An organization is transitioning to a new customer relationship management (CRM) system with the
aim of expanding its customer base and increasing customer retention. The new cloud-based system
will be used both internally and by an outsourced call centre. This high-cost, high-priority initiative
has many critics who are concerned with lack of resources.
Which stakeholder’s support for this initiative is MOST needed to obtain necessary resources and
overcome concerns?
A
Explanation:
In ITIL 4 DPI, governance ensures that high-cost, high-priority initiatives align with strategic direction.
For initiatives that affect customer base and retention, executive sponsorship is crucial to secure
resources and overcome resistance. The Director of Sales is the key stakeholder since this system
directly impacts sales growth and customer management. While service level, security, and call
centre roles are important operationally, only executive-level oversight ensures the initiative is
prioritized and funded.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Governance at multiple levels – Strategic oversight and
sponsorship")
A service provider has developed a strategy to increase its revenue by launching a new cloud storage
service. This strategy is being cascaded down to the technical teams.
Which is a relevant objective that will support the strategy?
D
Explanation:
ITIL DPI emphasizes that objectives must cascade logically from strategy into actionable plans. Since
the strategic goal is to launch a new cloud storage service, the technical objective must directly
support that initiative. “Design and implement new infrastructure by the end of quarter 2” is aligned,
measurable, and time-bound. The other options either do not directly relate to the cloud service (B,
C) or are ongoing operational metrics (A), not strategic enablers.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Cascading objectives and alignment with strategy")
When planning a new service, which three factors should be considered when defining the value that
the service will create?
C
Explanation:
The DPI guidance highlights that value is defined by outcomes achieved, costs optimized, and risks
reduced. When creating a new service, organizations must assess:
Costs (resources required to deliver the service),
Risks (potential threats to performance and adoption),
Outcomes (the results and benefits expected).
This reflects the ITIL service value system’s definition of co-creating value between provider and
consumer.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Value creation and value drivers")
Which type of plan would outline the organizational vision for a multi-year infrastructure expansion?
D
Explanation:
According to ITIL DPI, planning occurs at strategic, tactical, and operational levels. A strategic plan
defines long-term direction, including multi-year infrastructure expansion that aligns with business
goals. Tactical plans break this down into departmental objectives, while operational plans manage
day-to-day execution. Project plans are temporary and specific but not long-term vision documents.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Planning levels – strategic, tactical, operational")
In an organization, IT teams are working on documented, structured, and systematic processes for all
customer-facing work.
Which concept is this an example of?
C
Explanation:
In DPI, a method is defined as a structured and systematic approach to performing work, ensuring
consistency and repeatability. Documented processes for customer-facing work represent methods
applied to service management. A control is something put in place to manage risk, a balanced
scorecard is a performance measurement tool, and a risk is a potential event. Hence, “method” is the
correct categorization.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Policies, controls, and methods")
What is the difference between a policy and a control?
D
Explanation:
In ITIL 4 DPI, policies are the high-level expectations, rules, or guidelines that are defined by the
organization’s governing body. They establish the framework for decision-making and behaviour.
Controls, on the other hand, are management mechanisms used to enforce policies and ensure
compliance. Thus, policies come from governance, while controls are implemented by management
to enforce those policies.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Policies, controls, and guidelines – governance vs.
management responsibilities")
An organization recently established a continual improvement team to promote and enable
continual improvement throughout the SVS. The members of the team are discussing the team's role
in continual improvement across the organization.
Which is the BEST description of the team's role in this situation?
B
Explanation:
According to DPI, the continual improvement team’s role is to promote a culture of improvement
across the organization. Their purpose is not to own every improvement but to empower all staff to
recognize and propose improvements. By enabling knowledge, training, and cultural reinforcement,
they encourage everyone to participate. Options A and C are too narrow, and D is too rigid since the
continual improvement model is guidance, not a strict sequence.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Continual improvement culture and responsibilities")
An organization has determined that a significant percentage of incidents have delayed resolutions
because they are escalated to the wrong team, and need to be reassigned before they can be
resolved. They plan to improve the flow of work by improving the accuracy of incident escalation.
What is this an example of?
