Using ITIL practices to create, deliver and support services
What the syllabus expects
You must show how individual practices combine inside a value stream, rather than treating them as separate silos. Know the purpose and key interfaces of: service desk; incident, service request and problem management; change enablement; release and deployment management; service level management; knowledge management; service configuration and IT asset management; service design, service validation and testing; and continual improvement.
Key distinctions to master: incident management restores service quickly while problem management removes causes; a service request is a normal, pre-approved user need, not a failure; change enablement authorises change (standard, normal, emergency), while release management makes a version available and deployment moves it into a live environment; knowledge management works through the DIKW hierarchy and aims to make knowledge the first thing people reach for.
Traps in questions
- Assuming every change needs a CAB: standard changes are pre-authorised, and emergency changes are handled through a defined expedited route.
- Treating release and deployment as synonyms - a release can exist without being deployed to all users.
- Saying the service desk must resolve everything: modern desks use self-help, automation, swarming and routing.
- Confusing configuration items with assets: all CIs are assets only if they need to be accounted for financially or contractually; the CI focus is relationships and control.
- SLAs should reflect agreed, measurable customer outcomes, not internal technical metrics only.
Worked example
Recurring disk failures: create an incident to restore service, then a problem record to investigate the underlying cause, then a change (possibly standard) to replace hardware. Rule of thumb: incident = restore now; problem = stop it coming back; change = decide and authorise risk.