IT4IT 3 Foundation study plan
IT4IT 3 Foundation · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
IT4IT™ Reference Architecture overview and value streams
Define the IT4IT Reference Architecture in your own words, including what problem it solves for IT organizations and what it deliberately does not prescribe.
Distinguish the IT Value Chain from a value stream and explain in writing why the architecture models both.
Map the four value streams (Strategy to Portfolio, Requirement to Deploy, Request to Fulfill, Detect to Correct) to their end-to-end outcomes and name the trigger and exit condition of each.
Draw the high-level value chain diagram from memory and label the four value streams in the correct order.
Your checkpoint
A one-page hand-drawn value chain diagram with all four value streams labeled by trigger and outcome, plus a 150-word written definition of the Reference Architecture.
IT4IT™ Reference Architecture overview and value streams & The IT Value Chain and the four IT4IT value streams
Explain how the IT4IT Reference Architecture relates to and complements frameworks such as ITIL, COBIT, and DevOps practices without claiming it replaces them.
Describe the three levels of abstraction in the architecture (value chain, value streams, functional components) and state what decisions each level supports.
Identify the service lifecycle concepts (service, service offering, service portfolio) and explain how they appear in more than one value stream.
Compare Strategy to Portfolio and Requirement to Deploy in terms of scope, cadence, and primary stakeholders.
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of the four value streams with columns for purpose, trigger, key stakeholders, and primary data objects, at least two accurate entries per cell.
The IT Value Chain and the four IT4IT value streams
Trace a single business idea from intake in Strategy to Portfolio through to deployment in Requirement to Deploy, naming each functional component it touches.
Explain how Request to Fulfill consumes services defined upstream and what happens when a requested service is not yet in the catalog.
Describe the Detect to Correct value stream from event detection through resolution and identify where knowledge feedback returns to the other streams.
List the data objects that cross value stream boundaries and explain why those handoffs are the architecture's main integration points.
Your checkpoint
An end-to-end narrative walkthrough of one realistic scenario (for example, a new employee onboarding portal) showing all four value streams and every functional component involved.
The IT Value Chain and the four IT4IT value streams & IT4IT functional components and data objects
Name the functional components belonging to each value stream and state the single primary purpose of each in one sentence.
Explain the role of the central service model and how functional components read from and write to shared data objects.
Distinguish functional components from organizational units, explaining why one team can own several components and one component can span teams.
Identify which functional components are most commonly misunderstood and articulate the boundary between them.
Your checkpoint
A complete functional component map, one card per component, each card listing its value stream, purpose, inputs, and outputs, reviewed for accuracy against your notes.
IT4IT functional components and data objects
Define the core data objects (for example service, service offering, contract, requirement, change, incident, problem, configuration item) and state which functional component owns each.
Explain the concept of a data object lifecycle and describe the states a service passes through from conception to retirement.
Describe how the architecture treats the configuration management database and why the service model is broader than a traditional CMDB.
Identify the relationships between data objects and draw them as a simple entity relationship sketch.
Your checkpoint
A data object reference sheet covering at least ten objects with owner component, key attributes, lifecycle states, and related objects.
IT4IT functional components and data objects & Applying the IT4IT Reference Architecture to manage the business of IT
Explain how the Reference Architecture supports managing the business of IT, including cost, value, and demand conversations with business stakeholders.
Describe how to use the architecture to identify integration gaps and duplication in an existing tool landscape.
Apply the architecture to a tooling consolidation scenario, mapping current tools to functional components and flagging overlaps.
Articulate the difference between adopting the architecture as a model versus implementing it as a rigid process prescription.
Your checkpoint
A gap analysis of a hypothetical or real IT tool landscape mapped against functional components, with at least three concrete findings and recommended actions.
Applying the IT4IT Reference Architecture to manage the business of IT
Construct a phased adoption roadmap that sequences value stream implementation by business pain rather than by architectural completeness.
Define at least four measures or KPIs that demonstrate value stream maturity and explain what each reveals.
Explain how governance, roles, and decision rights change when an organization organizes around value streams instead of silos.
Prepare concise answers to common objections about adopting the architecture, such as perceived overhead or overlap with existing frameworks.
Your checkpoint
A two-page adoption proposal with a three-phase roadmap, four KPIs with rationale, and responses to three stakeholder objections.
IT4IT™ Reference Architecture overview and value streams & The IT Value Chain and the four IT4IT value streams & IT4IT functional components and data objects & Applying the IT4IT Reference Architecture to manage the business of IT
Complete a full timed practice exam and score it by domain to identify remaining weak areas.
Re-derive the value chain, value stream, functional component, and data object relationships from memory without notes.
Review and correct every missed practice question by locating the underlying concept in your own materials.
Consolidate one-page summary sheets per domain for final review.
Your checkpoint
A scored practice exam with a written remediation note for each incorrect answer and four final one-page domain summary sheets.
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain the architecture's purpose and all four value streams, with trigger and outcome for each, without notes in under five minutes.
Week 4: Can place every functional component in its correct value stream and state its purpose in one sentence, scoring at least 80 percent on a self-made component quiz.
Week 6: Can name the owner and lifecycle of at least ten core data objects and correctly explain two cross-value-stream handoffs.
Week 8: Scores at least 85 percent on a full timed practice exam with no domain below 75 percent, and has a written remediation note for every miss.