ITIL 4 MSF flashcards
ITIL 4 MSF · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Event
- Any change of state that has significance for the management of a configuration item or IT service. Events are classified as informational, warning or exception and are processed by event management.
- Exception event
- An event that signals a component or service has failed or breached a defined threshold, requiring action. It is distinct from a warning, which indicates a threshold is being approached.
- Warning event
- An event indicating that a component or service is approaching a defined threshold or limit. It prompts preventive action before an exception or service impact occurs.
- Event correlation
- A processing rule that compares multiple events and identifies relationships or patterns among them, so that many low-level alerts become one meaningful event for the operator.
- Incident
- An unplanned interruption to a service or reduction in the quality of a service. Incident management restores normal operation quickly rather than investigating the underlying cause.
- Impact
- A measure of the effect on business processes and users caused by an incident, often expressed as the number of users or services affected and the criticality of the affected service.
- Urgency
- A measure of how long the incident can be tolerated before it causes significant business harm. Impact and urgency together determine the priority assigned to an incident.
- Major incident
- An incident with significant business impact that requires a separate, accelerated response. It is declared against defined criteria and handled with dedicated coordination, communication and review.
- Incident escalation
- Movement of an incident to a higher level of authority or expertise. Functional escalation adds technical skill; hierarchical escalation informs management when authority or business decisions are needed.
- Known error
- A problem that has been analysed but not yet resolved, for which a workaround is documented. Known errors are managed through error control until a permanent fix is applied.
- Workaround
- A temporary way to reduce or eliminate the impact of an incident or problem for which a full resolution is not yet available. Workarounds are recorded and reused via knowledge management.
- Problem control
- The problem management activity of analysing problems to identify root causes and documenting workarounds. It follows problem identification and precedes error control.
- Error control
- The problem management activity of managing known errors through to resolution, including assessing fixes, raising changes, and monitoring until the permanent solution is in place.
- Monitoring
- Repeated or continuous observing of a system, service or process. Monitoring produces raw data that event management then filters and interprets into meaningful events.
- Threshold
- A defined value against which monitored metrics are compared. Crossing it upward generates a warning; exceeding the failure limit generates an exception event.
- Service desk
- The single point of contact between the service provider and its users. It captures demand, handles incidents and service requests, and keeps users informed of progress.
- Service request
- A request from a user, or their authorised representative, that initiates a service action agreed as a normal part of service delivery, such as access, information or standard hardware.
- Request catalogue
- The user-facing subset of the service catalogue listing items users may request, each linked to defined fulfilment steps, authorisation rules and target times.
- Request model
- A standardised, pre-defined approach for fulfilling a recurring service request. It specifies steps, roles, target times and authorisation, making fulfilment repeatable and measurable.
- Service catalogue
- A structured, published view of the services the provider offers, including descriptions, ordering information and dependencies. It helps users understand what is available and how to obtain it.
- Request authorisation
- The step in request fulfilment that verifies the requester is entitled to the item, often through an approval workflow or pre-approved entitlement, before any work is performed.
- Self-service portal
- A user-facing channel where users log requests, check status and use knowledge articles without contacting an agent. It reduces service desk load for standard, well-modelled requests.
- Virtual service desk
- A service desk where agents are geographically dispersed but appear as one team, often following the sun. It gives broad coverage at the cost of local presence.
- Centralised service desk
- A single service desk serving multiple locations or business units. It improves consistency and cost efficiency but may reduce local language and cultural alignment.
- First-contact resolution
- The proportion of incidents and requests resolved at the first interaction without escalation. It is a key service desk measure of effectiveness and user experience.
- Lead time
- The elapsed time from when a request is logged to when it is fulfilled and closed. It is a primary fulfilment metric, alongside percentage fulfilled within target.
- Standard change
- A pre-authorised, low-risk change following a documented procedure. Request fulfilment can use standard changes to deliver common items without individual change approval.
- Request fulfilment closure
- The final step where the request is confirmed complete with the user, the record is updated, and feedback is captured. Closure without confirmation risks unresolved demand.
- Knowledge article
- A stored, reusable piece of guidance such as a workaround or request instruction. Published articles let users self-serve and let agents resolve issues consistently.
- User satisfaction
- A measure of how users perceive the service experience, typically collected after incident or request closure. It complements speed metrics such as lead time and resolution time.
- Follow-the-sun support
- A virtual service desk model where work passes between time zones so users receive support around the clock. Handover quality between regions determines its effectiveness.
- Single point of contact
- The service desk role of being the one entry point for users to report issues, request services and receive updates, routing demand to the right practice without the user chasing it.