Helping Hand Questions for ITIL-4-Foundation

The service request management practice supports the agreed quality of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests in an effective and user-friendly manner1. A service request is a request from a user or a user’s authorized representative that initiates a service action that has been agreed as a normal part of service delivery2. A user wanting to know how to create a report is an example of a service request that can be handled by the service request management practice3. The other statements are not true because:

Incident management: The incident management practice restores normal service operation as quickly as possible after an interruption or reduction in quality of an IT service1. A user wanting to know how to create a report is not an incident, as it does not affect the availability or performance of a service2.

Service level management: The service level management practice sets clear business-based targets for service performance, so that the delivery of a service can be properly assessed, monitored, and managed against these targets1. This practice does not directly handle user requests, but it may define the service level agreements (SLAs) and service level objectives (SLOs) that apply to them2.

Change enablement: The change enablement practice maximizes the number of successful service and product changes by ensuring that risks have been properly assessed, authorized, and managed within a schedule1. A change is the addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have a direct or indirect effect on IT services2. A user wanting to know how to create a report is not a change, as it does not alter the configuration or functionality of a service component2. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 16; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 37; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Service Request Management, page 7.

The incident management practice aims to minimize the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible1. A major incident is an incident that has a significant impact or urgency for the business and requires a high level of coordination and resources to resolve2. The most likely way of resolving major incidents is by forming a temporary team working together to identify a resolution, such as a major incident team or a swarming team3. The other statements are not true because:

Users establishing a resolution using self-help: Self-help is an option for users to resolve their own incidents with minimal or no assistance from the service provider, but it is not suitable for major incidents that require urgent and expert attention3.

The service desk identifying the cause and a resolution: The service desk is responsible for logging, categorizing, prioritizing, and escalating incidents, but it may not have the skills or authority to identify the cause and a resolution for major incidents that involve multiple teams or suppliers3.

A support team following detailed procedures for investigating the incident: A support team may follow detailed procedures for investigating the incident, but it may not be able to resolve major incidents that require cross-functional collaboration or escalation3. References: ITIL Foundation - ITIL 4 Edition, page 14; ITIL® 4 – A Pocket Guide, page 32; ITIL® 4 Practice Guide: Incident Management, page 8.

Value Streams & Processes

The value streams and processes dimension is concerned with how the various parts of the organization work in an integrated and coordinated way to enable value creation through products and services. This dimension defines the activities, workflows, controls and procedures needed to achieve agreed objectives. What matters in service management is that an organization establishes an operating model that that effectively organizes the key activities needed to manage products and services.

Value streams

A value stream is defined as a series of steps an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services to consumers.

Structuring the organization’s service and product portfolios around value streams allows it to have a clear picture of what it delivers and how, and to make continual improvements to its services. By mapping its value streams, an organization can identify what is critical, what introduces waste and what can be improved upon.

Processes

A process is defined as a set of interrelated or interacting activities that transform inputs into outputs.

Processes define the sequence of actions and their dependencies, as well as describe what is done to accomplish an objective. Processes are underpinned by policies and can be broken down further through procedures which outline what is done, when, and by whom.

The Obtain/Build activity is responsible for ensuring that all service components are available when and where needed, and that they meet the agreed specifications.