ITIL 4 DPI flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Direction

The process of setting an organization's course by establishing goals, objectives and boundaries, and authorizing the decisions and activities needed to achieve them.

Planning

The activity of deciding how, when and with what resources objectives will be achieved, producing plans that guide execution at strategic, tactical and operational levels.

Vision and mission

A vision describes the desired future state an organization wants to reach; a mission states its purpose, what it does and for whom, in the present.

Outcome versus output

An output is a tangible deliverable produced by an activity; an outcome is the result or effect that deliverable creates for stakeholders and for organizational objectives.

Three levels of planning

Strategic planning sets long-term whole-organization direction; tactical planning addresses products and value streams at medium term; operational planning covers short-term day-to-day delivery.

Scope of direction and planning

It covers all products and services, all value streams, all practices, all four dimensions, and relevant partners and suppliers, at every organizational level.

Run and change scope

Direction and planning cover both ongoing service delivery, known as run, and deliberate transformation, known as change, including projects, improvements and organizational change initiatives.

Seven guiding principles

Focus on value; start where you are; progress iteratively with feedback; collaborate and promote visibility; think and work holistically; keep it simple and practical; optimize and automate.

Cascading objectives

Higher-level goals are decomposed into supporting objectives for lower levels, so each team's targets demonstrably contribute to the organization's strategic direction.

Business case components

Benefits, costs, risks and timescales, often compared across options, used to justify investment in a plan, project or improvement before commitment is made.

Delegation of authority

The formal assignment of decision-making rights from a higher to a lower level, defined in policy, so decisions are made at the appropriate level with clear accountability.

Governance

The means by which an organization is directed and controlled: setting direction, monitoring performance and compliance, and ensuring accountability for achievement of objectives.

Evaluate, direct, monitor

The three governing-body activities: evaluate options and performance, direct through strategy and policy, and monitor conformance and outcomes against agreed objectives.

Compliance

Adherence to laws, regulations, contracts, standards and internal policies; governing bodies ensure compliance obligations are identified, met and evidenced.

GRC integration

Governance, risk and compliance managed as one connected system, embedded in the service value system and aligned to the same organizational objectives.

Continual improvement model

A seven-step iterative method: what is the vision; where are we now; where do we want to be; how do we get there; take action; did we get there; how do we keep the momentum going.

Continual improvement register

A record used to capture, prioritize, track and report improvement opportunities and initiatives so they are managed consistently across the organization.

Continual improvement practice

The ITIL practice that aligns the organization's practices and services with changing business needs through ongoing identification and improvement of services, practices and components.

Keep the momentum going

The final step of the continual improvement model: embed and reinforce the improvement, communicate the results and identify the next opportunity.

Two-way communication

Effective communication requires listening and feedback as well as sending messages, so understanding is confirmed and stakeholders can influence the change.

Stakeholder analysis

Identifying stakeholders and assessing their interest, influence, needs and attitude toward a change, in order to plan tailored engagement and communication.

Change agent network

A group of people across the organization who are trained and supported to advocate for a change and provide local feedback to those leading it.

Critical success factors

The few things that must go well for a service, practice or plan to achieve its objectives; they define what should be measured.

Key performance indicators

Measures chosen to show how well a critical success factor is being achieved, with defined targets and thresholds that support decisions and action.

Leading versus lagging indicators

Lagging indicators report results already achieved, such as incidents last month; leading indicators predict future performance, such as the proportion of staff trained.

Goal-question-metric

A method for deriving metrics: state the goal, ask the questions that reveal whether it is met, then define the measures that answer those questions.

Value stream

The series of steps and activities an organization performs to create and deliver products and services to consumers, beginning with demand and ending with value delivery.

Value stream mapping

A visual technique that maps the steps, flows, handoffs and delays in a value stream to expose waste and identify improvement opportunities.

Flow efficiency

Process or value-added time divided by total lead time, expressed as a percentage; a low value shows waiting and other non-value-adding time dominates.

Risk

A possible event that could cause harm or loss, or make it more difficult to achieve objectives; in ITIL it also covers potential positive outcomes.

Risk assessment steps

Identification of risks, analysis of their probability and impact, and evaluation of whether the resulting level is acceptable relative to risk appetite.

Risk treatment options

Ways of handling assessed risk: avoid, reduce or mitigate, transfer, and accept; for opportunities the corresponding options include exploit and enhance.