ITIL 4 Foundation — All Questions

Which practice is most concerned with investigating why the same incident keeps recurring?

• a.Service level management, which sets, monitors, and reviews measurable, business-based targets for service performance
• b.Problem management✓
• c.Service request management, which handles predefined, user-initiated requests in an effective and user-friendly manner
• d.Service desk, which is the single point of contact between the service provider and its users for incidents and requests

Investigating the underlying cause of recurring incidents is the role of problem management, which reduces the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying their actual and potential causes and managing workarounds and known errors. Incident management, by contrast, focuses on restoring service quickly each time.

Which pairing of an incident-related term with its meaning is correct?

• a.Incident: a problem that has been analyzed but has not yet been resolved by the organization's support teams
• b.Known error: a request from a user that is a normal part of routine service delivery, such as a request for information
• c.Problem: an unplanned interruption to a service, or a reduction in the quality of a service, experienced by users
• d.Workaround: a solution that reduces or eliminates the impact of an incident for which a full resolution is not yet available✓

A workaround is correctly defined as a solution that reduces or eliminates the impact of an incident or problem for which a full resolution is not yet available. The other options swap the definitions: an incident is an unplanned interruption, a problem is a cause of incidents, and a known error is an analyzed but unresolved problem.

Which practice most directly ensures that risks from proposed changes are assessed before the changes proceed?

• a.Change enablement✓
• b.Service request management, which handles predefined, user-initiated requests in an effective and user-friendly way
• c.Incident management, which minimizes the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation quickly
• d.Service desk, which acts as the single point of contact between the service provider and its users of the service

Change enablement maximizes the number of successful changes by ensuring risks are properly assessed, authorizing changes to proceed, and managing the change schedule. Assessing the risk of a proposed change before it proceeds is central to this practice, balancing benefit against potential disruption.

Which statement about the relationship between change enablement and standard changes is correct?

• a.Standard changes are not part of change enablement at all and are instead managed entirely by problem management
• b.Standard changes are the same as emergency changes and must always be implemented as fast as possible after approval
• c.Standard changes are pre-authorized within their documented procedure, so they do not need separate approval each time✓
• d.Standard changes must be individually assessed and authorized by a change authority every single time they are performed

A standard change is low-risk and pre-authorized: its authorization is built into the documented, well-understood procedure, so each instance does not require separate approval. This differs from normal changes (individually assessed and authorized) and emergency changes (expedited assessment for urgent situations).

Which practice is responsible for managing known errors and identifying opportunities for permanent resolution?

• a.Problem management✓
• b.Change enablement, which maximizes successful changes by assessing risk and authorizing and scheduling them properly
• c.Incident management, whose focus is on restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible after an interruption
• d.Service request management, which handles predefined, user-initiated requests in an effective, user-friendly manner

Managing known errors and seeking permanent resolutions falls under problem management, specifically its error control phase. Problem management analyzes problems, documents workarounds and known errors, and identifies potential permanent fixes, reducing the likelihood and impact of incidents over time.

Which practice would most directly ensure that agreed availability and performance targets for a service are documented and reviewed with the customer?

• a.Service level management✓
• b.Information security management, which protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the organization's information
• c.Incident management, which restores normal service operation as quickly as possible following any interruption to a service
• d.Change enablement, which maximizes the number of successful changes by assessing risks and authorizing them appropriately

Service level management sets, monitors, and reviews measurable, business-based service targets, documenting them in service level agreements and reviewing performance with the customer. It relies on ongoing engagement so the agreed targets reflect the customer's real business outcomes.

Which practice would be most engaged in protecting customer data against unauthorized disclosure?

• a.Service desk, which is the single point of contact between the service provider and the users of its services
• b.Service request management, which handles predefined, user-initiated requests in an effective, user-friendly manner
• c.Change enablement, which maximizes successful changes by assessing risk and authorizing and scheduling them properly
• d.Information security management✓

Protecting information against unauthorized disclosure concerns confidentiality, a core goal of information security management. This practice protects the information the organization needs by managing risks to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, along with authentication and non-repudiation.

Which of the following best describes how the seven most-examined Foundation practices support the value chain?

• a.Practices such as incident management and service desk supply capabilities that value chain activities draw on✓
• b.Practices operate completely independently of the value chain and never contribute to any of its six activities
• c.Each practice can support only one value chain activity, and no practice may ever contribute to more than one activity
• d.Practices replace the value chain activities entirely, so an organization uses only practices and never the activities

Practices are sets of organizational resources for performing work. Each value chain activity draws on a combination of practices — for example, deliver and support draws on incident management, service request management, and the service desk. Practices supply the capabilities the activities use rather than replacing them.

A change advisory body assesses and authorizes a significant, individually planned change through the defined process. What type of change is being handled?

• a.A normal change✓
• b.A service request
• c.An emergency change, which must be implemented as soon as possible using an expedited assessment and authorization
• d.A standard change

A normal change is scheduled, assessed, and authorized following the organization's defined change process, often with a change authority or advisory body reviewing significant changes. This contrasts with standard changes (pre-authorized) and emergency changes (expedited for urgent situations).

