Changed ITIL-4-Foundation Exam Questions

The problem management practice follows a three-phase approach to reduce the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying actual and potential causes of incidents and managing workarounds and known errors1. The three phases are:

Problem identification: the process of finding problems that are the cause or potential cause of one or more incidents2.

Problem control: the process of analysing the root cause and impact of a problem and developing a workaround or a permanent solution2.

Error control: the process of managing known errors throughout their lifecycle, from recording to removal2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 15; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 35; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Problem Management, page 9.

The second step is to conduct an objective current-state assessment of existing services and service management practices. This should include consideration of the users’ perception of the value being received, along with a review of people’s competencies and skills, the processes and procedures involved, the capabilities of the available technological solutions and the prevailing organizational culture. The success of an improvement initiative depends on a clear and accurate understanding of the starting point and the required impact of the initiative.

For example, an organization can measure the current net promoter score (NPS) from a customer satisfaction survey, conduct a benchmark survey against its competitors or review findings of operational statistics or audit reports to understand its current state. If this step is skipped, the current state will not be understood and there will not be an objective baseline measurement against which improvement can be measured.

User: A person who uses services; e.g. the company employees.

Incident management is typically closely aligned with the service desk, which is the single point of contact for all users communicating with IT. When a service is disrupted or fails to deliver the promised performance during normal service hours, it is essential to restore the service to normal operation as quickly as possible.