficiently understood.

A balanced scorecard is one input to making a decision, but on its own it does not serve as the foundation for fact-based decisions.

Maturity assessments are useful but they provide only one piece of information, as opposed to providing the foundations for decision-making in the continual improvement practice.

5. How do all value chain activities transform inputs to outputs?

• 0. By determining service demand

• 0. By using a combination of practices

• 0. By using a single functional team

• 0. By implementing process automation

Answer explanation

Demand is the input to the service value chain. Value chain activities "represent the steps an organization takes in the creation of value. Each activity contributes to the value chain by transforming specific inputs into outputs."

"To convert inputs into outputs, the value chain activities use different combinations of ITIL practices (sets of resources for performing certain types of work), drawing on internal or third-party resources, processes, skills, and competencies as required.."

The 'optimize and automate' guiding principle recommends that activities should be automated where this is practical but the service value chain does not require automation. "Technology should not always be relied upon without the capability of human intervention, as automation for automation's sake can increase costs and reduce organizational robustness and resilience."

5. How does customer engagement contribute to the 'service level management' practice?

0. 1. It captures information that metrics can be based on
   2. It ensures the organization meets defined service levels

1. 3. It defines the workflows for service requests
   4. It supports progress discussions

• 0. 1 and 2

• 0. 2 and 3

• 0. 3 and 4

• 0. 1 and 4

Answer explanation

Customer engagement = This involves initial listening, discovery, and information capture on which to base metrics, measurement, and ongoing progress discussions.

2. Service level management = ensures the organization meets the defined service

   levels through the collection, analysis, storage, and reporting of the relevant metrics for the identified services," not just through customer engagement.

5. What is the starting point for optimization?

• 0. Securing stakeholder engagement

• 0. Understanding the vision and objectives of the organization

• 0. Determining where the most positive impact would be

• 0. Standardizing practices and services

Answer explanation

Step 1: Understanding the vision and objectives of the organization

Understand and agree the context in which the proposed optimization exists. This includes agreeing the overall vision and objectives of the organization.

Step 2: Determining where the most positive impact would be

Assess the current state of the proposed optimization. This will help to understand where it can be improved and which improvement opportunities are likely to produce the biggest positive impact.

Step 3: Standardizing practices and services

Agree what the future state and priorities of the organization should be, focusing on simplification and value. This typically also includes standardization of practices and services, which will make it easier to automate or optimize further at a later point.

Step 4: Securing stakeholder engagement

Ensure the optimization has the appropriate level of stakeholder engagement and commitment.

5. Identify the missing words in the following sentence.

0. The purpose of the [?] is to ensure that the organization continually co-creates value with all stakeholders in line with the organization's objectives.

• 0. ‘focus on value’ guiding principle

• 0. four dimensions of service management

• 0. service value system

• 0. ‘service request management’ practice

Answer explanation

‘focus on value’ guiding principle = guides an organization to consider the needs of the service consumer.

four dimensions of service management = represent perspectives which are relevant to the whole SVS, including the entirety of the service value chain and all ITIL practices.

0. service value system (svs) = ensure that the organization continually co-creates value with all stakeholders through the use and management of products and services.
   

1. ‘service request management’ practice = support the agreed quality of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner.

9. Which practice provides support for managing feedback, compliments and complaints from users?

• 0. Change enablement
     

• 0. Service request management

• 0. Problem management

• 0. Incident management

Answer explanation

0. Change enablement = The purpose of the change enablement practice is to maximize the number of successful service and product changes by ensuring that risks have been properly assessed, authorizing changes to proceed, and managing the change schedule.

1. 
   Service request management = 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," and "Each service request may include one or more of the following: ... feedback, compliments, and complaints (for example, complaints about a new interface or compliments to a support team).

3. Problem management = The purpose of the problem management practice is to reduce the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying actual and potential causes of incidents, and managing workarounds and known errors.
   

4. Incident management = The purpose of the incident management practice is to minimize the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible.

9. Which joint activity performed by a service provider and service consumer ensures continual value co-creation?

• 0. Service provision

• 0. Service consumption

• 0. Service offering

• 0. Service relationship management

Answer explanation

0. Service provision = Service provision is not a joint activity; it is performed by a service provider.
   
   Service consumption = Service consumption is not a joint activity; it is performed by a service consumer.
   
   Service offering = ervice offering is not an activity; it is "A description of one or more services, designed to address the needs of a target consumer group. A service offering may include goods, access to resources, and service actions".

1. 
   Service relationship management = Service relationship management is "Joint activities performed by a service provider and a service consumer to ensure continual value co-creation based on agreed and available service offerings".