B
Explanation:
ITIL DPI applies Lean principles such as the elimination of waste. Repeated reassignments and delays
in incident handling represent a form of waste in workflow. Improving accuracy of escalation
removes unnecessary handoffs and accelerates resolution, optimizing flow. This aligns with Lean-
inspired waste elimination. OCM (D) is about managing people through change, not fixing workflow
inefficiencies.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Lean principles – eliminate waste and optimize flow")
A small service provider is experiencing growth and success. Currently, all important decisions are
made by a small executive group. This creates delays because some members of the group are often
unavailable.
Which is the BEST approach for establishing an authority structure for decision-making within the
service provider organization?
C
Explanation:
DPI emphasizes governance by defining clear decision-making authority. High-risk or strategic
decisions should remain with executives, but less critical decisions must be delegated through
policies to appropriate levels of management. This prevents bottlenecks and ensures accountability
while balancing governance oversight. Options A and B may reduce delays but lack structured
governance, while D risks insufficient control.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Delegation of decision-making and governance
structures")
Which concept or activity involves reviewing data to identify what is working well and what needs to
be done differently?
C
Explanation:
The continual improvement model in ITIL DPI explicitly requires reviewing data and performance
outcomes to determine what is successful and what requires adjustment. This is the essence of
improvement—using measurement and feedback to guide future action. Direction (A) and vision (D)
are long-term guiding elements, while planning (B) organizes work. Only improvement is about data-
driven reflection and adaptation.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Continual improvement model – steps to evaluate and
adapt")
A project team recently delivered a new service on time and to specification. However, the team
encountered a number of issues during the project that resulted in an increase in the resources
utilized. The project is about to close and the project team will immediately move on to the next
project.
Which is the BEST way to avoid similar issues in the future?
A
Explanation:
In DPI, the continual improvement model stresses the importance of capturing lessons learned to
ensure that successes and failures inform future work. By creating a lessons learned report during
project closure, the organization systematically records challenges, inefficiencies, and solutions. This
enables organizational learning and prevents repeating mistakes. SWOT (B) and communication
planning (D) are useful tools, but they do not directly address past project issues. Customer
satisfaction analysis (C) focuses on user experience, not internal resource challenges.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Continual improvement feedback and learning loops")
An organization uses an external service provider to develop and support a critical application. They
have asked the supplier to make improvements as users have been complaining that the application
is difficult to use.
What would be a suitable SMART KPI for measuring this improvement?
B
Explanation:
In DPI, KPIs must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Option B is
the only one that fully meets SMART criteria:
Specific (user satisfaction with the application),
Measurable (30% increase),
Achievable (reasonable improvement target),
Relevant (directly tied to usability),
Time-bound (six months).
Options A and D lack measurable objectivity, while C is too broad and long-term.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Measurement and reporting – setting SMART
objectives and KPIs")
A service provider has experienced a number of problems with their cloud storage service that have
caused service outages. Problem management has successfully identified the cause of each incident,
but further improvements to the service are considered necessary.
Which is the BEST example of using the 'continual improvement model' to guide improvements to
the service?
B
Explanation:
The continual improvement model is applied to evaluate, prioritize, and implement improvements
across services, practices, and processes. Here, the focus is the cloud storage service, not just the
practice of problem management. Option B reflects the model’s purpose—identify improvement
opportunities, assess priorities, and act to prevent recurrence of failures. Options A, C, and D
misapply the model to either specific practices or operational recovery, not holistic improvement.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Applying the continual improvement model to services
and practices")
Which describes 'scope of control'?
C
Explanation:
In DPI, scope of control refers to the authority and influence a manager has over people and
activities. It defines how far their decision-making power extends—essential for ensuring clarity in
governance and accountability. It is not about risks owned (B), reporting relationships (D), or specific
improvement content (A).
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Governance structures – scope of control vs. span of
control")
A retailer is considering introducing a new virtual reality feature to its online presence. Recognizing
this is a significant effort requiring new skills and technology, the CIO has asked the operations
manager to assess the impact to the organization.
Which assessment method would work BEST in this situation?
B
Explanation:
In ITIL DPI, gap analysis is used to compare the current state against the desired future state. Since
the retailer is adopting new technology and skills, gap analysis identifies capability shortfalls and
resource needs to support the change. Customer satisfaction analysis (A) and SLA analysis (C)
measure service performance, not organizational readiness. Process maturity assessment (D)
examines process capability but not the holistic gap to achieve new capabilities.
(Reference: ITIL® 4 Strategist DPI, section on "Assessment methods – gap analysis for change
initiatives")