Which statement about the service desk and incident management is correct?

• a.Incident management is the single point of contact for users, and the service desk restores service after interruptions
• b.The service desk investigates the root causes of incidents, while incident management simply logs them for the record
• c.The service desk captures demand and coordinates, while incident management focuses on restoring normal service operation✓
• d.They are the same practice, so 'service desk' and 'incident management' always refer to exactly the same set of activities

The service desk is the single point of contact that captures demand for incident resolution and service requests and coordinates handling, while incident management is the practice focused on restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible. They are distinct but work closely together in deliver and support.

Which practice most directly aims to align the organization's services and practices with changing business needs over time?

• a.Incident management, which minimizes the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation quickly
• b.Continual improvement✓
• c.Change enablement, which maximizes successful changes by assessing risk and authorizing and scheduling them properly
• d.Service request management, which handles predefined, user-initiated requests in an effective and user-friendly manner

The continual improvement practice aims to align the organization's practices and services with changing business needs through ongoing identification and improvement of services, components, and practices. It supports the improve value chain activity and applies the continual improvement model.

Which of the following is an example of a service management practice?

• a.Relationship management
• b.Change enablement✓
• c.Supplier management
• d.Information security management

Change enablement is a service management practice, developed within the service management domain. Supplier management, information security management, and relationship management are all general management practices, adopted and adapted from general business management.

Why does incident management often prioritize a workaround over immediately finding the root cause?

• a.Because finding the root cause is the responsibility of change enablement, not of any other practice in the organization
• b.Because incidents never have root causes, so there is nothing for the practice to investigate in the first place
• c.Because its goal is to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible, minimizing the impact on users✓
• d.Because a workaround permanently resolves the incident, removing any need for problem management to become involved

Incident management's goal is to minimize the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible, so a workaround that restores service fast is often preferred. Investigating and removing the underlying cause is the role of problem management, a separate but related practice.

An organization wants to ensure users have a clear, consistent way to both report issues and request services. Which practice provides this?

• a.Service desk✓
• b.Problem management, which reduces the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying and managing their causes
• c.Service level management, which sets, monitors, and reviews measurable, business-based targets for service performance
• d.Change enablement, which maximizes successful changes by assessing risk and authorizing and scheduling them properly

The service desk provides the single point of contact between the provider and its users, giving them a clear, consistent channel to report incidents and raise service requests. It captures demand for incident resolution and service requests and coordinates their handling, strongly shaping the user experience.

Which statement about problem management's three phases is correct?

• a.Error control is the phase in which incidents are first detected and then quickly restored to normal service operation
• b.Error control manages known errors and identifies potential permanent resolutions, while problem control analyzes problems✓
• c.Problem identification permanently removes every cause, so no further phases are ever needed once it has been completed
• d.Problem control is concerned solely with negotiating and reviewing service level agreements with the organization's customers

Problem management has three phases: problem identification (detecting and logging problems), problem control (analyzing problems and documenting workarounds and known errors), and error control (managing known errors and identifying potential permanent resolutions). The correct option accurately describes problem control and error control.

Which practice most directly balances the need to make beneficial changes against the need to protect services from disruption?

• a.Incident management, which minimizes the negative impact of incidents by restoring normal service operation quickly
• b.Relationship management, which establishes and nurtures links between the organization and its various stakeholders
• c.Information security management, which protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational information
• d.Change enablement✓

Change enablement explicitly balances enabling beneficial changes against protecting customers and users from unnecessary disruption. It does this by assessing the risk of changes, authorizing them appropriately, and managing the change schedule to maximize the number of successful changes.

How does the service request management practice contribute to service quality?

• a.By handling predefined, user-initiated requests effectively and in a user-friendly way, supporting the agreed service quality✓
• b.By investigating the root causes of recurring incidents so that they can be permanently prevented from happening again
• c.By protecting the organization's information and managing risks to its confidentiality, integrity, and availability
• d.By setting and reviewing measurable, business-based service targets and documenting them in service level agreements

Service request management supports the agreed quality of a service by handling all predefined, user-initiated service requests effectively and in a user-friendly manner. Efficient, consistent, and often automated handling of routine requests directly improves the user experience and the perceived quality of the service.

Which of the following correctly matches a practice to its purpose?

• a.Service desk — to reduce the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying and managing their actual and potential causes
• b.Incident management — to establish and nurture the links between the organization and its stakeholders at all levels
• c.Change enablement — to maximize the number of successful changes by assessing risks and authorizing changes appropriately✓
• d.Problem management — to be the single point of contact between the service provider and its users for incidents and requests

Change enablement is correctly matched to its purpose: maximizing successful changes by ensuring risks are assessed, changes are authorized, and the change schedule is managed. The other options mismatch practices with the purposes of relationship management, problem management, and the service desk respectively.